Anatomy of a Hail Mary: How Jayden Daniels and the Commanders beat the buzzer

LANDOVER, Md. -- Jayden Daniels' Hail Mary touchdown walk to Noah Brown that gave nan Washington Commanders an 18-15 victory complete nan Chicago Bears connected Sunday was 1 of nan astir memorable finishes to an NFL crippled successful caller history. It went down arsenic a 52-yard completion pinch nan timepiece expired, but successful reality it was a overmuch longer propulsion and a merchandise of hours of preparation.

Here's really it went down.

After failing to people a touchdown each crippled and going 0 for 3 successful nan reddish zone, nan Commanders fell down pinch 25 seconds near connected Roschon Johnson's 1-yard TD tally that came aft a walk interference punishment connected Benjamin St-Juste and nan ensuing 2-point speech that made it 15-12 Bears.

Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards: “Offense did an awesome occupation of scoring and giving america nan lead.”

Commanders moving backmost Brian Robinson: “We knew we shouldn’t person been down. That’s thing that nan full locker room knew. We knew we had different opportunity, arsenic well.”

After a 24-yard kickoff return by Austin Ekeler, location were conscionable 19 seconds connected nan clock.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn: “You don’t person timeouts. We utilized 1 early, obviously.”

An incomplete walk was followed by Daniels uncovering Ertz for an 11-yard summation and Terry McLaurin for 13 to get almost to midfield.

Commanders halfway Tyler Biadasz: “Those plays starring up to nan Hail Mary, those are immense plays.”

McLaurin: “We conscionable wanted to springiness ourselves a chance to put it successful position for Jayden to propulsion nan shot down there.”

Bears coach Matt Eberflus: “You’re defending a touchdown there, and them throwing a shot for 13 yards aliases 10 yards, immoderate it is, really doesn’t matter."

Quinn: “I thought we’d had a chance if we could get up nan section some. And truthful that’s what I was trying to get to.”

McLaurin: “We cognize we had capable clip left. We believe that virtually a fewer times a week successful those situations, got-to-have it situations.”

Commanders correct defender Sam Cosmi: “If you don’t believe it, it’s not going to travel to fruition. If you believe it, past you’ll beryllium fresh for that moment.”

Commanders tight extremity Zach Ertz: "We locomotion done nan play. Never for illustration full-speed reps. Obviously you’re not going to conscionable pain 70-yard sprints successful practice. But we talk astir it. I’m benignant of nan jumper, per se, and past you’ve sewage a receiver successful front, a receiver behind.

Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu: “I was conscionable stepping down conscionable telling guys, ‘Head up, man, it’s not complete yet.'”

There were 2 seconds near connected nan clock.

Daniels: "Buy immoderate clip and don’t propulsion nan shot retired of bounds Try to springiness your guys an opportunity.'"

Brown: “We are a squad afloat of fighters. We don’t springiness up to nan last whistle."

The Bears sent 3 walk rushers, pinch nan remaining 8 defenders dropping into coverage. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson had his backmost to nan statement of scrimmage and was taunting fans erstwhile nan shot was snapped.

Eberflus: “We chose to do nan three-man rush. I deliberation he had nan shot for complete 12 seconds, and I’m not judge what happened backmost location successful position of blocking and getting aft nan quarterback.”

Commanders near defender Nick Allegretti: “It’s chaos. You’re conscionable trying to deed personification successful a different colour jersey, springiness Jayden a changeable to rip nan ball.”

Cosmi: “Two of them went this way, came back, swung astir to nan left. Nick cleaned somebody’s clock.”

McLaurin: “You sewage guys dumping guys connected nan ground. We cognize that’s a beingness play, and you sewage a chance that you tin make a play and alteration nan game.”

Edwards “He’s fast, right? He does a bully occupation of keeping nan play alive. It’s a agelong clip for our guys to beryllium covering worldly for illustration that.”

Quinn: “Jayden did a awesome occupation of buying time, buying time, complete to nan correct side. I don’t cognize really agelong nan play was. ... Thirteen seconds? Yeah, I felt each spot of them.

Commanders halfway Tyler Biadasz: “We conscionable wanted to springiness him time. Jay did a awesome occupation of scrambling astir for illustration he did to get to a stop. Having each nan wideouts and nan tight ends get down there, that’s nan biggest portion for that type of play.”

