Injury Update: Deebo Samuel a Game-Time Decision for Commanders vs. Chicago Bears
The Washington Commanders will help close out Week 6 of the 2025 NFL campaign on Monday Night Football when they take on the Chicago Bears. After pulling off a big win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5, the Commanders are feeling good about themselves right now, but injuries could change that feeling very quickly.
Washington has been hit hard by the injury bug early in the new season, and while it has quarterback Jayden Daniels back under center, he’s running out of guys to throw the ball to. Both Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown have been ruled out for this game, and hours before kickoff, they received a murky update on Deebo Samuel‘s injury status.
Deebo Samuel Labeled a Game-Time Decision for Commanders
Commanders Hoping to Grind Out Win Over Bears Amid Injury Woes
If Samuel can’t suit up, picking up a win could suddenly become much more difficult for the Commanders. That would leave an inexperienced trio of Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, and Chris Moore as the team’s only wide receivers, with Zach Ertz also factoring into the mix at tight end. Running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. is also questionable, which could present more issues for Washington.
The Bears aren’t necessarily the best team in the league, but they are coming off a bye week, which has allowed them to get a bit healthier for this game than the Commanders. Beyond that, they have also won their past two games, so they clearly have some positive momentum heading into this one. Washington will be closely monitoring Samuel’s status ahead of its 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, and his availability could play a huge role in determining who wins this game.
Zac Taylor Responds to Tomlin’s Criticism, Stands Behind Flacco Trade
On Monday, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin raised eyebrows when he said that he felt it didn't "make sense" that Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry was willing to give a division foe a temporary starting quarterback when Berry traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 7.
Later on Monday, Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor was asked about Tomlin's comments as the 2-4 Bengals prepare to host the 4-1 Steelers this coming Thursday night.
Bengals are "happy" Browns were willing to trade Joe Flacco
"I was happy," Taylor said about the Flacco trade, per Tim Bielik of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "That’s my only comment."
Taylor and Co. were hoping that Jake Browning would be able to keep Cincinnati in the playoff hunt after starter Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury in Week 2. However, the Bengals became desperate for a fill-in option after Browning played poorly in three straight defeats.
Meanwhile, Flacco had been relegated to backup duties with the Browns after he lost three of four September starts. After spending less than a full week with his new Bengals teammates, the 40-year-old signal-caller passed for 219 yards with two touchdowns in a 27-18 loss at the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Bengals will "continue to press the envelope" with Joe Flacco
According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Tomlin said on Monday that he thinks "it is reasonable to expect [Flacco] to be significantly better" in his second game with the Bengals. Taylor also touched upon what he and his staff will put on Flacco's plate in the few days leading up to the Pittsburgh matchup.
"We'll continue to press the envelope," Taylor explained, according to Dave Clark of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "We don't want to overwhelm [Flacco]. We don't want to get to the point of diminishing returns where now we've got too much, and we're forgetting what this means and that means. I think he's shown he's capable of taking on a little bit more."
Shortly after Taylor offered his comments, ESPN BET had the Bengals listed as 5.5-point home underdogs against the Steelers. If Flacco can build upon what he accomplished in the second half of the Green Bay contest, he could put on a show in his first game at Paycor Stadium as Cincinnati's QB1.
