Commanders defeat Bears on wild 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown on final play

High expectations follow being a high NFL draft pick. Halfway through their rookie seasons, quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, the first two players selected in April’s draft, had lived up to their hype behind their often explosive offensive playmaking, raising the anticipation for their first meeting Sunday.

For three quarters, the matchup cut against those lofty expectations in some ways — and for the last quarter, it became an instant classic that ended with the defining play, so far, of the 2024 NFL season.

By summoning offense that had been missing the first three quarters, Williams and the Chicago Bears rallied from a 12-point deficit to take a 15-12 lead against Washington with 23 seconds left on a short touchdown pass by Williams, followed by a two-point conversion.

Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown hauled in the Hail Mary with no time left.Peter Casey / Imagn Images

Given one final play to heave a pass into the end zone, Daniels — playing through a rib injury he suffered only one week earlier — lofted a high-arching Hail Mary 52 yards in the air that was tipped at the goal line and flipped perfectly to Commanders teammate Noah Brown for the game-winning touchdown.

Washington won 18-15 to improve to 6-2, while Chicago fell to 4-3 in one of the most improbable ways.