By STEPHEN WHYNO
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Jayden Daniels connected with Noah Brown on a 52-yard Hail Mary as time expired to give the Washington Commanders an 18-15 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Daniels scrambled for several seconds before heaving the ball from the Commanders 35-yard line. It was deflected about 3 yards short of the goal line and fell into the arms of Brown, who was standing alone in the end zone.
Chicago had taken its first lead with 23 seconds left in the game, going ahead 15-12 on a 1-yard TD run by Roschon Johnson after a pass-interference penalty on the Commanders (6-2). The Bears (4-3) had their winning streak snapped at three after falling behind 12-0 and giving up the Daniels-to-Brown play that sent players and fans in the stands into a frenzy.
The unlikely TD was Daniels’ 21st completion on 38 attempts while playing through a rib injury that left his status uncertain until hours before kickoff. In the NFL’s sixth matchup of rookie quarterbacks taken with the top two picks in the draft, Daniels threw for 326 yards and ran for 52.
The unexpected ending ruined a turnaround for No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams from USC, who engineered a late 62-yard scoring drive after starting the game completing just four of his first 16 passes. Williams finished 10 of 24 for 131 yards, and D’Andre Swift ran for a TD as part of his 129-yard performance.
In this often ragged matchup of dynamic rookies, it was Daniels, taken one spot after Williams in the NFL draft, who came out on top.
