Commanders beat bears at Hail Mary Pass

In one game, the Bears had nothing to do with winning, and in the end, they had nothing to do with losing, but they lost it.

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

“When you lose a game like that, it’s hard to digest when you come back,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “I also told them in the same conversation that I was really thrilled with how they fought back. You know, they fought back to win the game.”

“That’s why it’s important to pay attention to that too.”

After what was transpiring, it seemed far less important.

The Bears' offense sat dormant throughout the game until it came to life after a 54-yard touchdown run by D'Andre Swift in the third quarter. Then they recovered from a goal-line disaster and scored the go-ahead score on a 1-yard TD from Roschon Johnson with 28 seconds left.

“Our guys believe in each other, trust in teaching others, have trust in each other,” Eberflus said. “They are a resilient bunch. They will come back more determined.”

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

Then Daniels struggled for 12 seconds, hurling the ball toward the crowd in front of the goal line, as such plays usually do. And the Bears played like stooges as all the defensive backs ran to the ball with a few wide receivers, leaving a man uncovered in the end zone. 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 and box guys at the end like basketball. We have a guy at the rim whose job is to knock the ball down. We have a back-tip guy who stands behind the pile.”

“So I have to look at it again and explain it in detail and make sure we are better next time. This is a serious defeat.”

It prompted a huge celebration from Washington (6-2), a minute after the Bears (4-3) staged their own improbable comeback.

Williams only had 36 yards passing by the end of the third quarter. The running game hadn't played a role until Swift's breakaway at left end, behind a block from rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie, who was filling in for the injured Braxton Jones. But the start came too late to ensure enough points.

“I would say about the same thing I said before: We have to be better in the first quarter,” Williams said. “It starts with me getting out quick, it starts with us getting out quick.”

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

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

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

Ironically, it was a former Illinois player who fumbled to another player, but no one ever thought that was possible.

“I have to watch the handoff again,” said Eberflus. “That was one of our 1-yard plays on our goal-line package. We need to look at how it works.”

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

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

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

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

“I have to watch the handoff again,” said Eberflus. “That was one of our 1-yard plays on our goal-line package. We need to look at how it works.”

Williams could be giving himself 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 have to get the ball out of my hand,” Williams said. “We get those three points, get some momentum, get some points on the board, that would definitely help us in the long run, definitely help me in the long run.”

The Bears allowed 21 of 38 passes for 326 yards to Daniels and 168 yards to Washington, but ultimately managed well enough to hold the NFL leader in completion percentage to win the game – all but one play.

“They had those plays at the end and it comes down to the last play and we’ve practiced that play 100 times since we’ve been here,” Eberflus said.

There wasn't enough time to consider what happened.

“Deflating,” cornerback Josh Blackwell told reporters. “There’s no way this just happened.

“You live and learn and move on to the next thing.”

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