Brown: “Try and get down location arsenic accelerated arsenic you can, container out, support bully position and dream Jayden tin get nan shot down there. He did a phenomenal occupation keeping nan play alive."

Daniels, playing done a rib injury, heaved nan shot up from nan Washington 35-yard line.

Bears backmost Caleb Williams: “I thought it was going to beryllium a small short."

Daniels: “Let nan guys get down location and get successful benignant of that statement and put immoderate aerial connected nan shot and fto them spell make a play.”

McLaurin: “He has an unbelievable arm.”

Daniels: "Just propulsion nan shot up, springiness my guys a shot. I didn’t spot anything.”

Cosmi: “I conscionable saw him chuck it. I’m conscionable sitting there.”

Allegretti: “What’s nan percent connected those? Not high. And it was for illustration nan cleanable extremity and past conscionable 1 feline opinionated there.”

McLaurin: “Zach had an unbelievable tip. It ran conscionable for illustration we practiced it.”

Eberflus: "The feline that we were boxing retired was (McLaurin), truthful it conscionable depended connected wherever he was.”

Allegretti: “I looked up connected nan surface and saw nan shot get tipped.”

Ertz: “I don’t deliberation I really touched nan ball. I don’t cognize what nan movie says, per se. But I’m taking nan lucky assist, for sure. I cognize I impacted nan play and Noah ended up pinch a touchdown and truthful we won nan crippled and that’s each nan matters.”

Brown: “That happened to beryllium my duty connected nan Hail Mary. We sewage 1 feline successful beforehand and 2 successful nan back, effort and propulsion it up to nan jumper and Zach did a awesome occupation getting a manus connected nan ball, allowing it to get backmost to maine and we made nan play.”

McLaurin: “It felt for illustration it was going successful slow motion, honestly. That shot fell correct into Noah’s arms. I don’t deliberation I’ve seen a Hail Mary autumn that perfectly disconnected of a extremity drill.”

Biadasz: "You’ve sewage to person a small spot of luck. Coach ever talks astir nan shot finds energy, and we were successful nan correct spots astatine nan correct clip and that’s an astonishing infinitesimal you don’t forget.

Cosmi: “I spot nan shot travel down successful Noah’s hands. I conscionable couldn’t judge it. I was like, ‘Is that a achromatic jersey?’ And past conscionable sprinted 60 yards.”

Allegretti: “I sewage a charley equine truthful I was wandering location while nan shot was successful nan aerial and looked up and I was like, ‘Let’s spot what happens.’”

Daniels: "I conscionable heard group screaming and our sideline rushing nan field. That’s really I knew.”

Quinn: “I felt, remainder successful peace, a small for illustration (late NC State hoops coach) Jim Valvano conscionable moving around, not judge what to do and wherever to go.”

Robinson: “I went and jumped successful nan stands and everybody was conscionable excited.”

McLaurin: "In nan large moments, you want to travel done for your team. We were conscionable telling each other, ‘It’s not complete till it’s over.’"

Daniels: “I was juiced up, for sure. Excited because that’s benignant of for illustration a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not excessively galore group get to acquisition worldly for illustration that. That was my first time.”

Allegretti: “I couldn’t judge it. It was disbelief.”

McLaurin: “We made it happen. It wasn’t conscionable 1 guy. But for america to execute that play, it doesn’t hap a lot, I haven’t been portion of a triumph for illustration that successful nan league.”

Quinn: “I consciousness for illustration I’m 6 inches disconnected nan crushed pinch a large hug.”

Bears tight extremity Cole Kmet: “A Hail Mary is simply a Hail Mary. It’s a prayer. You’re conscionable tossing up a prayer. ... When you talk astir losing a crippled disconnected a Hail Mary and you’re trying to hole that, that’s not really a play you want to obsess over. It’s a Hail Mary. It is what it is. The shot virtually conscionable fell their way.”

Eberflus: "We did everything we could astatine nan very end, and we conscionable person to execute better.”

Biadasz: “Every win, you ne'er return 1 for granted, nevertheless it happens.”

Cosmi: “It was for illustration a movie, to beryllium wholly honorable pinch you. To beryllium a portion of that, it’s like, ‘Oh, front-row seats to thing amazing.'"

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