Jayden Daniels had a couple of clear thoughts in mind as the Washington Commanders needed to make a long throw to beat the Chicago Bears.
“Buy some time and don’t throw the ball out of bounds,” Daniels said. He ran around for almost 13 seconds and launched the ball from the Washington 35-yard line with no time left.
The pass deflected off Zach Ertz’s hands just short of the goal line and landed in the arms of Noah Brown, who was alone in the end zone, scoring a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown that gave the Commanders a surprising 18-15 win on Sunday, sending players, coaches, and fans into a frenzy.
The rookie quarterback didn’t even see Brown catch the ball.
“I just heard people screaming and our sideline rushing the field. That’s how I knew,” said Daniels, who was uncertain to play until just hours before the game due to a rib injury. “That’s kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not too many people get to experience stuff like that.”
Daniels’ big play came after the Commanders (6-2) fell behind with 25 seconds left when Roschon Johnson scored a touchdown after a pass-interference penalty set the ball on the 1-yard line. There were only 19 seconds remaining after the kickoff return to the 24-yard line.
After three completions, Daniels added an amazing moment to a season that has made him a favorite for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and one of the most exciting players in the NFL.
“We’re blessed to have ‘5’ leading this team: The things he can do are special,” Brown said. “I wouldn’t want to play with any other quarterback.”
Offensive lineman Sam Cosmi said it felt “like a movie.” “Front-row seats to something amazing,” Cosmi said. “That was just crazy. This will always stick in my head forever. What a moment.”
In the NFL’s sixth game featuring rookie quarterbacks chosen with the top two picks in the draft, Daniels threw for 326 yards and ran for 52. Caleb Williams, the first pick by the Bears (4-3), completed four of his first 16 passes and ended up 10 of 24 for 131 yards.
Chicago, which had its three-game winning streak broken, managed only 172 yards of offense before the fourth quarter and didn’t score until D’Andre Swift’s 56-yard touchdown run late in the third.
“That’s just us shooting ourselves in the foot, and that comes from details and focus in the game, throughout the week,” said Williams, a Washington-area native playing back home for the first time as a pro.
“That includes myself. I definitely missed a few passes that I usually don’t miss, so it’s tough, but very encouraging because we stayed in it.”
Daniels wasn’t fully himself at times and seemed a bit off due to a rib injury, which had sidelined him during last week’s win over Carolina and kept him from practicing on Wednesday and Thursday. He took several hits after releasing the ball but performed his best when it counted.
“We knew he had it in him,” running back Brian Robinson Jr. said. “He just showed us today what he’s capable of and how tough he is.”
