Bear Digest

Capital Punishment: Commanders Beat Bears on Hail Mary Pass

After the Bears offense came to life for a late comeback, the defense gave up a 52-yard Hail Mary TD pass on the last play for a 18-15 loss to the Commanders.

Gene Chamberlain

The Hail Mary that resulted in a game-winning TD catch by Noah Brown.
The Hail Mary that resulted in a game-winning TD catch by Noah Brown. / Peter Casey-Imagn Images
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In a game the Bears had no business winning, they had no business losing at the end but did.

A Hail Mary pass from Jayden Daniels deflected off a group of receivers and Bears defensive backs at the 3-yard line, backward into the waiting arms of wide receiver Noah Brown in the end zone for the game-ending touchdown as the Washington Commanders pulled out an 18-15 victory over Chicago.

"When you lose a game like that, that's a tough one to swallow after coming back," Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. "I also told them in the same conversation that I was really excited how they battled back. You know, they battled back to win that game.

"So it's important to look at that too."

It seemed far less important after what transpired.

The Bears offense lay dormant all game until springing to life after a 54-yard D'Andre Swift touchdown run in the third quarter. Then they bounced back from a goal-line disaster to score the go-ahead points on a 1-yard Roschon Johnson TD with 28 seconds remaining.

"Our guys believe in each other, trust in teach other, have faith in each other," Eberflus said. "They're a resilient bunch. They're going to come back more determined."

They even played the kickoff well, trapping the Commanders back at their own 24 with 19 seconds left and only one timeout. But an 11-yard Daniels pass to Zach Ertz and a quick timeout, then an out to Terry McLaurin at the sidelines for 13 yards to the 48 with two seconds left set up the Hail Mary.

Daniels then scrambled around for 12 seocnds and heaved it toward the crowd in front of the goal line, just like such plays are normally designed. And the Bears played it like stooges, as all of the defensive backs ran up to the ball with a few wide receivers and left one man uncovered in the end zone alone. It was Brown, who caught the deflection for the TD with no one around.

"The execution wasn't there," Eberflus said. "We have a body on a body, boxing guys out like basketball there at the very end. We have one guy that's the rim, their job is to knock the ball down. We have a back-tip guy that's behind the pile.

"So, again, I've got to look at it and detail it out and make sure we're better next time. That's a hard way to lose."

It set off a huge celebration by Washington (6-2) a minute after the Bears (4-3) had been celebrating their own unlikely comeback.

Williams had only 36 yards passing until late in the third quarter. The running game hadn't accounted for anything until Swift's breakaway around left end, behind a block from rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie, who was playing for injured Braxton Jones. But the start came too late to provide enough points.

"I would say kind of the same thing I said before, we've got to be better in the first quarter," Williams said. "That starts with me coming out fast, that starts with us coming out fast."

Williams did finish 10 of 24 for 131 yards and ran for 41 yards to complement Swift's 129-yard rushing day.

The Bears finally got it going and drove 83 yards midway through the fourth quarter, reaching the 1-yard line on a pass from Williams to DeAndre Carter.

But on third-and-goal from the 1, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron did the unthinkable and had them try a William Perry-style fullback dive by center Doug Kramer. The ball came popping right out of Kramer's hands as soon as it was put there, and Washington's Johnny Newton recovered at its 3-yard line after a mad scramble.

Ironically, it was one former Illinois player fumbling to another but no one would have ever though this possible.

"Again, I've got to look at the handoff," Eberflus said. "That was one of our 1-yard plays in our goal-line package. We've got to look at the operation of that."

The Bears defense had given up only four field goals to Austin Seibert of 27, 30, 28 and 47 yards while their own offense struggled, and they forced a punt on a three-and-out following the goal-line disaster.

"The defense's response to that was excellent," Eberflus said. "Go three-and-out, force a punt."

Williams then authored a 62-yard drive to Johnson's 1-yard TD run, the key play a pass interference on a fourth-and-3 incompletion to Keenan Allen at the goal line to set up the score. Cole Kmet's shovel pass catch for the PAT made it a three-point lead.

The fumbled ball at the goal line on the questionable play call harkened back to the Indianapolis game when Waldron said he learned his lesson with a fourth-and-goal option pitch outside from the 1 that resulted in a loss back to the 12.

"Again, I've got to look at the handoff," Eberflus said. "That was one of our 1-yard plays in our goal-line package. We've got to look at the operation of that."

Williams could point at himself for another missed opportunity. He held the ball too long and took a sack that knocked the Bears out of field goal range in the first half.

"I gotta get the ball out of my hand," Williams said. "We get those three points, get some momentum, gets some points on the board, it would definitely helps us in the long room, def help me in the long run.

The Bears gave up 21-of-38 passing for 326 yards to Daniels and 168 yards rushing to Washington but ultimately did a good enough job containing the NFL leader in completion percentage to win the game -- except for one play. 

"They had those plays at the end and it comes down to that last play and we've practice that play 100 times since we've been here," Eberflus said.

It wasn't enough times considering what happened.

"Deflating," cornerback Josh Blackwell told reporters. "No way that just happened.

"You live and you learn and go on to the next one."

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.