Cowherd, Middlekauff: Different Takes for Monday Night

One of the things I love about doing this show with John Middlekauff is that we see the football differently — and we’re both convinced we’re right. That’s good radio. This week, we got into it over Washington versus Chicago on Monday night. I see a well-coached, ascending Commanders team ready to take care of business at home. John sees a Bears team that used the bye week to regroup, simplify, and maybe steal one on the road.

Colin Cowherd: I’m Riding with Washington

I went 4–0 in my Blazing Five last week, and I feel good about keeping the momentum going — because I really like Washington as a -4.5 point favorite against Chicago.

Here’s why: Chicago hasn’t been a good road team for years. That’s not an opinion; it’s a trend. If you watched Washington’s second half against the Chargers, Jaden Daniels looked like the guy we saw last year — decisive, athletic, confident.

Right now, Washington is simply the better operation. They’re organized, they’re balanced, and they’re playing at home in what’s going to be a wild, loud environment.

Now, I get it — Chicago’s coming off a bye week. But that kind of “extra time” only helps for your first series or two. The Bears are actually good on script. The problem is what happens when they get off script. You can only draw up so many plays on a whiteboard before you’ve got to improvise, and that’s where young quarterbacks — and young coaching staffs — start to struggle.

And make no mistake: going on the road, in a loud stadium, against a team that’s starting to click — that matters. This isn’t baseball. You can’t tune out noise and momentum in the NFL.

So yeah, I’ll take Washington to win and cover the spread. They’ve got the more mature quarterback play, the steadier sideline, and home-field edge.

John Middlekauff: I’ll Take the Bears and the Points

Colin’s making good points, but I’m going the other way. I’ll take the underdog Bears and the points, and here’s why.

When you’ve got a young quarterback and a first-time head coach, that bye week can be a gift. You get to take a deep breath, step back, and throw out what’s not working. That’s the kind of reset good coaching staffs live for.

Look at what guys like Andy Reid, Kyle Shanahan, and Sean McVay do after a bye — they simplify. They toss out the junk plays, trim down the call sheet, and focus on what their team can execute cleanly. That’s the difference between chaos and control.

If we really believe Ben Johnson is that next “offensive genius” — the 13 million coach — then this is his moment to show it. The Bears have been sloppy: penalties, mental errors, self-inflicted stuff. The bye gives you time to clean all that up.

And don’t underestimate the emotional side of this. They lost last year on the Hail Mary — one of the ugliest endings you’ll ever see, and I’m sure they’ve been thinking about that over the last two weeks as they prepare for this game. Those players remember. That kind of embarrassment can refocus a team.

So I’ll take the Bears to cover. I think they come out sharper, cleaner, and more disciplined. They might not win outright on the moneyline, but I think they’ll make Washington earn every inch.

Two Voices, One Game

• Colin Cowherd: Washington’s got the better infrastructure — quarterback, coaching, environment.
• John Middlekauff: Chicago’s got the reset, the motivation, and a week’s worth of cleanup time.

That’s what makes this matchup fun — two teams trying to prove they’re turning a corner, and two guys (us) who can’t agree on which one actually will.