Even with the No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams, the Chicago Bears find themselves in a familiar position as November approaches: last place in the NFC North.
Unlike other teams at the bottom of the league, the Bears are still above .500 at 4-3, despite a major mistake that led to a heartbreaking loss.
The Bears face the toughest remaining schedule in the league, which includes all six games against division rivals, who have a combined record of 17-5. They also have games against the 49ers, Cardinals, and Seahawks, all tied for the top of the NFC West at 4-4.
The Bears were set for their fourth straight win when they took a 15-12 lead over the Commanders, thanks to Roschon Johnson’s 1-yard touchdown run and a successful 2-point conversion with just 25 seconds left in their game on Sunday in Washington.
Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels, who was drafted right after Williams and was playing through sore ribs, connected with Zach Ertz for an 11-yard gain and Terry McLaurin for 13 yards to move the Commanders to midfield, setting up a Hail Mary attempt.
Video shared on social media showed Chicago cornerback Tyrique Stevenson with his back to the play, pointing to the stands and raising his arms as if cheering with Bears fans, right when the ball was snapped with 2 seconds left.
When he realized what was going on, Stevenson ran toward the middle of the field. Bears coach Matt Eberflus mentioned that Stevenson was supposed to block Noah Brown.
Despite the three-man rush, Daniels scrambled for nearly 13 seconds, giving Stevenson plenty of time to recover from his mistake and complete his assignment.
Instead, Stevenson went up for the pass, which was tipped to Brown, who was wide open in the end zone behind the pile of players.
The 52-yard throw was the longest Hail Mary by a rookie quarterback this century and resulted in a painful 18-15 loss for the Bears, which they may regret more as time goes on.
Stevenson posted an apology on social media after the game, saying: “To Chicago and teammates my apologies for lack of awareness and focus …. The game ain’t over until zeros hit the clock. Can’t take anything for granted. Notes taken, improvement will happen.”
He also apologized to his teammates on Monday and promised he had learned his lesson: “I let the moment get too big and it’s something that can never happen again and won’t ever happen again,” Stevenson said.
This mistake may continue to trouble the Bears, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2019. Their only remaining game against a losing team is against New England (2-6) in two weeks.
