Jayden Daniels to Noah Brown were a great Hail Mary, but was it the greatest ever?

The funny thing about how the term “Hail Mary” came about is that technically the original term probably wasn’t Hail Mary.

In the 1975 playoffs, the Dallas Cowboys were beating the Minnesota Vikings when Roger Staubach hit Drew Pearson on the sideline for the go-ahead score. Afterward, Staubach told reporters that he said “Ave Maria” as he threw the ball, and five decades later the term is part of our sports lexicon. But there were still 32 seconds left for this play. It's not the wild rush into a crowd that we now associate with the Hail Mary play.

It's not what Jayden Daniels did for the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

Daniels' 52-yard touchdown to Noah Brown beat the Chicago Bears with no time left and will be remembered for a long time.

The reason we remember the Hail Mary games in NFL history is because they are rare. Daniels' heave instantly became one of the biggest Hail Marys in NFL history because he was one of the few to succeed.

Let's take a trip down memory lane and find out where Daniels might rank compared to Brown.

Doug Flutie and Kordell Stewart

If we're being honest, Doug Flutie's “Hail Mary” is the greatest thing ever and will be hard to beat. In 1984, Flutie miraculously defeated Miami, completing an incredible game to lead Boston College to victory. This was Flutie's Heisman Trophy moment. When “Hail Mary” is mentioned, Flutie is the first name that comes up.

However, if you prefer Kordell Stewart over Michael Westbrook, who beat Colorado over Michigan in 1994, that's reasonable too.

Two great college plays. And if we're honest, they have more endurance than any NFL Hail Mary. So let's keep them in their own category and just compare Daniels' game to the great NFL Hail Marys.

The Pair by Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers was the master of the Hail Mary and even completed one at the end of the first half this season. He has two that one could reasonably argue are the greatest of all time.

In 2015, Rodgers threw a long Hail Mary that Richard Rodgers caught to beat the Detroit Lions on a Thursday night. This play was only possible because the Lions called a facemask penalty that gave Green Bay one last unstopped down. The height and distance on the pass made it a majestic highlight.

In terms of difficulty alone, it's hard to beat the fact that Rodgers was able to tie Jeff Janis in an overtime playoff game at the Arizona Cardinals later that season. It's a ridiculous throw. The only downside is that the game wasn't won, it was tied, and the Packers lost in overtime. But the piece itself is incredible.

Hail Murray

Speaking of difficulty, from Kyler Murray's throw to DeAndre Hopkins' unreal catch between three Buffalo Bills defensive backs in the end zone, 2020's “Hail Murray” is ridiculous. It's probably the best catch ever on a Hail Mary.

Miracle at the Met

Let's go back in time. Needing a win to clinch the NFC Central, the 1980 Minnesota Vikings staged a wild comeback to beat the Cleveland Browns. They scored three straight touchdowns in the fourth quarter and won the game 28-23. The final result, achieved by a 34-yard hook and ladder on the game's second-to-last play, was a Hail Mary that Tommy Kramer threw and which Ahmad Rashad grabbed with one hand.

Win a division title with it? Not bad.

The Browns' first win back is a miracle

This one should be remembered more often. The 1999 expansion Browns were 0-7 in their first season in the NFL. They were losing to the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome when Tim Couch threw a ball high and hoped. And Kevin Johnson answered.

There is no better way to achieve your first victory.

White shoes

Worth mentioning is the Atlanta Falcons' “Hail Mary” from 1983. Billy “White Shoes” Johnson fell down, got back up and had a ball carom right in front of him. He got past the San Francisco 49ers defenders to the goal line and secured the victory. Was he on the ground before he scored? Probably. But there was no repeat and we maintained a lasting highlight.

Jayden Daniels to Noah Brown

We've seen Sunday's incredible highlight by now, but let's relive it. It's a masterstroke, including the fact that Daniels gives his players more than 12 seconds to set up.

Is Jayden the goat to Noah?

Some Hail Marys were not on the list. The Seahawks' fail mary was memorable, but more so because of the official debacle. Some didn't appear in the final piece or weren't long enough to look like real Hail Marys, others were just better. So see you, Roger Staubach, David Garrard, Brett Favre, Rod Smith and the rest of the Hail Mary pitchers and catchers who have wowed us. You're just not at the top of the list.

Daniels' season plays a role in the conversation. If he continues what appears to be a special NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year season, it will be an absolute complement to what happened on Sunday. It will be part of the lore of a great rookie season. Just like Rodgers, Hail Marys holds a special place because he is one of the greatest players of all time.

Daniels to Brown is fresh, but we shouldn't be prisoners of the moment. It's not the greatest. Instead, we'll go with Rashad's one-handed win for the 1980 Vikings as the NFL's greatest Hail Mary, considering how the game was built with a fun trick play, Minnesota's complete comeback that day, and the Hail Mary winning a division title was. However, Rodgers to Rodgers (the longest Hail Mary in NFL history) isn't far behind. That just means Daniels needs to have another, bigger success that can take the top spot.