One of the more aesthetically displeasing games in the 2022 NFL regular season was a Thursday night October slog between the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders from Soldier Field with 19 total points scored. Yet the NFL's schedule-makers deemed that duo worthy of another Thursday night game this October as they kick off Week 5 tonight at FedEx Field.

The Bears (0-4) have embarrassed themselves recently in every way possible, from defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigning under very unusual circumstances, the Chase Claypool fiasco -- he will not play Thursday and most likely has played his final down with Chicago after the Bears gave up what proved to be the No. 32 overall pick in this year's draft to land Claypool at the 2022 trade deadline -- and the obvious on-field results. Rock bottom likely hit Sunday when the Bears blew a 21-point third-quarter lead at home to winless Denver and lost 31-28 for their franchise-record 14th straight defeat. 

Chicago's Matt Eberflus is the -200 favorite to be the first NFL coach fired. The Bears have never fired a coach midseason but if they are embarrassed yet again Thursday, GM Ryan Poles may have not have a choice but to make an immediate move with a mini-bye week up next. 

It's difficult to know what the Commanders are at 2-2, as both wins were against terrible teams in the Giants and Cardinals and both losses came at the hands of Super Bowl favorites in the Bills and Eagles. Buffalo destroyed Washington in Week 3, but the Commanders pushed Philadelphia to the limit in Sunday's 34-31 overtime road loss. Second-year QB Sam Howell has alleviated some concerns, but it's still up in the air whether the franchise feels the need to draft a signal-caller high atop the 2024 draft. Also unclear is whether head coach Ron Rivera -- a former Bears linebacker and assistant coach -- will be back next year. 

Washington has an updated over/under season win total of 7.5. If it doesn't finish with a winning record, Rivera would likely be replaced by the team's new ownership. To reach the playoffs, the Commanders are +275 for Yes and -350 for No. 

We'll take you through every aspect of the Bears-Commanders Thursday night game that you need to know before you lock in your bets, including SportsLine expert picks, props, trends, injury information and everything else that will help you know which plays are worth making for the primetime matchup.

Who wins Bears vs. Commanders in the Week 5 Thursday night game, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread hit HARD? Join SportsLine right now to see everything you need to know about the game in the Thursday night matchup to kick off Week 5 of the 2023 season!!