Chicago had a chance to score early when Dennis Gentry returned the opening kickoff 60 yards to the Redskins' 35-yard line. But after a three-minute drive, the Bears ended up netting just three yards due to penalties and Kevin Butler missed a 49-yard field goal attempt on the last play. Later in the quarter, Washington took a 7-0 lead by driving 69 yards to score on Jay Schroeder's 28-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Art Monk. Chicago countered with 10:07 remaining in the second quarter on wide receiver Willie Gault's 50-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Doug Flutie. On the Redskins' next possession, defensive back Mike Richardson intercepted a pass from Schroeder and returned it 43 yards to the Washington 4-yard line. Still, the Bears could not get into the end zone and settled for a 10-7 lead with Butler's 23-yard field goal. Shortly before halftime, Butler made a 41-yard field goal to extend Chicago's lead to 13-7. The Redskins, thanks to a Vernon Dean interception of a tipped Doug Flutie pass, moved into position for a field goal late in the half, but Steve Cox's last second 50-yard field goal attempt came up short.