Anatomy of a Hail Mary: How Jayden Daniels and the Commanders Beat the Buzzer

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Jayden Daniels' Hail Mary touchdown pass to Noah Brown that gave the Washington Commanders the touchdown an 18:15 win against the Chicago Bears on Sunday was one of the most memorable finishes to an NFL game in recent history. As time expired it was a 52-yard completion, but in reality it was a much longer throw and the result of hours of preparation.

This is how it went down.

The situation

After failing to score a touchdown all game and going 0 for 3 in the red zone, the Commanders fell behind with 25 seconds left on Roschon Johnson's 1-yard TD run, which resulted from a pass interference penalty against Benjamin St- Juste and the following 2 yards -point conversation that made it 15-12 Bears.

Bears linebacker TJ Edwards: “The offense did a great job scoring and giving us the lead.”

Commander Running Back Brian Robinson: “We knew we shouldn’t have been down. The whole locker room knew that. We knew we had another chance.”

After a 24-yard kickoff return by Austin Ekeler, there were just 19 seconds left on the clock.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn: “There are no timeouts. Of course, we used one early on.”

After an incomplete pass, Daniels found Ertz for an 11-yard gain and Terry McLaurin for 13 yards to get almost to midfield.

Commanders Center Tyler Biadasz: “Those plays leading up to Ave Maria, they’re huge plays.”

McLaurin: “We just wanted to give ourselves a chance to get him in the right position so Jayden could throw the ball there.”

Bears coach Matt Eberflus: “You're defending a touchdown there and they throw a ball 13 yards or 10 yards, whatever it is, it really doesn't matter.”

Quinn: “I thought we had a chance if we could improve the field a little bit. And that’s what I wanted to achieve.”

The preparation

McLaurin: “We know we still had enough time. We practice it literally a couple times a week in those situations where you have to have it.”

Commanders Right Guard Sam Cosmi: “If you don’t practice it, it won’t bear fruit. If you practice it, you’ll be ready for that moment.”

Commanders tight end Zach Ertz: “We go through the play. I never like reps at full speed. Obviously, you won't just be doing 70-yard dashes in training. But we're talking about it. I'm kind of like the jumper per se, and then you have a receiver in front and a receiver in the back.

Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu: “I just went down and told the guys, 'Cheer up, man, it's not over yet.'”

There were 2 seconds left on the clock.

Daniels: “Take some time and don’t throw the ball out of bounds. Try to give your boys a chance.”

Brown: “We are a team full of fighters. We don’t give up until the final whistle.”

The scramble

The Bears sent three pass rushers while the remaining eight defenders dropped into coverage. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson had his back to the line of scrimmage and mocked the fans when the ball was snapped.

Eberflus: “We decided on the three-man attack. I think he had the ball for more than 12 seconds, and I'm not sure what happened at that time as far as blocking and chasing the quarterback.”

Commanders left security guard Nick Allegretti: “It’s chaos. You’re just trying to hit someone in a different colored jersey, give Jayden a chance to rip the ball.”

Cosmi: “Two of them went this way, came back, turned left.” Nick cleaned someone’s watch.”

McLaurin: “There are people who throw people to the ground. We know it’s a physical game and you have a chance to make a play and change the game.”

Edwards “He’s fast, isn’t he? He does a good job of keeping the piece alive. It’s a long time for our guys to report on things like this.”

Quinn: “Jayden did a fantastic job of buying time, buying time, on the right side. I don't know how long the piece lasted. …Thirteen seconds? Yes, I felt them down to the smallest detail.

Commander Center Tyler Biadasz: “We just wanted to give him time. Jay did a great job of crawling around as well as trying to get to a stop. Having all the wideouts and tight ends down there, that’s the biggest part of this type of game.”

Brown: “Try to get down as quickly as possible, box out, keep a good position and hope Jayden can get the ball there. He did a phenomenal job keeping the piece alive.”

The litter

Daniels, playing through a rib injurythrew the ball up from the Washington 35-yard line.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams: “I thought it was going to be a little short.”

Daniels: “Let the guys get down there and get into some kind of formation, give the ball some air and let them make a play.”

McLaurin: “He has an incredible arm.”

Daniels: “Just throw the ball up and give my guys a chance.” I didn’t see anything.”

Cosmi: “I just saw him throw it. I just sit there.”

The catch

Allegretti: “What’s the percentage on that? Not high. And it was like the perfect tip and then there was just one guy standing there.”

McLaurin: “Zach had an incredible tip. It went exactly the way we practiced.”

Eberflus: “The guy we took out was (McLaurin), so it just depended on where he was.”

Allegretti: “I looked at the screen and saw the ball being tipped.”

Ertz: “I don’t think I actually touched the ball. I don't know what the film says per se. But I'll definitely take the ice hockey assistant. I know I impacted the game and Noah scored a touchdown at the end and that’s how we won the game and that’s all that matters.”

Brown: “That happened to be my job on Ave Maria. We had one guy up front and two guys back trying to throw it up for the jumper and Zach did a great job getting the ball in his hands so he could get back to me and we made the play.”

McLaurin: “Honestly, it felt like everything was happening in slow motion. This ball fell directly into Noah's arms. I don’t think I’ve seen a Hail Mary fall so perfectly from a top drill.”

Biadasz: “You have to be a little lucky. The coach always talks about the ball finding energy and that we were in the right place at the right time. This is a great moment that you won't forget.

Cosmi: “I see the ball land in Noah’s hands. I just couldn't believe it. I said, ‘Is that a black jersey?’ And then he just sprinted 60 yards.”

Allegretti: “I got a Charley horse, so I was walking around somewhere while the ball was in the air and I looked up and thought, 'Let's see what happens.'”

Daniels: “I just heard people screaming and our sideline rushing across the field. That’s how I knew.”

The aftermath

Quinn: “I felt like, rest in peace, a little bit like (late NC State basketball coach) Jim Valvano, just walking around not knowing what to do or where to go.”

Robinson: “I jumped into the stands and everyone was just excited.”

McLaurin: “In the big moments you want to come through for your team. We just said to ourselves, 'It ain't over 'til it's over.'”

Daniels: “I was definitely juiced up. Excited because this is something of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not many people experience something like that. That was my first time.”

Allegretti: “I couldn’t believe it. It was disbelief.”

McLaurin: “We did it. It wasn't just one guy. But for us to be able to make this play happen, it doesn’t happen often, I’ve never been part of a win like this in the league.”

Quinn: “I feel like I'm six inches off the ground when I get a big hug.”

Bears tight end Cole Kmet: “A Hail Mary is a Hail Mary. It's a prayer. You just say a prayer. … When you're talking about losing a game to Hail Mary and you're trying to fix it, that's not really a game you want to obsess over. It's a Hail Mary. It is what it is. The ball literally just went their way.”

Eberflus: “In the end, we did everything we could and we just have to implement it better.”

Biadasz: “You never take every victory for granted, no matter how it comes.”

Cosmi: “To be completely honest, it was like a movie. To be a part of it, it's like, 'Oh, front row seats to something amazing.'”

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