Jaden Daniels was having a great rookie season. And that was before one of the greatest Hail Mary passes in NFL history.
Daniels and the Washington Commanders performed a miracle on Sunday. After falling behind 15-12 to the Chicago Bears with 23 seconds left, all Daniels had left to do was hope and make as many runs as possible on the final play. The ball tipped between multiple players and somehow Noah Brown found himself alone in the end zone, grabbed the ball and ran it 52 yards for a score, winning 18-15.
On Sunday against the Bears, manager Noah Brown caught Jaden Daniels’ Hail Mary deflection and scored the winning touchdown. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Daniels has had a long and impressive career, but he may never have a moment like this again.
Until the last pass, it looked like Caleb Williams was going to overcome a bad day and give the Bears the victory with the game-winning drive. But Daniels had one more magic trick left.
After the game, Daniels told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson, “Keep fighting, we’ll keep fighting.” “We have a great locker room and a great brotherhood. There’s no one else I’d rather go to war with.”
Neither offense had scored a TD before halftime.
Daniels’ first half wasn’t very good, but Williams’ start was even worse.
The Bears were shut out in the first half. There was a shot to score late in the first half, but Williams attempted to scramble under pressure but was caught for a 15-yard sack. This put the Bears out of field goal position and resulted in a punt. The first half went like this for the Bears. Williams was being pressured or playing like he was being pressured on most downs. He was rarely calm in the pocket. Williams completed just 3 of 8 passes for 33 yards in the first half. He rushed for 29 yards, but that was mostly while running away from the rush. The Bears didn’t surpass 100 yards of offense until the third quarter.
Coach was better in the first half, but couldn’t get into the end zone. Washington led 9-0 at halftime with three field goals. Daniels did not appear to be recovering from a rib injury that had his status in doubt for most of this week. He completed 10 of 19 passes for 154 yards and added 31 yards rushing. Playing through a rib injury, Daniels ended up passing for 326 yards, 52 of which came on his final memorable play.
Williams took the lead in the first half, but the managers were not yet able to extend their lead much. And the only thing anyone remembers about Sunday’s game is the last play.
bears are tough
Washington appeared to finally score a touchdown in the second half, but the moment was short-lived. Olamide Zachias scored on a 32-yard pass from Daniels, but there was an ineligible flag downfield. The Managers made another field goal to take a 12-0 lead.
After that, the Bears took off. D’Andre Swift swept to his left, broke down several tackle attempts, and raced down the sideline for a 56-yard touchdown. The Bears’ offense is finally showing signs of life.
The Bears made a big mistake that can’t be blamed on their rookie quarterback. It was a huge failure as a coach. The Bears got to the goal line and got a handoff to offensive lineman Doug Kramer Jr. The handoff to the 300-pound lineman failed and the Commanders recovered the fumble. It’s difficult to explain that decision. It’s going to be a big problem by the end of the game.
The coaches were unable to finish the game. The Bears had one more chance to win with less than five minutes remaining. Williams got a first down by hitting Roman Odunze on a crucial third-and-10. His scramble worked, running to his right and sending a 22-yard lofted pass to an open Keenan Allen.
Officials relieved the Bears, 4-3. Commanders cornerback Benjamin St. Juste grabbed Allen, which was considered enough for a pass interference call that effectively gave the Bears a touchdown. Roshon Johnson scored with 23 seconds left to put the Bears ahead.
At that time, it looked like Williams would win, albeit with a tough time. Mr. Daniels disagreed.
