Former head coach of the Chicago Bears Dave Wannstedt recaps what happened at last night’s heartbreaking game against the Commanders.
With 0:00 left on the clock, the Chicago Bears fell 15-12 to the Washington Commanders Sunday in one of the most memorable finishes to an NFL game in recent history: A 52-yard Hail Mary from Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, tipped into the hands of the Commanders by Bears' defensive end Tyrique Stevenson.
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— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
JAYDEN DANIELS HAIL MARY! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/BsQ0Z84Rko
The unexpected ending ruined a turnaround for No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams, the Washington-area native who engineered a late 62-yard scoring drive after starting the game completing just four of his first 16 passes. Williams finished 10 of 24 for 131 yards, and D’Andre Swift ran for a touchdown as part of his 129-yard performance.
For the Commanders, the unlikely TD was Daniels’ 21st completion on 38 attempts while playing through a rib injury that left his status uncertain until hours before kickoff. In the NFL’s sixth matchup of rookie quarterbacks taken with the top two picks in the draft, Daniels threw for 326 yards and ran for 52.
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,” Eberflus 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.”
As the Bears, now in 4th place in the NFC with a 3-4 record, look to take on the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Nov. 3 at 3:05 p.m., here's how the Hail Mary went down, and what Bears and Commanders players had to say about it.
Chicago Bears
What led up to the Hail Mary
After failing to score a touchdown all game and going 0 for 3 in the red zone, the Commanders fell behind with 25 seconds left on Roschon Johnson’s 1-yard TD run that came after a pass interference penalty on Benjamin St-Juste and the ensuing 2-point conversation that made it 15-12 Bears.
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Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards: “Offense did an awesome job of scoring and giving us the lead.”
Commanders running back Brian Robinson: “We knew we shouldn’t have been down. That’s something that the whole locker room knew. We knew we had another opportunity, as well.”
After a 24-yard kickoff return by Austin Ekeler, there were just 19 seconds on the clock.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn: “You don’t have timeouts. We used one early, obviously.”
An incomplete pass was followed by Daniels finding Ertz for an 11-yard gain and Terry McLaurin for 13 to get almost to midfield.
Commanders center Tyler Biadasz: “Those plays leading up to the Hail Mary, those are huge plays.”
McLaurin: “We just wanted to give ourselves a chance to put it in position for Jayden to throw the ball down there.”
Bears coach Matt Eberflus: “You’re defending a touchdown there, and them throwing a ball for 13 yards or 10 yards, whatever it is, really doesn’t matter.”
Quinn: “I thought we’d had a chance if we could get up the field some. And so that’s what I was trying to get to.”
Bears' Tyrique Stevenson taunts Commanders fans before tipping Hail Mary
The Bears sent three pass rushers, with the remaining eight defenders dropping into coverage. Unfortunately, Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson played a role in how it all transpired.
Fan-captured video showed Stevenson taunting Commanders fans before the final snap and continued to do so as the play went on.
Stevenson, 24, then recovered to cover Washington's receivers, but ultimately ended up being the one who tipped it back into the end zone where Brown stood for the easy haul.
A few hours after the game, Stevenson posted an apology on social media.
"To Chicago and teammates my apologies for lack of awareness and focus ….," Stevenson wrote. "The game ain’t over until zeros hit the clock. Can’t take anything for granted. Notes taken, improvement will happen. #Beardown"
Stevenson, a 2023 second-round pick by Chicago out of Miami (Fla.), has a key part in the Bears' defense as a starter in Eric Washington's system.
It is not yet known if Stevenson will face disciplinary penalties by the team for his actions, especially considering how it cost the team.
Battle of the draft picks
In this often ragged matchup of dynamic rookies, it was Daniels, taken one spot after Williams in the NFL draft, who came out on top.
Daniels, playing through a rib injury, heaved the ball up from the Washington 35-yard line.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams: “I thought it was going to be a little short.”
Daniels: “Just throw the ball up, give my guys a shot. I didn’t see anything.”
The catch
Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin described the play as feeling like "slow motion."
"That ball fell right into Noah’s arms, McLaurin said." I don’t think I’ve seen a Hail Mary fall that perfectly off of a tip drill.”
Daniels: “I just heard people screaming and our sideline rushing the field. That’s how I knew.”
Bears tight end Cole Kmet also weighed in, saying a Hail Mary throw is a "prayer."
"You’re just tossing up a prayer. ... When you talk about losing a game off a Hail Mary and you’re trying to fix that, that’s not really a play you want to obsess over," Kmet said. "It’s a Hail Mary. It is what it is. The ball literally just fell their way.”
Eberflus: “We did everything we could at the very end, and we just have to execute better.”
