Tag: Hail Mary

Russell Wilson defends George Pickens’ Week 12 Hail Mary participation

Steelers QB Russell Wilson defended George Pickens after Week 12, crediting the Browns’ defense instead of placing fault on his teammate.

While there may be a fine line between practice squad players and starters, there appears to be an enormous gap in the opinions of the former and current quarterbacks for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Steelers QB Russell Wilson appears to hold a completely opposite stance to that of former legendary Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger regarding WR George Pickens’ less-than-ideal participation on Week 12’s Hail Mary play, which led to Pittsburgh’s third loss of the season.

While Roethlisberger pulled no punches on his podcast, stating that Pickens drove him “bonkers” during the game, Wilson defended his teammate and number one WR during Wednesday’s media availability. As shown by ESPN reporter Brooke Pryor on social media, Wilson credited the Cleveland Browns’ defense rather than placing any fault on Pickens:

This could be Wilson trying his best to keep his receiver in good spirits, but it is truly inspiring to see the quarterback display impressive qualities of leadership and poise after such a heartbreaking play and loss in Week 12.

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Cleveland photographer brings new life to George Pickens-Greg Newsome altercation

Cleveland.com’s photographer Joshua Gunter provided a close-up look at the altercation between George Pickens and Greg Newsome in Week 12.

For Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens, when it rains, it pours. Much criticism and blame have been placed on the wide receiver—not only for his lack of effort on the final Hail Mary pass from QB Russell Wilson but also for a potential NFL investigation into his fight with Cleveland Browns CB Greg Newsome II.

Just as news surrounding the situation began to die down, an interesting and unique perspective from Cleveland.com sideline photographer Joshua Gunter surfaced, offering an up-close and personal look at the altercation.

While Gunter’s ability to continue taking photos after being caught in the skirmish is admirable, the truly remarkable takeaway is his close-up compilation of what took place between Pickens and Newsome:

The video appears to showcase Pickens’ innocence in the altercation’s aftermath, suggesting that Newsome was holding his helmet down while Pickens was trying to free himself. While Newsome claimed Pickens was a “fake tough guy,” it seems the only “fake” aspect of this altercation was Newsome’s complete blame of Pickens.

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Former Steelers QB offers harsh criticism of WR George Pickens

Ben Roethlisberger calls out George Pickens for his role in the Steelers’ failed Hail Mary, offering tough love on his podcast.

Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, along with much of Steelers Nation, was upset to witness one of the most poorly executed Hail Mary plays in NFL history.

During Big Ben’s podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the former Steelers QB’s mood immediately soured when discussing WR George Pickens and his role in the failed Hail Mary play: “George is fighting with a guy before the ball is even in the air.”

Big Ben continued by offering Pickens some tough love, stating, “I’d like to see George in that situation, get out of your head for a second, like try and make a play first. If you want to fight a dude and do all this at the end of the game, which seems to be like what he’s doing now, if you want to do that at the end when the play’s over, go for it.”

Pickens should take Big Ben’s words to heart, as his immature antics seem to be escalating with each week. Fans can only hope he redeems himself in time for Week 13’s contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Commanders ‘Hail Mary’ is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

More Commanders’ items make their way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After his performance in a Week 3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Daniels completed 21 of 23 (91.2%) passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns in Washington’s road win. The football from his final completion in that game is on display in Canton, Ohio, as he established a new NFL rookie record for single-game completion percentage.

Now, Daniels has another piece of his rookie season on display at the Hall of Fame.

The Commanders defeated the Chicago Bears on a 52-yard Hail Mary to end their Week 8 game when Daniels found wide receiver Noah Brown in the end zone as time expired. It’s the top play of the 2024 NFL season.

On Thursday, the Hall of Fame posted a message revealing that Brown’s gloves and the pylon from the Hail Mary play at Northwest Stadium are now on display in Canton. Daniels and Brown autographed each item.

Daniels is off to one of the greatest starts for a rookie — at any position — in NFL history. He has helped the Commanders to a surprising 7-2 start.

 

Commanders vs. Bears: Best photos from Week 8

We look at some of the best images from the Commanders’ thrilling win over the Bears.

The Washington Commanders defeated the Chicago Bears 18-15 on Sunday in a game that will be remembered for years.

On one hand, it was the first-ever meeting between the top two quarterbacks selected in the 2024 NFL draft: Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. Secondly, everyone will remember Daniels’ 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Noah Brown to give the Commanders the shocking win.

Washington is now 6-2 and remains first in the NFC East. Now, let’s view some of the best photos from an amazing Sunday at Northwest Stadium.

Don’t forget the play before Commanders’ Hail Mary in win vs. Bears

Don’t forget the play before the Commanders’ Hail Mary.

The CBS Sports duo of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo were previewing the final seconds of the Washington Commanders’ Week 8 game against the Chicago Bears. What chance, if any, did the Commanders have of pulling off the win after blowing the lead?

With six seconds remaining in the game, Washington hoped to get two more plays. Romo called for a shorter completion near the sideline. That’s precisely what the Commanders did when Jayden Daniels found Terry McLaurin for a 13-yard gain. The play only took four seconds and put Daniels in a better position for the eventual Hail Mary pass.

