How the NFL reacted to Jayden Daniels' viral Hail Mary touchdown as Washington Commanders beat Chicago Bears in final seconds

nfl Monday 28 October 2024 01:49, UK

Jayden Daniels sent the NFL into a frenzy on Sunday night as he produced the play of the season with a miracle Hail Mary touchdown as time expired to lift the Washington Commanders to victory over the shell-shocked Chicago Bears.

With zeros on the clock and the Commanders trailing 15-12, the rookie quarterback scurried back-and-forth from inside his own half before finally launching a desperate heave towards the end zone, where the ball bobbled off a crowd of players and into the grateful waiting hands of a wide-open Noah Brown for a 52-yard walk-off touchdown.

It would move Washington to 6-2 on the year at the top of the NFC East while breaking Chicago hearts after the Bears had snatched the lead through Roschon Johnson's one-yard rushing touchdown with 25 seconds to play.

"If you don't love the NFL, have a word with yourself! What a night, what a play, make it make sense," said Sky Sports NFL presenter Neil Reynolds post game.

Daniels held the ball for 12.79 seconds during the play leading to the touchdown, marking the first touchdown pass with a time to throw upwards of 10 seconds since Next Gen Stats began in 2016.

"I just heard people screaming and our sideline rushing the field. That's how I knew," said Daniels. "That's kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not too many people get to experience stuff like that."

It became the second Hail Mary touchdown in recent weeks after Aaron Rodgers completed a 52-yard touchdown to Allen Lazard as the first half ended in the New York Jets' defeat the Buffalo Bills. This one eclipsed it.

"If J-Bell is out of words, that's a problem!" laughed Super Bowl-winning defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in the Sky Sports NFL studio.

"They can build as a team off of this, you think back to Odell Beckham Jr's big catch in New York like J-Bell mentioned, this could be huge and monumental for this organisation if they continue to ride this wave."

The moment continued Daniels' staggering start to life in the NFL as the No 2 overall Draft pick ousted No 1 pick Caleb Williams in a battle of two young superstar quarterbacks primed to dazzle over the next decade and beyond in the league.

Daniels finished 21 of 38 for 326 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 52 yards from eight carries on the ground, Washington having primarily leaned on early field goals from Austin Seibert to build a 12-0 cushion as they struggled to find the finishing end zone touch to promising drives.

It typified a dramatic day across the NFL in general, fuelled by tight finishes to the early slate of games as Jameis Winston's Cleveland Browns stunned the Baltimore Ravens, while Brandon McManus kicked the Green Bay Packers to victory in the closing seconds against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New England Patriots scored late to inflict the Jets' sixth loss of the year.

Such has been the nature of his sparkling rookie year, Daniels would have the final say.

"I can't believe what I just saw but it all makes sense," said Sky Sports NFL's Jason Bell. "You've got a guy back there who has got movements, who is creating, look at all the time he has in the pocket, I've been in this position trying to defend this, all of that extra movement and then you panic, you attack the ball in the air and you can't do that.

"Sometimes hope is on your side and that's all you need. There is always supposed to be a guy behind them! Everybody is in shock, I can't believe we witnessed this. This is amazing!"

To add to an already-unlikely scenario, fan footage appeared to capture Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson with his back to the play just seconds before Brown hauled in Daniels' Hail Mary throw.

Chicago had been kept alive by their defense throughout much of the game as they struggled to find the end zone, one moment seeing them fumble at the goalline in the fourth quarter after electing to hand the ball off to back-up center Doug Kramer.

Speaking immediately after the game, Daniels was a picture of calm as he reflected on the headline moment of his young NFL career so far. The Heisman Trophy winner's status had been uncertain all week amid his recovery from a rib injury that saw Marcus Mariota step in to replace him during the previous game.

"All glory to God," he said. "Without Him, I didn't even think I'd be playing this week. It took lot of long hours, long days, but I put myself in the position to go out here.

"We keep fighting, we've got a great locker room, a great brotherhood."

Brown, the man on the receiving end of the pass, insisted he 'wouldn't want to play with any other quarterback' in the NFL.

Offensive lineman Sam Cosmi added: "Front-row seats to something amazing. That was just crazy. This will always stick in my head forever. What a moment."

The Commanders have emerged as one of the surprise packages of the 2024 season as they march towards the playoffs behind first-year head coach Dan Quinn, who arrived in the offseason after coming across from his post as defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys.

"This was a huge game, first and second pick," said Sky Sports NFL's Phoebe Schecter. "Look at what they have been able to do, Dan Quinn seems an incredible human being and to bring that culture and start his own fresh has been wonderful."

Suh added that moments like this were 'why you play football, while Bell hailed the versatility fuelling Daniels' rise to stardom.

"He made some big throws, he looked like a human highlight," said Bell. "Every time he was running the ball he looked like the best athlete on the field. He has the arm strength, he has it all, you're seeing him get better every week."

Week Eight concludes with Monday Night Football as the New York Giants face the Pittsburgh Steelers live on Sky Sports NFL from 12.15am in the early hours of Tuesday; Also stream with NOW.