Bears visit the Commanders looking to extend their winning streak to 4 games

Chicago (4-2) at Washington (5-2)

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS

BetMGM NFL Odds: Bears by 2 1/2

Against the spread: Bears 4-1-1; Commanders 5-2

Series record: Washington leads 27-26-1

Last meeting: Bears beat Commanders 40-20 on Oct. 5, 2023, at Washington.

Last week: Bears had bye, before that beat Jaguars 35-16 on Oct. 16; Commanders beat Panthers 40-7.

Bears offense: overall (24), rush (24), pass (20), scoring (12)

Bears defense: overall (5), rush (11), pass (7), scoring (4)

Commanders offense: overall (4), rush (3), pass (13), scoring (T-1)

Commanders defense: overall (16), rush (18), pass (12), scoring (15)

Turnover differential: Bears plus-6; Commanders plus-3

QB Caleb Williams. Williams, who grew up in Maryland and Washington, was starting to look the part of a franchise quarterback prior to the bye. The No. 1 draft pick and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner was a combined 60 of 81 for 687 yards in wins over the Rams, Panthers and Jaguars. He has seven touchdown passes and one interception in that span, after throwing for two TDs and four INTs through his first three games.

LB Bobby Wagner runs the defense in charge of slowing down Williams. The six-time All-Pro selection might be a half-step slower at 34 than in his prime, but his experience against Williams' potential should be fun to witness.

Whoever starts at QB for Washington against the Chicago secondary. It will either be offensive rookie of the year favorite Jayden Daniels or journeyman Marcus Mariota. No matter who it is will need to be careful against Bears cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson, Josh Blackwell and Tyrique Stevenson, who have combined for four interceptions this season.

Bears S Jaquan Brisker remains in concussion protocol after missing the Jacksonville game and did not practice Wednesday. ... CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring) left the win over the Jaguars. ... The Bears opened 21-day practice windows this week on OL Larry Borom (ankle) and RB Travis Homer (finger) to return from injured reserve. ... Daniels is considered week to week with a rib injury and did not practice Wednesday, though coach Dan Quinn has said the team hopes the No. 2 pick can play. ... Rookie LT Brandon Coleman was concussed against Carolina and is in danger of not playing.

This was originally a 1 p.m. start until it was flexed onto national TV in anticipation of Williams vs. Daniels. ... This would be the sixth time rookie QBs taken with the top two picks faced off. ... The road team has won six of the past seven meetings.

The Bears have their best record through six games since 5-1 in 2020 on the way to an 8-8 finish. ... Chicago has won three in a row, its best run since Weeks 14 through 16 of that season. ... The Bears have not won four in a row since the 2018 NFC North championship season. ... Their wins are against teams — including Tennessee in the season opener — that are a combined 6-20. The losses were in Weeks 2 and 3 at Houston (5-2) and Indianapolis (4-3). ... The Bears have gotten five touchdowns from their offense in each of their past two games, the first time they’ve done that since 1956. ... Chicago has held opponents to 21 points or fewer in 12 consecutive games — the longest active streak in the NFL. ... WR DJ Moore had a big game at Washington last year, when he caught eight passes and set career highs with 230 yards and three touchdowns to help Chicago stop a 14-game losing streak. In five games against Washington, Moore has 28 receptions for 451 yards and five TDs. ... Washington is 3-0 at home for the first time since 2005. The team has not opened a season 4-0 at home since 1978. ... Daniels has thrown for 1,410 yards, ran for 372 and been responsible for 10 total touchdowns. He's second among NFL QBs in rushing yards with 372, trailing only Lamar Jackson. ... Mariota was 18 of 23 for 205 yards and two TD passes in relief of Daniels last week. ... RB Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for 71 yards and a TD against Carolina in his return after missing a game with a knee injury. ... WR Terry McLaurin led the team with six catches for 98 yards last week. ... Veteran TE Zach Ertz had his first TD catch of the season and rookie TE Ben Sinnott the first of his career in the Panthers game. ... Wagner has made five or more tackles in 19 consecutive games. ... LB Dante Fowler got his first interception last week, returning a pass by Andy Dalton 67 yards for a touchdown.

