Chicago @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 18, 2012 ) Washington 31, Chicago 33

Robert Griffin III is piling up yards and finally showed a little spark with his legs last week at Dallas, though it did not result in a win. The Redskins will try to turn those yards into points when they host the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Bears are the third-highest scoring team in the NFL and are trying to make their way clear of a crowded field atop the NFC North.

Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay all own winning records in the North in sharp contrast to the NFC East, where Washington and company operate without any marks above .500. The mediocrity of the division leaves the Redskins with some hope that they can repeat as division champs with a few tweaks to the defense and better execution inside the red zone. Washington outgained Dallas 433-213 last week but could not get the stops it needed on defense or special teams to avoid a 31-16 setback.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, Fox. LINE: Redskins -1. O/U: 50.

ABOUT THE BEARS (4-2): Chicago features one of the most dangerous returners in NFL history in Devin Hester and will put him up against a Redskins special teams that allowed an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 90-yard kickoff return last week. The Bears snapped a two-game slide with a 27-21 victory over the New York Giants on Oct. 10 and Jay Cutler posted his second straight game without an interception. Cutler, who played under Washington coach Mike Shanahan when the two were together with the Denver Broncos, was picked off four times by Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall the last time the Bears faced Washington in 2010.

ABOUT THE REDSKINS (1-4): Griffin rushed nine times for 77 yards against Dallas, part of a Washington ground attack that rumbled its way to 216 yards on 33 carries. The Redskins are converting only half of their trips into the red zone into touchdowns and Griffin is just 11-for-23 passing inside the 20. Washington is tied for 23rd in the league in takeaways defensively and Hall, whose four INTs against Cutler in the last meeting matched an NFL record, has only one pick in 2013.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Redskins WR Santana Moss is 71 yards away from 10,000 in his career.

2. Chicago WR Alshon Jeffery is averaging 117.3 yards in the last three games.

3. Washington has taken four in a row in the series.

PREDICTION: Bears 24, Redskins 21