The Chicago Bears appeared to have done enough to somehow escape with a victory over the Washington Commanders, but a Hail Mary changed all of that in a stunning loss.
Jayden Daniels lofted up a pass with zeroes on the clock and Noah Brown was able to haul it in after the ball was tipped by Tyrique Stevenson, giving the Commanders an 18-15 victory and sending the Bears to a 4-3 record.
After the game, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus addressed the final play.
“We had those plays at the end, and it comes down to that last play. We’ve practiced that play a hundred times since we’ve been here,” he said. “I have to look at what the execution was on that. We have a body on a body, boxing guys out like basketball at the very end. We have one guy that’s the ‘rim,’ that knocks the ball down. We’ve got a back-tip guy that goes behind the pile. I’ve got to look at it, detail it out and make sure we’re better next time.”
The Bears had struggled throughout the game to move the ball, but were finally able to string together plays in the final stages of the contest to pull in front. D’Andre Swift capped a drive with a 56-yard touchdown run, and Roschon Johnson punched the ball into the end zone with just 25 seconds to go to give Chicago a 15-12 lead.
The Commanders were able to pick up a first down with a 13-yard Terry McLaurin catch, and then from their own 48-yard line Daniels was able to scramble for 12 seconds, finding Brown for the improbable touchdown and a staggering win for Washington.
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The Bears will next be in action against the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 3.
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