The Chicago Bears almost escaped an ugly effort against the Washington Commanders in Week 8 with a victory but a Hail Mary touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels cemented the fact the Bears' coaching staff was exposed on Sunday.
A;FK;JD;KJF;LAKEJFLKJVAL;KEJL;JF;EFJ;LFAKJ
— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
JAYDEN DANIELS HAIL MARY! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/BsQ0Z84Rko
There almost are no words. What's even more comedic about the Bears losing on a Hail Mary touchdown pass was the fact that the CBS announcers, Jim Nantz and Tony Romo, suggested that the Commanders would have been better off letting Marcus Mariota throw the ball instead of Daniels. Daniels was dealing with a rib injury for most of the week but on Sunday, added validation to the idea that he may be the better rookie quarterback when being compared to Caleb Williams.
There often is no true defense of a Hail Mary pass but the defense that the Bears had on the final play of the game certainly wasn't the answer either.
Jayden Daniels held onto the ball for 12.79 seconds on his game-winning 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown to Noah Brown, the first TD pass with a time to throw over 10 seconds in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016).#CHIvsWAS | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/I2mj2wn1hg
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 27, 2024
The fact of the matter is that the Bears elected not to pressure Daniels on the final play of the game. It's a decision that doesn't really make complete sense considering the the rookie quarterback was likely hindered by the rib injury he suffered last week against the Carolina Panthers.
I’ll never understand not bringing pressure on a Hail Mary attempt. The Bears will have their reasons and I still won’t understand it.
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) October 27, 2024
But looking beyond the fact that the Bears didn't pressure Daniels on the Hail Mary touchdown pass, the Commanders' wide receiver who caught the pass, Noah Brown, was in the end zone by himself.
Mully is in disbelief after the Bears' loss: "I got to tell ya — it's supposed to be a lot more difficult to complete a Hail Mary. It is literally a play named after a prayer. The guy was standing there by himself. I don't know how that happens."
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) October 27, 2024
Tune in: https://t.co/6pC174BHJJ pic.twitter.com/O7rJNqoMk6
But, even with a Hail Mary play, there were examples of the Bears' coaching staff not being prepared for the moment.
The defense is so good, coach pretty well and rule #1 for a Hail Mary which is simply having someone in the back of the end zone for the tipped ball and no one was there.
— Bears Nation (@BearsNationCHI) October 27, 2024
Had timeouts they could’ve called before the Hail Mary to recoup and go over the play and they didn’t.
The Bears losing on a Hail Mary stings but the play itself is not something that a fan can be mad at. But, what can be maddening for Bears fans is the fact that Eberflus has another instance where he did not meet the moment. Again, there is no true defense of a Hail Mary, but with the timeouts he had left in his pocket, the opportunity was there for the Bears' defense to be in a better spot to defend against a Hail Mary. Instead, it's another Sunday where the Bears were exposed with Eberflus reminding everyone that he has limitations as a head coach.