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Bears lose to Commanders on Hail Mary as the clock runs out

Vaseline October 28, 2024

LANDOVER, Md. – Command quarterback Jayden Daniels threw a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown as the clock expired to beat the Bears 18-15 and end what had been a slog between the top two picks until then this year’s draft.

Daniels danced in the backfield and threw a pass into the end zone Sunday that bounced off the hand of cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and into the arms of receiver Noah Brown, who stood three yards behind the players camped out hoping to catch a miracle. The crowd at Northwest Stadium erupted in disbelief.

For 59 minutes and 35 seconds, it seemed like Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ homecoming climaxed when high school students from his alma mater held the American flag during the national anthem and it was all downhill from there. Then, running back D’Andre Swift dropped forward a yard into the end zone to cap a 10-play, 62-yard drive and give the Bears their only lead of the game. A two-point conversion pass to Cole Kmet gave the Bears a 15-12 lead, and the Commanders got the ball back with 19 seconds to play.

Daniels threw an incompletion, an 11-yard pass and a 13-yard pass. He took the Hail Mary snap with one second left to play.

The Bears were about to take the lead on the third goal from the 1 with 6:21 to play when they tried to get cute. It failed spectacularly. Offensive guard and part-time fullback Doug Kramer reported as eligible and Williams turned and handed the ball to him. He never secured it — officially, Williams was credited with the fumble — and Illinois graduate Jer’zhan Newton recovered the ball at the 3.

The Bears defense, which didn’t allow a touchdown until a Hail Mary, forced a three-and-out on the next play, giving Williams a chance to atone for an otherwise disappointing day. He converted a third-and-10 from the Bears’ 38 with a 16-yard pass to fellow rookie Rome Odunze. Two plays later, he rolled right and improvised a 22-yard completion to get to the Commanders’ 19.

Bears coordinator Shane Waldron called back-to-back runs for Williams on second and third and set up a fourth-and-3 from the 12. He threw a lob to right to receiver Keenan Allen, who was blocked by cornerback Benjamin St. -Juste. To play later, running back Roschon Johnson dove forward a yard to take the lead with 25 seconds to play.

The Bears were shut out in the first half and trailed by nine at halftime, with Williams completing just 3 of 8 passes for 33 yards.

Williams made three mistakes that, even for a rookie, were unforgivable:

On third-and-2 early in the second quarter, Williams scrambled and slid to the ground a yard short of the sticks. The Bears scored.

Later in the quarter, the Bears faced fourth-and-1 and threw a smoke pass to receiver DJ Moore, who was immediately tackled. The Commanders took over at the Bears’ 40 and eventually kicked a field goal.

Finally, on third-and-12 from the Commanders 25, with just over a minute to play in the half, Williams took a sack for a loss of 15 yards, taking the Bears out of field position. Williams was in the grasp of a defender, but ran backwards in an attempt to get away. In doing so, Williams forced the Bears to punt instead of getting within a score with a field goal attempt.