Jayden Daniels' Hail Mary throw is the latest example of these commanders not shying away

LANDOVER, Maryland – The screams made Jayden Daniels realize a miracle had occurred.

“I just heard people screaming and our sideline rushing down the field,” the Washington Commanders quarterback said. “That’s how I knew.”

Left guard Nick Allegretti was in “chaos” about 70 yards from the other end zone – “trying to hit someone in a different colored jersey to give Jayden a chance” – when Daniels' Hail Mary fell from the sky.

“I didn’t know who caught it until three minutes later,” Allegretti said in a raucous postgame locker room following the 18-15 victory over the Chicago Bears at Northwest Stadium.

Coach Dan Quinn saw every moment. He saw his offense miss opportunities in the red zone, settle for field goals and let the Bears blow a 12-point lead in the third quarter. Running back Roschon Johnson's 1-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion gave Chicago a three-point lead with 25 seconds left.

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Linebacker Frankie Luvu lurked on the sideline and told his teammates to “keep their heads up.” It's not over yet.” Defensive tackle Daron Payne sat on the bench, “hoping that (the offense) goes down and scores or makes it to overtime.”

Quinn watched as Daniels, the team's prized rookie playing with an injured rib, made a gutsy effort in a highly touted matchup with Caleb Williams, the Bears' first-year quarterback. Daniels began the possession at the Washington 24 line and completed two passes with two seconds left that moved the ball to the 48 line.

“I thought we had a chance if we could improve the field a little bit,” Quinn said. “Then it’s time for Hail Mary.”

Daniels wasn't particularly efficient against the Bears' top-five defense, although tumbles and penalties complicated things. Olamide Zaccheau's 32-yard catch-and-run touchdown was negated by an illegal man downfield penalty.

Teammates didn't sense that Daniels was limited by the injury that sidelined him in the first quarter of last week's home win over the Carolina Panthers. They admired the effort.

“That’s the dog in him,” running back Brian Robinson Jr. said.

Quinn heard the final play call on his headset – not that no one could have guessed. Daniels had to buy time for receivers to run into the end zone, but running away from defenders for more than 10 seconds on the final play was extra. He rolled to his right while guard Sam Cosmi kept rushers away from his quarterback and saw Allegretti make a monster block that “cleaned someone's clock.”

The coach saw Daniels float back to the middle of the field and shoot the ball about 65 yards into the air. He watched his receivers execute the plan on a play that would normally seem random.

While wide receiver Terry McLaurin and 6-foot-5 tight end Zach Ertz fought for position against Chicago defenders, Noah Brown found himself in the end zone, standing behind the large group fighting for the ball.

“That happened to be my job on the Hail Mary,” Brown said.

Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson turned his back on the game and chirped to fans as Washington's players ran offside. He didn't participate in the play until the Commanders had players inside the Bears' 20-yard line. Ertz got the ball in his hands. Stevenson too.

“It’s hard to just go up and grab it,” Quinn said. “You almost have to go upstairs and…expect a tip.”

Brown did. Quinn watched as the rebound headed toward his uncovered receiver and landed in his hands. Noah caught the (tilted) bow.

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JAYDEN DANIELS Hail, Mary! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/BsQ0Z84Rko

– NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024

The delirious Quinn threw away his headset and ran wildly onto the field with his players. Daniels gave up his relaxed mood for a moment and dedicated himself to the “once-in-a-lifetime experience.” …I was completely juiced up. The whole stadium, the team, the sidelines, everyone.”

Washington was already lucky that the Bears lost a fumble on a botched exchange between Williams and lead blocker/offensive lineman Doug Kramer Jr. in the shadow of the Commanders' goal line on the drive before the go-ahead touchdown. They took a hit when kicker Austin Seibert badly missed a 51-yard field goal after he had already made four. Whatever happens, these commanders remain focused.

“What I love about this team,” tight end John Bates said, “is that no one bats an eyelid.”

That certainly applies to the 23-year-old quarterback.

The rib injury that sidelined Daniels complicated his status in Week 8. Missing most of the team's practices in between meant a rare event might not occur. The two quarterbacks, both Heisman Trophy winners, were selected No. 1 and 2 in April's draft by franchises that have spent decades looking for a long-term solution at the sport's most critical position.

It's almost as rare how often quarterbacks drafted with the first and second picks meet in their rookie year. This would be the sixth time, but only if Washington's No. 5 were playing. Daniels was cleared after pregame warmups, including various stretches, throwing medicine balls and a basketball, and throwing football passes near and far. He also got on all fours because apparently you have to crawl before you can enter the group.

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Backup Marcus Mariota appeared ready for his first start since 2022. This is not the quarterback CBS envisioned when the network moved the game to a prime afternoon slot. Then Daniels completed a tough Friday practice. Media reports developed slightly positively over the next 48 hours.

“That thing Friday was cool,” Daniels said after completing 21 of 38 passes for 326 yards and a touchdown pass. He rushed for 52 yards on eight carries.

The strong defensive performance almost failed. D'Andre Swift's 56-yard touchdown run gave Chicago (4-3) momentum. Williams completed just 10 of 24 passes for 131 yards despite showing his competitiveness in the second half.

Daniels is a key reason Washington improved to 6-2 for the first time since 2008. The win marked a 4-0 home start, on par with the 2005 team that won the franchise's last playoff game.

Players and coaches always believe that anything is possible. No one familiar with the reality — or the organization's unrelenting misery under previous owners — saw this coming.

Payne, Washington's 2018 first-round pick, is one of the longest-serving players on the team. Over many years he has seen everything that could and did go wrong with this franchise. He has yet to finish a season with a winning record.

“Things aren’t usually great for us,” Payne said.

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These commanders tell a different story.

“It felt good to … come out happy and celebrate with the guys,” Payne said.

General manager Adam Peters joined the players in the locker room and spent time with Cosmi and the offensive line. On Monday, this struggling unit will worry about injuries to tackles Cornelius Lucas (ankle) and Brandon Coleman (concussion). Cosmi, a 2021 second-round pick, and the group processed how the Commanders got the win. As he walked toward the exits, Cosmi shared an observation.

“Things are finally trending towards the good.”

Talk about a miracle for this franchise.

(Photo: Nick Wass / Associated Press)