Jayden Daniels pulls off miracle finish as Commanders stun Bears
LANDOVER, Md. — Jayden Daniels threw a 52-yard Hail Mary pass to Noah Brown on the final play of the game and the Washington Commanders beat the Chicago Bears 18-15 on Sunday.
Roschon Johnson had scored on the ground from 1 yard out with 25 seconds left in regulation, and the Bears (4-3) made good on the ensuing two-point conversion to take a 15-12 lead after trailing 12-0 earlier in the contest. That left just enough time for the Commanders (6-2) to return the kickoff to their own 24 and complete two short passes to set up the game-winning heave that deflected off a crowd of players and went into Brown’s hands in the end zone as time expired.
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The game matched rookie quarterbacks Caleb Williams of Chicago, selected first overall out of Southern California in this year’s draft, and Daniels, taken No. 2 out of LSU.
Daniels was a game-time decision on Sunday after sustaining a rib injury in a home victory against the Carolina Panthers a week prior. Daniels, who did not practice until Friday, was 21-of-38 passing for 326 yards and the score. He also ran eight times for 52 yards.
Washington’s Terry McLaurin had five catches for 125 yards.
It was a homecoming for Williams, who was raised in the Washington area. He completed 10 of 24 passes for 131 yards. D’Andre Swift ran for 129 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
The Commanders led 12-0 late in the third quarter when Swift ran left, cut upfield and raced 56 yards down the sideline for the Bears’ first score to make it 12-7.
On Washington’s next drive, Austin Seibert missed a 51-yard field-goal attempt after making four earlier kicks, the first of which came from 27 yards out and gave the Commanders a 3-0 lead with 8:51 to go in the first quarter.
When Washington had the ball back, Daniels ran 9 yards on third-and-8 from the Commanders 11 and, three plays later, found McLaurin in stride along the sideline for a 61-yard gain. Again, the Bears’ defense stiffened, and Seibert made it 6-0 with 1:04 left in the first quarter.
Seibert booted a 28-yarder with 5:24 left in the first half to put Washington up 9-0.
In the third quarter, Daniels’ 32-yard touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus was nullified by a penalty, and the Commanders settled for Seibert’s 47-yard field goal for a 12-0 advantage with 5:48 left in the frame.
