Tag: Hail Mary

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.

WATCH: Former Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson might’ve had the play of the year

Wilson had an early play of the year nominee yesterday:

Former Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson has a weird history with Hail Marys.

First, there was the Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins’ buzzer-beating Hail Mary touchdown against the Badgers in 2011.

Now, we add a potential NFL play of the year to the list.

Wilson and the Broncos trailed the Commanders 35-27 with three seconds left in regulation. Denver had the ball at the 50 yard-line, needing a touchdown and two-point conversion to force overtime.

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 3: Wisconsin rises after ugly win

Wilson faced immediate pressure at his own 40-yard-line and heaved the ball into the air, though it would’ve fallen a few yards short of the goal line.

Then chaos happened:

The tough part of the story is the Broncos missed the two-point conversion and lost 35-33, dropping to 0-2 on the season.

Wilson through two weeks has completed 68% of his passes and thrown for 485 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Despite the 0-2 record, he looks much better than he did last year with head coach Sean Payton now roaming the sidelines.

Wilson and the Broncos are back in action next Sunday against the Dolphins.

Twitter reacts to Broncos’ successful Hail Mary and heartbreaking loss

The Broncos pulled off an amazing Hail Mary against the Commanders but a questionable no-call on the ensuring 2-point attempt sealed a loss.

After squandering a 21-3 first-half lead, the Denver Broncos trailed the Washington Commanders 35-27 late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game.

Near midfield, Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson launched a Hail Mary pass that was tipped and eventually caught by wide receiver Brandon Johnson, who stepped into the end zone to make it 35-33.

Denver was then just a two-point conversion away from tying the game at 35-35 and sending it to overtime, but Wilson’s ensuing pass was broken up in the end zone, sealing a loss. Washington’s defensive back made contact with wide receiver Courtland Sutton on the two-point attempt but was not penalized for pass interference.

Here’s a sampling of how Twitter reacted to the Hail Mary pass and the Broncos’ eventual 35-33 loss at home.

Video of Jalen Hurts’ Super Bowl Hail Mary shows the reason why it may have fallen woefully short

This failed Hail Mary from Jalen Hurts makes a LOT more sense now.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts played elite-level football during Super Bowl 57 even though his team didn’t take home the Lombardi Trophy.

His game-ending Hail Mary attempt fell woefully short of reaching the end zone for an Eagles player to have a shot, but a rewind of the play makes the distance issue make much more sense.

On the long attempt, it looked like Hurts got his foot tangled up a bit with Eagles center Jason Kelce as he stepped up in the pocket. That would’ve adjusted his throwing motion just enough to botch the Hail Mary before it even happened.

It’s hard not to feel awful for Hurts after he played such a lights-out game and saw his Super Bowl quest end like this.

Well, that stinks. Unless you’re a major Kansas City Chiefs fan, you probably wanted to hold your breath as Hurts’ pass fell into the red zone for a potential touchdown.

It was a bummer for the way to end, but it makes so much more sense as to why Hurts’ pass didn’t ever stand a chance.