Jayden Daniels' Hail Mary beats Caleb Williams and the Bears

Jayden Daniels had a great rookie season. And that was before one of the greatest Hail Mary passes in NFL history.

Daniels and the Washington Commanders pulled off a miracle on Sunday. After falling behind 15-12 against the Chicago Bears with 23 seconds left, all Daniels could do was score as far as he could on the final play of the game and hope. The ball was distributed between a group of players and somehow Noah Brown was all alone in the end zone to snatch it for a 52-yard score and an 18-15 victory.

Daniels could have a long, great career and never experience another moment quite like it. Head coach Dan Quinn and the Commanders’ staff responded accordingly.

Before that final pass, it looked like Caleb Williams would overcome a bad day and secure the victory for the Bears with a game-winning drive. But Daniels still had one magic trick left.

“Keep fighting, man, we keep fighting,” Daniels told CBS’s Tracy Wolfson after the game. “We have a great locker room, a great brotherhood. There’s no one else I’d rather go to war with.”

Neither offense gets a touchdown before halftime

Daniels didn't have a great first half, but Williams' start was much worse.

The Bears were shut out in the first half. Late in the first half they had a shot to score, but Williams was under pressure and tried to scramble but was caught on a 15-yard sack. That knocked the Bears out of field goal position and they hit a punt. This is how the first half went for the Bears. Williams was either under pressure or playing like he was under pressure on most downs. He was rarely quiet in the pocket. Williams completed just 3 of 8 passes for 33 yards in the first half. He rushed for 29 yards, but that mostly happened when he was able to escape the rush. The Bears failed to break 100 yards of offense until well into the third quarter.

The Commanders were better in the first half but couldn't get into the end zone. Washington led 9-0 at halftime with three field goals. Daniels didn't look like he was recovering from a rib injury that put his status in question most of the week. He completed 10 of 19 passes for 154 yards and added 31 yards rushing. Because he suffered a rib injury, Daniels finished with 326 passing yards, including 52 on the final memorable play.

The first half went to Williams, but the Commanders still hadn't built a big lead. And the only thing anyone will remember from Sunday's game anyway is the final play.

Bears remain tough

In the second half, Washington appeared to finally get a touchdown on the board, but that moment was fleeting. Olamide Zaccheaus scored on a 32-yard pass from Daniels, but there was an ineligible man flag down the field. The Commanders settled for another field goal and a 12-0 lead.

After that, the Bears had a breakthrough. D'Andre Swift took a swing to the left, fended off several tackles and ran down the sideline for a 56-yard touchdown. There was finally a sign of life from the Bears offense.

The Bears made a huge mistake that cannot be blamed on their rookie quarterback. It was a coaching fiasco. The Bears reached the goal line and elected to handoff to offensive lineman Doug Kramer Jr. The handoff to the 300-pound lineman was botched and the Commanders recovered the fumble. This decision is difficult to explain. It would be a big problem at the end of the game.

The Commanders couldn't put the game away. With less than five minutes left, the Bears still had a chance to win. Williams hit Rome Odunze on a crucial third-and-10 for the first down. His fight paid off when he ran right and threw a pass up to an open Keenan Allen for 22 yards.

The officials assisted the Bears on a four-and-3. Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste grabbed Allen and that was deemed enough for a pass interference call, essentially giving the Bears a touchdown. Roschon Johnson scored with 23 seconds left to give the Bears the lead.

At the time, it seemed as if Williams would achieve victory despite his difficulties. Daniels disagreed.