LANDOVER, Md. – This Sunday began with a prayer that Jayden Daniels would play. It ended with him offering a Hail Mary.
Both were answered as the Washington Commanders miraculously defeated the Chicago Bears 18-15 in a game for which Daniels’ status was uncertain until less than two hours before kickoff.
With Washington trailing by three as time expired after the snap, Daniels avoided the Bears’ three-man pass rush on the final play of the game. He drifted far behind the line of scrimmage, which was near midfield at the Commanders’ own 48-yard line. As he bought time for his receivers to dart to the opposite end zone, Daniels zigged and zagged and stepped back up. Near the 35-yard line, the rookie unleashed a pass that traveled about 65 yards in the air.
The ball was tipped by Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and found the hands of Commanders wideout Noah Brown, who was standing alone behind the scrum in the end zone.
‘It ran just like we practiced it … it felt like it was going in slow motion,’ wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. ‘Honestly, that ball fell right into Noah’s arms. I don’t think I’ve seen a Hail Mary fall that perfectly off of the tip drill.’
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Final score: Commanders 18, Bears 15.
“Not too many people get to experience that,” Daniels said of throwing a walkoff Hail Mary. “That was my first time.’
Officially, the play was a 52-yard completion from Daniels to Brown. Brown’s assignment was to get down the field as fast as fast as he could and gain position in the back of the pile to catch any tip. Brown credited tight end Zach Ertz for leaping with Bears defenders to force the deflection backward and Daniels who ‘threw a hell of a ball.’
Daniels said he didn’t see the touchdown catch but noticed the reaction of the crowd and the sideline.
“I felt like I got enough of it to give my guys a shot to go up there and make a play,” he said.
The Washington sideline and home crowd erupted in celebration as the Commanders moved to 6-2 to bolster their first-place position in the NFC East. Left guard Nick Allegretti said he saw the catch on the jumbotron and didn’t realize who did hauled in the pass until three minutes later.
According to Next Gen Stats, Daniels held onto the ball for 12.79 seconds before releasing it – it’s the first touchdown pass with a time to throw over 10 seconds since tracking started in 2016.
“It took a long-ass time,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said. “Thirteen seconds? I felt every bit of them.”
Daniels entered the matchup against the Bears and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams – in a battle of the last two Heisman Trophy winners – questionable with a rib injury he suffered in last week’s victory over the Carolina Panthers. He didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday before logging a limited session Friday, when the coaching staff ‘pushed him,’ Quinn said. Daniels said he felt like himself again during that workout. Quinn saw enough and told Daniels on Saturday he’d start. Had any setback presented itself, Marcus Mariota would have been prepared to get the ball.
At times, Daniels walked gingerly back to the Washington sideline or was slow to pop back up. He feels the injury the most while rotating during his throwing motion, he said.
“Being in the NFL for so long, you see guys playing through injuries. It’s part of being in the brotherhood, part of the toughness – he’s definitely showing that he fits in this league,” running back Austin Ekeler said of Daniels.
Daniels still found a way to put enough on his game-winning heave. Before the Hail Mary, the Commanders had not found the end zone all game and had four field goals to show for their efforts. The Bears had taken their first lead of the game on Roschon Johnson’s 1-yard touchdown with 25 seconds remaining.
That was too much time to leave for the Commanders and Daniels.
“I started the game,’ he said. ‘I wanted to finish it.”
Daniels couldn’t have ended it in a better way.
This story has been updated with a new photo and new information.
