Bears' defense gets hit with the news they weren't hoping to hear leading up to kickoff vs. Commanders

The Chicago Bears now know the answer to the most burning question leading up to their matchup against the Washington Commanders in Week 8.

The Commanders will in fact be starting rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels against the Bears' defense. Daniels has been nursing a ribs injury all week suffered on the first drive of the Commanders' Week 7 game against the Carolina Panthers.

Daniels took part in warmups leading up to kickoff and the team ultimately decided he was healthy enough to play, setting up an exciting afternoon of football.

With Daniels now cleared to go, this game will feature the first two overall picks squaring off for the first of hopefully many matchups to come.

All week, the Bears' defense stayed focused on their plan going into this game amid the uncertainty of which quarterback they would face. Luckily, Daniels and veteran backup Marcus Mariota play a similar style of game, which has made preparing for either quarterback an easier task during the week.

"I just think that we prepare the way we prepare and get ready for [Daniels] to play," head coach Matt Eberflus said on Friday . "That's really about it. Focusing on us... They're using the same offense, running the same plays, so it's really not that big of an adjustment for us."

Toward the end of the week, it seemed like the Bears were planning to play against Daniels, regardless of the rookie's uncertain status going into kickoff. Even despite his injury, the Bears were also expecting the electrifying rookie to play without limitations, if he did start.

"If he's out there, I'm going to anticipate him being at his best," defensive coordinator Eric Washington said on Thursday . "I won't try and anticipate or speculate about what they're going to do with him. We're going anticipate him being at his best and doing the things that we've been seeing."

Overall, the Bears handled the week of preparations the best way possible but will have a tougher matchup now going up against Daniels at quarterback. At this point in the year, the Commanders won't risk re-injury unless they're certain their quarterback is healthy enough to play fully. That includes utilizing his legs, where he's killed opposing defenses so far this season.

Even after missing the majority of last week's game, Daniels ranks second among quarterbacks in rushing yards (372) and tied for second in rushing touchdowns (4) while also throwing for 1,410 yards and an additional six touchdowns.

The Bears' defense will have their hands full defending him in this matchup. Meanwhile, the league and all the fans get their wish being able to see the top two rookies face off on a national stage .

Related: Bears are looking to shut down a specific part of the Commanders' offense regardless of who's playing quarterback