Williams, Moore and Bears TE Cole Kmet could feast against Washington's secondary, which has struggled to defend against the pass most of the season.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Washington Commanders linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. (6) and linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) celebrate after stopping the Carolina Panthers on fourth down during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) celebrates with teammates after catching a 12-yard touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Chicago Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell (39) celebrates with teammates after making an interception during an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Chicago Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell (39) celebrates with teammates after making an interception during an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street drifted to a mixed finish Thursday after Tesla surged to one of the best days in its history, while IBM slumped to its worst in six months.

The S&P 500 rose 0.2% to break its first three-day losing streak since early September. It bounced between losses and gains through the day, and it was roughly evenly split between stocks rising and falling.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 140 points, or 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.8%.

Tesla led the market with a jump of 21.9% after the electric-vehicle maker reported better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. An optimistic CEO Elon Musk also predicted 20% to 30% sales growth next year, though its revenue for the latest quarter fell short of analysts’ forecasts. It was the best day for Tesla’s stock since 2013.

UPS climbed 5.3% after likewise topping analysts’ forecasts for profit. The package-delivery company’s finances can offer a window into the strength of the economy because of how many different types of customers it serves, and its revenue edged past expectations.

ServiceNow, whose platform helps companies automate and connect processes, was another one of the strongest forces pushing upward the S&P 500. It rose 5.4% after delivering stronger profit and revenue than expected, driven by interest by customers to incorporate artificial-intelligence technology.

Such gains helped to offset a drop of 6.2% for IBM, which reported revenue for the latest quarter that fell just short of analysts’ expectations. It was the single biggest reason the Dow dragged behind other indexes.

Boeing was another weight and sank 1.2% after its machinists voted to continue their strike, which has crippled aircraft production. More than 60% of union members who voted on the proposed contract rejected it, keeping them on the picket lines six weeks into their strike.

Union Pacific dropped 4.4% after the railroad reported slightly weaker profit and revenue than expected.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 12.44 points to 5,809.86. The Dow dropped 140.59 to 42,374.36, and the Nasdaq composite rose 138.83 to 18,415.49.

Stocks have broadly regressed this week after the S&P 500 and Dow both set records at the end of last week. They’ve been hurt by rising Treasury yields in the bond market, which can make investors less willing to pay high prices for stocks. Critics had already been saying beforehand that stocks looked too expensive given how much faster their prices have risen than corporate profits.

Yields have climbed as report after report has shown the U.S. economy remains stronger than expected. That’s good news for Wall Street, because it bolsters hopes the economy can escape from the worst inflation in generations without the painful recession that many had worried was inevitable.

But it’s also forcing traders to ratchet back forecasts for how deeply the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates, now that it’s just as focused on keeping the economy humming as getting inflation lower. With bets diminishing on how much the Fed will ultimately cut its overnight interest rate, Treasury yields have also been given back some of their earlier declines.

A report on unemployment claims Thursday offered a mixed picture on the job market. It said fewer workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, which can be a signal of relatively low layoffs. But it also said the total number of those collecting benefits rose to its highest level in almost three years.

Altogether, the numbers show a slowing economy, “but there is no sign of a crash in employment or a surge of layoffs in these data,” according to Carl Weinberg and Rubeela Farooqi at High Frequency Economics.

Treasury yields, which had eased overnight, pared their losses after the release of the unemployment claims report before yo-yoing. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.20% from 4.25% late Wednesday. It’s still well above its 4.08% level from late last week.

A separate preliminary report said growth in U.S. business activity may have accelerated slightly last month, as strength for companies in services industries continue to make up for weakness in manufacturing. The report from S&P Global also showed a recovery in confidence as companies anticipate greater stability and certainty after the upcoming presidential election.

A third report, meanwhile, said sales of new homes were stronger last month than economists expected.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were modestly higher in Europe after finishing mixed in Asia.

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

FILE - The Fearless Girl statue, with a flower draped on the shoulder, stands outside the New York Stock Exchange on Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

A train arrives at the Wall Street subway station in New York's Financial District on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

An electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm is seen near a pedestrian crossing Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person stands near an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)