Last October, the Washington Commanders pulled off a wild Hail Mary to beat the Chicago Bears as the clock hit zero—a finish that left everyone shook and sent the teams on completely different paths.
The Commanders’ Hail Mary last October sparked Washington’s surge, while the Bears struggled—until rookie Caleb Williams led a last-second 25-24 win, signaling a fresh start under coach Ben Johnson.
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| Jake Moody celebrates with Tory Taylor after kicking the game-winning field goal. |
Rookie QB Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, led the Commanders through the rest of the season like a boss, dropping only three more games and riding that momentum all the way to the NFC Championship.
After that Hail Mary heartbreak, the Bears—helmed by rookie Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick—hit a rough patch, losing nine straight games. The skid was so bad that Chicago fired head coach Matt Eberflus midseason for the first time in franchise history, finishing the year at 5-12.
Fast forward to Monday: Washington and Chicago faced off again, and this time, the script flipped. On a rainy Maryland night, Williams guided the Bears to a 25-24 nail-biter win, nailing the game as the clock ran out.
Bears coach Ben Johnson summed it up perfectly: “It says a lot about our locker room right now. They’re not just believing, but now they’re starting to understand—if this thing is close in the fourth quarter, someone is going to step up and make a play for us.”
He added: “I think these wins, sometimes, can go a longer way for your program than those blowouts do.”
Johnson, who was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions from 2022 to 2024, was hired in part to kickstart Williams’s career after a disappointing rookie season. He was also brought in to change the culture of a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2010.
