The Bears are what we thought they were. Redskins did not let them off the hook.

Hog Heaven won't say the Redskins are back. It feels like they are in a deep hole even though they trail the Cowboys by one game for the division lead. But winning a shootout against a respectable team provides both hope and evidence that Washington is still improving.

"The Bears are what we thought they were. If you are going to crown them, Crown their A$$, BUT THE BEARS ARE WHAT WE THOUGHT THEN WERE…." ~ Dennis Green

The Redskins did not let them off the hook.  

Nothing shows progression better than the Redskins' last drive. The Bears had just assumed a 41-38 lead after a six-play drive in which Washington's defense allowed four successive first downs.

The Redskins took possession on their 20 and closed the gap on a 12-play drive aided by a five yard penalty on the Bears.

Seven of those plays were passes, two of which went to Robert Griffin III's new BFF Jordan Reed. Reed had 35 yards on the drive again teasing us with his big play potential. Five plays were rushes, four of them by Roy Helu Jr. who ran for the go ahead touchdown.

Jordan Reed (405k/yr) > Fred Davis (2.5m/yr). Davis turned down a 30 million dollar contract from Skins 2 years ago. #mistake

— Dan Hellie (@DanHellie) October 20, 2013

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And I only hoped for a tying field goal! 

The takeaways from Bears vs. Redskins:

1) Robert Griffin III looked close to his 2012 form.

2) Thus, the Redskins are close to their 2012 formula of outscoring opponents to mask weaknesses everywhere on the team, including coaching.

 3) Fred Davis isn't missed. Apparently he isn't needed either.

Report: #Redskins want to deal Fred Davis. @JPFinlayCSN has more: http://t.co/29dpDzuDlb #RedskinsTalk

— CSN Washington (@CSNwashington) October 21, 2013

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See the drive chart at the end of this story.

Not your everyday rival

NFL pioneers George Preston Marshall and George Halas were frienemies during their lifetime. The Bears don't come to mind when you think of Redskins rivals, nor would Redskins for Bears fans. But Chicago is one of Washington's oldest rivalries dating to the 1932 season. That game on October 30 ended in a 7-all tie. They haven't tied since.

 After yesterday's win, the Redskins lead the series 24-23-1.

The Bears old and rich football tradition includes the NFL's second-best original fight song. We're feeling magnanimous in victory, so Hog Heaven posts a video of Bear Down, Chicago Bears.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SG8OpQyY6TI

Still a first place schedule

Division champions for the first-place schedule the following year. The Redskins' schedule gets tougher from here although not from the teams we expected.

The Broncos are next up. A win in Denver would be a real bellwether for how the Redskins stand.

The Falcons, Giants and Vikings are not the powerhouses we thought they were. The Chargers and Chiefs are better than we imagined.

This guy is a Kansas City Chiefs fan.

Speaking of the Chiefs, the NFL and self-appointed Oneida Indian leader  spokesman  casino manager Ray Halbritter are supposed to meet so that the league can pretend concern for the Redskins team name. I propose they meet in the parking lot of FedEx Field, Sunday, December 8, when the Chiefs visit the Redskins.

I double-dare them to walk among the fans as they malign the names of both teams.
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Here's the drive chart of Washington's game-winning drive.

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