The Chicago Bears will battle the Washington Commanders in Week 6, where Chicago is looking to record its third straight win and improve to 3-2 off the bye week.

After losing the first two games of the season to the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, Chicago has bounced back with victories against the Dallas Cowboys, where quarterback Caleb Williams has shined and the defense has stepped up with takeaways despite injuries and struggles in pass rush and run defense.

The Bears are coming off an early bye week, which allowed for rest, healing and evaluation. And things don’t get easier right out of the gate as Chicago battles a talented Commanders team on the road on Monday Night Football. Can head coach Ben Johnson rewrite the Bears’ tragic trend of games off a bye?

Ahead of Sunday’s game, here are 10 things to know ahead of the Bears’ Week 6 matchup against the Commanders:

Return to the scene of the Hail Mary disaster

Bears fans certainly don’t need a reminder that Monday night’s game between the Bears and Commanders comes roughly a year after the heartbreaking Hail Mary disaster, where Washington dashed any hopes of Chicago’s comeback win just seconds earlier. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was at the center of the controversy, and he received a lot of criticism for taunting the crowd before and as the final play was snapped, and he was ultimately the guy who tipped the ball into the waiting hands of Noah Brown. Stevenson has put that play behind him and is determined to rewrite the narrative on the same field that, for all intents and purposes, ended the Bears’ season last year.

Caleb Williams vs. Jayden Daniels: Round 2

For the entirety of their NFL careers, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels will be compared as the first and second overall picks in the 2024 NFL draft. While Daniels won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors as the Commanders made it to the NFC Championship Game, Williams dealt with a chaotic situation that included a 10-game losing streak, three offensive coordinators and two head coaches. With Ben Johnson now leading the charge, Williams is in a much better situation in his second season. While Daniels ultimately bested Williams in last year’s matchup — due only to the Hail Mary disaster — Williams will be looking to level the playing field in Round 2 on Monday night.

Kyler Gordon’s impending return

The Bears have dealt with injuries early this season, but it sounds like good news is on the way as cornerback Kyler Gordon is expected to make his season debut on Monday night against the Commanders. Gordon missed the first four games due to a lingering hamstring injury suffered back in training camp. In fact, Gordon flat out told reporters he will be playing. Assuming that’s the case, it’ll be a huge boost for this defense, particularly in run defense. But Gordon is one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the game, where he’s an asset in coverage, run support and blitzing.

Change coming at left tackle?

The Bears’ left tackle issue remains unresolved, and it was clear a potential change was on the way heading into the bye week. Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs reported that the Bears are expected to make a change at left tackle with Theo Benedet replacing incumbent starter Braxton Jones, who was benched for Benedet against the Raiders in Week 4. Earlier this week, head coach Ben Johnson said “we have a good idea of who our left tackle is going to be,” but they’re not sharing that information just yet. But it certainly seems like all signs are pointing to Benedet replacing Jones. And with Darnell Wright’s status in question, we could see rookie Ozzy Trapilo make his first start this season at right tackle.

Bears have historically struggled off the bye week

Chicago has historically struggled coming off the bye week, and new head coach Ben Johnson will be looking to rewrite an ugly trend. The last four Bears head coaches don’t have a winning record coming off the bye week. Matt Eberflus went 1-2; Matt Nagy went 0-4; John Fox went 0-3; and Marc Trestman was 1-1. The last time a Bears head coach had success off the bye week was Lovie Smith, who went 6-3 in his nine-year tenure. Johnson has a limited sample size through the first quarter of the season, but the Bears are riding a two-game winning streak after starting the season 0-2 with divisional losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. Now, Johnson will be looking to keep his team’s momentum going on the prime-time stage, where Chicago last blew a fourth-quarter lead to Minnesota back in Week 1.