The Washington Commanders’ Hail Mary win in Sunday’s thrilling defeat of the Chicago Bears was something special. In what is considered the greatest play in the newly named Northwest Stadium, Jim Nantz and Tony Romo were on the call for CBS, guiding fans through the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
Now known as the “Madhouse In Maryland,” the last couple of seconds saw Commanders Quarterback Jayden Daniels scramble a few yards backward, step forward, and throw a 52-yard Hail Mary that was tipped toward the end zone into the hands of Wide Receiver Noah Brown. This miraculous touchdown put the Commanders ahead 18-15 with no time left on the clock to beat the Chicago Bears and remain undefeated at home.
Commanders’ Hail Mary Win a Rare One
The Commanders’ Hail Mary, now world-famous, is the stuff seen in movies and presented in slow motion with inspirational orchestra music. The Bears did what most teams do: Try to disrupt the quarterback and send everyone else downfield to block the completion. To see a 52-yard pass into the end zone at the end of the game is normal. Watch enough football and you’re bound to see at least one quarterback throw it into a bunch of players in the end zone as a last-ditch effort. To see a 52-yard pass thrown to the end zone that was tipped in perfectly (and catchable) to win a game? That’s rare.
How rare? According to Next Gen Stats Insight on Sunday’s win reported by NFL.com, Daniels held onto the ball for 12.79 seconds on Commanders’ Hail Mary to Wide Receiver Noah Brown. This was the first touchdown pass with a time to throw over 10 seconds in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016). Furthermore, the Commanders’ Hail Mary was the second-longest game-winning TD pass by a rookie as time expired in the fourth quarter in NFL history.
Commanders’ Hail Mary Pass Could Be Second Best
Historically, the Commanders’ Hail Mary pass comes second to a 56-yard TD pass by former Cleveland Browns Quarterback Tim Couch to then-rookie Wide Receiver Kevin Johnson on Halloween 1999. The Browns were down 16-14 to the New Orleans Saints in the final seconds. Like the Commanders, they needed a successful Hail Mary play to find their first win of the 1999 season. That season was the first year of Cleveland’s expansion era of Browns football and they, like Washington, won by a tipped ball caught by a receiver.
Hail Mary Win Divine Intervention, Says Daniels
After Sunday’s win, Daniels, when asked, said the game left his hands when he threw that ball. A Fox News report cited him saying, “Nothing but God, man. Nothing but God,” Daniels said. “Without Him, I don’t think I’d be playing this week. But man, all glory to God.”
In preparing for Sunday’s game, numerous reports stated Daniels went through tests, rest, and workups due to a rib injury suffered in Week 7’s 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers. Prior to Sunday’s win, Head Coach Dan Quinn explained the workup plan to help get Daniels healthy:
“The status for Jayden we’ll put down as week to week. We will take him through all the steps at practice, assess how he is doing, and keep working through that. We’re hopeful he can play, but we will also make sure to take every precautionary step and do it smartly for the player and the man,” Quinn said. “It’s not gonna be something that knocks him out long term.”
Fast forward to this week, in speaking to the media Wednesday, Daniels implied his recovery will be a long process. “It’s just how I feel daily, how I wake up, and how I’m able to move around. And the organization here has a great plan, so I’m trusting that and following it,” he said. On the Washington Commanders Depth Chart, Daniels is currently listed as “Questionable,” but he was limited in practice on Wednesday. Washington’s Week 9 opponent is the New York Giants, a team they beat in Week 2. The Commanders’ Hail Mary will be a play the team looks to build on.
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