For three quarters, the battle between Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was a defensive battle. But the fourth quarter was the moment for the two young passers to shine.

Williams drove his team down the field on a 10-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a touchdown with 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter, putting the Bears ahead 15-12 over the Commanders. And then Daniels used those last 25 seconds to set up a final Hail Mary try, used his legs to extend the play and then threw it into the end zone where Noah Brown caught a 52-yard touchdown to win the game, 18-15 .

Before the fourth quarter, Williams was having a dismal game. He completed only four of his first sixteen passes and could do nothing against the Commander’s defense. But late in the third quarter, Bears running back D’Andre Swift exploded for a 56-yard touchdown run, and after that the fourth quarter was all Bears.

The Bears nearly put the game away when a disastrous attempt at tribute to Fridge Perry resulted in Williams and offensive lineman Doug Kramer botching a handoff and fumbling near the goal line. But the Bears’ defense stalled, and Williams led the Bears’ offense down the field.

And then Daniels did his thing, completing a game in which he was able to pass for 326 yards despite suffering a rib injury.

The win improves the Commanders to 6-2, and they look like real contenders in the NFC East. The loss leaves the Bears at 4-3, and they are struggling to keep pace in the NFC North.

Most importantly, this was a great showcase of two quarterbacks with big futures ahead of them. We’ll see them compete for NFC playoff berths a lot more in the future.