DeKALB —The story of the Chicago Bears’ season so far has been a replica of last year: an amazing defense and an offense that limps through each game. The defense is third in points allowed, with 12 per-game, according to ESPN. Meanwhile, the offense is tied for second worst in points per-game, averaging only 9.5.

This week is a major opportunity for the Bears’ offense to flip the narrative and give fans hope, as they face a Washington Redskins defense that’s softer than a baby’s bottom. Washington’s defense ranks third-worst in yards allowed per-game with 455 and is tied for second-worst in points allowed per-game with 31.5, according to ESPN.

After this week, we’ll see if the Bears belong in the conversation with the league’s best teams. There is no reason they shouldn’t have an offensive outburst and dominate the game from start-to-end. However, the outburst won’t happen because people have underrated the Bears’ offense. Fans have seen nothing to make them believe the offense will take a major step and catapult the team to Super-Bowl contention. The offensive outburst should come because of the mediocrity of the defense lining up against them. Don’t expect a 30 or 40 point performance. The bar has to be lowered, so three touchdowns will suffice.

Fans should expect the offense to have its best game of the season, which isn’t saying much, and to ride the momentum into coming weeks. To have a successful game, the Bears don’t need a high flying offense. They just need the offense to shoulder some of the load that the defense and kicker Eddy Pineiro are currently holding.

The defense, as per usual, will be reliable as it squares-off with a Redskins’ offense that’s eighth worst in total yards per-game, averaging 326.5 according to ESPN. There’s no reason to expect anything less than another lockdown game. The Monsters of the Midway should be able to breathe easier as the offense prevents this game from coming down to the wire.

Expectations should rise for the Bears when they travel to Landover, Maryland to face the winless Redskins. Kick off is set for 7:15 p.m. Monday at FedEx Field.