Sorry came easy for Tyrique Stevenson but his Hail Mary gaffe sends the Bears on much rougher road

Even pinch No. 1 wide draught prime Caleb Williams, nan Chicago Bears find themselves successful a acquainted spot heading into November: past spot successful nan NFC North.

Unlike nan remainder of nan league's cellar dwellers, nan Bears are still supra .500 astatine 4-3 pursuing 1 of nan biggest gaffes successful a last-gasp nonaccomplishment successful convention history.

The Bears, however, person nan league's toughest remaining schedule, which includes each six games against section opponents — who are a mixed 17-5 — and games against nan 49ers, Cardinals and Seahawks, each of whom are tied atop nan NFC West astatine 4-4.

The Bears were primed for their 4th consecutive triumph erstwhile they took a 15-12 lead complete nan Commanders connected Roschon Johnson's 1-yard TD tally and a 2-point conversion pinch conscionable 25 seconds remaining successful their crippled Sunday astatine Washington.

Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels, drafted 1 spot down Williams and playing done sore ribs, recovered Zach Ertz for an 11-yard summation and Terry McLaurin for 13 to get nan Commanders to midfield and group up a Hail Mary.

Video posted connected societal media showed Chicago cornerback Tyrique Stevenson pointing toward nan stands and raising his arms successful nan aerial pinch his backmost to nan play — he said because he was cheering pinch Bears fans — erstwhile nan shot was snapped pinch 2 seconds left.

When he realized what was happening, Stevenson sprinted toward nan mediate of nan field. Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Stevenson was expected to artifact retired Noah Brown.

And pinch Daniels scrambling astir for astir 13 seconds while avoiding nan three-man rush, Stevenson had plentifulness of clip to retrieve from his goof-up and complete his assignment.

Instead, Stevenson went up for nan pass, which sewage tipped to Brown wide unfastened successful nan extremity area down nan scrum.

The 52-yard heave was nan longest Hail Mary by a rookie backmost this period and handed nan Bears a gut-wrenching 18-15 loss that they whitethorn look backmost connected pinch deepening regret.

Stevenson posted an apology pursuing nan crippled connected societal media, saying: “To Chicago and teammates my apologies for deficiency of consciousness and attraction …. The crippled ain’t complete until zeros deed nan clock. Can’t return thing for granted. Notes taken, betterment will happen.”

He apologized to his teammates Monday and promised he had learned his lesson: “I fto nan infinitesimal get excessively large and it’s thing that tin ne'er hap again and won’t ever hap again,” Stevenson said.

The blunder whitethorn extremity up haunting nan Bears, who haven't made nan playoffs since 2019. Their only remaining crippled against a losing force is New England (2-6) successful 2 weeks.

The Patriots knocked disconnected nan New York Jets 25-22 Sunday, sending Aaron Rodgers tumbling to his 5th consecutive nonaccomplishment — and nan worst commencement of his 20-year NFL profession astatine 2-6.

As ESPN expert and erstwhile NFL QB Dan Orlovsky noted, teams who people 20 aliases much points without a turnover while holding their force to 250 yards aliases little are 750-1 successful NFL history.

That 1 nonaccomplishment was by nan Jets connected Sunday.

Interim Jets coach Jeff Ulbrich, who fell to 0-3 since taking complete erstwhile Robert Saleh was fired, called nan latest nonaccomplishment “a infinitesimal of darkness,” and Rodgers agreed.

“I’ve been successful nan darkness,” said Rodgers, who famously went connected a four-day acheronian retreat successful 2023 to contemplate his NFL future. “You’ve sewage to spell successful there, make bid pinch it.”

Only 1 different clip has Rodgers mislaid 5 consecutive starts, successful 2022, his past play successful Green Bay earlier joining nan Jets and blowing retired an Achilles tendon connected conscionable his 4th threat past year. Because he started, Rodgers really was credited pinch nan triumph successful that crippled moreover though Zach Wilson went successful and did each nan dense lifting successful a 22-16 triumph complete Buffalo that proved nan item of New York's season.

So, generously, Rodgers' grounds successful New York is 3-6 for a .333 winning percent aft he posted a 158-85-1 people for a .650 winning percent pinch nan Packers.

Peyton Manning really was amended successful Denver (50-15), wherever his .770 winning percent bettered his .660 people successful Indy (150-77).

Brady went 37-20 successful Tampa (.649) aft going 219-64 (.768) successful New England, but, for illustration Manning, he won a Super Bowl connected his 2nd NFL stop, and successful his first twelvemonth isolated from Bill Belichick.

Russell Wilson is 13-19 (.406) since leaving Seattle, wherever he was 113-60-1 (.654). He's 2-0 successful Pittsburgh aft starring nan Steelers past nan Giants 26-18 Monday nighttime to headdress a chaotic Week 8.

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With contributions from AP Sports Writers Stephen Whyno successful Landover, Md., and Andrew Seligman successful Chicago.

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