The Chicago Bears suffered a devastating loss to the Washington Commanders courtesy of a last-second Hail Mary from quarterback Jayden Daniels. As a result of how the Bears lost, tight end Cole Kmet stated the team didn't "respect the game," and it was evident in practice leading up to the Week 8 matchup.
"I think it's a really good lesson for everyone to learn from in terms of how to respect the game," Kmet said. "I think we had examples of that throughout the game and quite frankly throughout the week of practice this past week. There are moments where maybe some guys lay off here and there, those are the types of things that can happen when you do that for just a split-second. It doesn't always come to bite you in the butt but when it does, it hurts. That's the unfortunate and I would also say beauty of this game, if you disrespect it in a certain way and it'll come to haunt you in some form or fashion."
Kmet did mention the lapse in judgment from Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in which Stevenson was caught chirping with fans in the stands while the infamous Hail Mary play had begun. However, Kmet said Stevenson got up in front of the team and apologized for his actions.
Meanwhile, Kmet added that several players, besides Stevenson, weren't as serious as they could've been throughout the week in practice. He mentioned habits in the weight room or doing drills with the jug machines as examples.
While it was deflating for the Bears to lose on a last-second play, the offense struggled throughout the contest. Quarterback Caleb Williams, who had really been playing well lately, completed just 10 of 24 passes for only 131 yards in the 18-15 loss.
The Bears will have a chance to put Sunday's loss behind them when they take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9.