LANDOVER, Md. — The much-anticipated matchup between the quarterbacks chosen first and second in this year’s NFL draft was a so-so affair for almost three quarters before turning into a fantastic finish.
The No. 2 pick, Washington’s Jayden Daniels, turned a solid game into a heroic one when he completed a 52-yard Hail Mary pass to Noah Brown on the final play of the Commanders’ 18-15 win over the Chicago Bears.
Top pick Caleb Williams, who completed just 3-of-8 passes for 33 yards in the first half, led his team on a pair of second-half scoring drives, the latter of which put the Bears ahead 15-12 with 25 seconds left.
That turned out to be enough time for Daniels. After an incompletion, Daniels hit tight end Zach Ertz for 11 yards to the Washington 35-yard line and found Terry McLaurin for 13 yards to the 48.
Daniels took the final snap with two seconds left and rolled right. Under pressure, he rolled back to his left, stopped and threw. The ball was tipped at about the 3-yard line and caught in the end zone by Brown.
“We’re blessed to have (Daniels) leading this team,” Brown said. “The things he can do are special — just even that last play. Keeping his composure, fighting like hell to get the ball off and throwing a hell of a ball.”
Daniels meanwhile, did not see the catch.
“No, not really. I just heard people screaming and our sideline rushing the field. That’s how I knew,” he said. “I was juiced up, for sure. Excited because that’s kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not too many people get to experience stuff like that. That was my first time.”
The game marked the sixth time since the AFL-NFL merger that quarterbacks chosen No. 1 and No. 2 in the same draft faced off as rookies and the matchup could entertain for years to come.
The early favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year, Daniels finished 21-of-38 for 326 yards and a touchdown for the Commanders (6-2). He ran for 52 yards on eight carries. His heroics came after he suffered a rib injury during Washington’s 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers last week. He did not practice until Friday.
Williams helped guide Chicago to three straight impressive wins before the team’s bye. He finished 10-of-24 for 131 yards and ran 10 times for 41 yards in a homecoming game as he grew up in the Washington area.
“The progressions, I thought he got off them a little bit,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “I’ll have to look at it.”
Williams was sacked with 1:11 left in the second quarter, knocking the Bears (4-3) out of field goal range. Chicago did not score until D’Andre Swift’s 56-yard run late in the third quarter.
“I think that’s just us shooting ourselves in the foot and that comes from details and focus in the game, throughout the week,” Williams said of the offense’s struggles. “That comes from myself, I’m included in that for sure. Definitely missed a few passes that I don’t miss typically so, tough, but very encouraging because we stayed in it.”
Williams fumbled an exchange at the 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter that gave Washington the ball, but the Commanders punted. On the next drive, Williams completed two passes for 38 yards and ran for 5 before Roschon Johnson scored from 1 yard out.
–Harvey Valentine, Field Level Media
