Getty Image / Quinn Harris
The Chicago Bears looked poised to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat after a late fourth quarter rally gave them a 15-12 lead over the Washington Commanders with just seconds to go. But, an incredible Hail Mary from Jayden Daniels to Noah Brown gave the Bears a loss in the worst way possible.
Leading up to the miraculous touchdown, the Bears decided to play ultra-soft coverage, giving the Commanders a free 13 yards to give them a chance to get the ball to the end zone on a Hail Mary. Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus claims those yards “didn’t matter”.
The Bears rallied from a 12-0 deficit in the second half to overcome some strange coaching decisions and take the lead. They scored with 25 seconds left, with Washington only having one timeout remaining.
After a kick return, the Commanders had the ball at their own 24-yard line. Jayden Daniels found Zach Ertz over the middle for 11 yards to the 35, but just six seconds remained. For some reason, the Bears decided to have their defense line up like this and give up free yards.
Matt Eberflus on ESPN 1000: "The play before the (Hail Mary), I'm not concerned about."
Dan Quinn to @AlbertBreer: “That’s the one you need. If we don’t get that play to (McLaurin), then we’re out of gas.” pic.twitter.com/UxCOKWxWNC
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) October 28, 2024
Those free yards made it possible for this Hail Mary to be completed.
A;FK;JD;KJF;LAKEJFLKJVAL;KEJL;JF;EFJ;LFAKJ
JAYDEN DANIELS HAIL MARY! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/BsQ0Z84Rko
— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
Clearly, the play before the Hail Mary was a huge mistake. Remember, the Commanders were out of timeouts after the Ertz completion. just play press man with 3 safeties deep, and the press corners don’t give up the sideline. Any tackle in the field of play ends the game. An incomplete pass means a Hail Mary pass can’t get to the end zone.
According to Matt Eberflus, those yards on the penultimate play “didn’t matter”.
Matt Eberflus asked about the play prior to the hail mary. "Doesn't really matter"
Dan Quinn: “That’s the one you need. If we don’t get that play then we’re out of gas.” pic.twitter.com/sfrFXyn0Xt— ✶ Ⓜ️𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕤 ▶️ ✶ (@_MarcusD3_) October 28, 2024
Clearly it did matter. The yards lost the Chicago Bears the football game.