Here’s Romo.

Well, we all know what happened next, as Daniels scrambled around before unleashing a pass that went 65 yards through the air off a Bears’ defender’s fingers into the waiting hands of Noah Brown for the Washington win.

It’s easy to remember the Hail Mary pass. It will be talked about for years, and rightfully so. But this likely wouldn’t have happened if Daniels had not completed that pass to McLaurin in only four seconds on the play before.

It’s amazing enough that Daniels put the ball 65 yards in the air with injured ribs. Had Washington been at the 35-yard line, he likely would have made that throw from the 25-30-yard line.

So, Daniels deserves all the praise for the Hail Mary, but don’t forget about the heads-up play just before the final one.

Daniels finished Sunday’s game with a career-high 326 passing yards, and the Commanders are now 6-2.

Bears DB who taunted Commanders’ fans before game-winning TD apologizes

The Bears cornerback apologized to Chicago and his teammates for mistake.

Sunday was a day to forget for Chicago Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson. First, the second-year cornerback was burned by Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin for a 61-yard completion.

Later in the game, Stevenson was penalized for taunting Washington guard Sam Cosmi. Let’s set the scene for you here. Cosmi is 6-foot-6 and 309 pounds, while Stevenson is 6-foot-0 and 200 pounds. Somehow, on the same play, Stevenson made McLaurin so upset that teammates had to get the usually reserved McLaurin off the field.

McLaurin had some choice words for Stevenson.

Stevenson saved the best for last. On the final play, with the Bears leading 15-12 and two seconds on the clock, Stevenson was walking down the field toward the goal line and took time to taunt fans. This was while the play was going on, before rushing to his position, where he tipped the football into the waiting hands of Washington wide receiver Noah Brown to give the Commanders the win.

One X user, Paul Williams, took time to summarize Stevenson’s day with three images:

Afterward, Stevenson chose not to speak to the media, but did take to Twitter to issue an apology.

Good for Stevenson for quickly accepting his mistake. Social media can be an ugly place and while his actions on the field were hurtful to his team, he certainly doesn’t deserve some of the comments he received — or will receive — as a result.

WATCH: Bears DB mocking fans before Commanders’ game-winning touchdown

The same player who tipped the ball into Noah Brown’s hands on the game-winner, was taunting fans just before.

Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson thought the game was over. His team had just taken a 15-12 lead with 25 seconds remaining over the Washington Commanders.

So, when the Commanders were down to their final play, with just two seconds remaining, Stevenson was walking down the field toward the goal line in anticipation of Washington’s final Hail Mary pass. On his way down the field, Stevenson took some time to mock Commanders’ fans. After all, the game was in the bag. Right?

Well, we all know what happened. Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary landed in the arms of wide receiver Noah Brown in the end zone to give the Commanders the 18-15 victory.

The ironic part of this play was that Stevenson tipped the ball into Brown’s hands to secure a Washington win.

Here’s the play.

Unbelievable.

According to Courtney Cronin of ESPN, Stevenson refused to speak to reporters after the game.

Karma.

ESPN aired a montage of Aaron Rodgers’ career Hail Marys right before he threw one in Jets-Bills

Wow.

ESPN must have had a good feeling that New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was going to nail a Hail Mary right before halftime during Monday Night Football.

Right before Rodgers nailed an improbable deep touchdown to Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard to close out the half, the ESPN game broadcast showed a montage of all three of the Rodgers Hail Mary touchdowns he threw while he was with the Green Bay Packers.

It was pretty fascinating to go from past to present as Rodgers landed his fourth-ever Hail Mary touchdown (and his first as a Jet) just a moment later as ESPN provided the perfect preamble for the moment.

Also, here’s the ManningCast‘s reaction to the Hail Mary while you’re with us.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes believes penalty should’ve been called on Hail Mary vs. Packers

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes believes a penalty should’ve been called on hail mary vs. Packers

The Kansas City Chiefs fell short last Sunday against the Green Bay Packers with plenty of controversy at the night’s end. The penalties that weren’t called on multiple offensive possessions are still too obvious to ignore days later.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has usually kept a short memory after a loss as the focus is to prepare for the next team during practice. During his Wednesday press conference, the reigning league Most Valuable Player addressed his feelings on the controversial no-penalty call on his Hail Mary attempt to tight end Travis Kelce.

“Yeah, it’s tough because there’s so many guys that are all in the same area,” Mahomes said. “We talked about [it], and we say, they’re not gonna throw flags, they’re gonna let the guys go out there and play. The one on Trav (was) a little aggressive because the guy [fully] pushed him out of the way. That’s the kind of guy that we want to be in the middle of going up and get the ball. So at some point, there’s got to be a flag, but at the same time, we tell the guys they’re not gonna throw a lot of flags in that situation.”

The Chiefs are moving forward from last Sunday night’s defeat and are focusing on the battle with the Buffalo Bills this Sunday. The sour taste of the loss will be extra motivation at home in front of the many fans of Chiefs Kingdom at Arrowhead Stadium.