DANIELS COMPLETES 'HAIL MARY,' THANKS GOD. WHO ELSE?

 Weekend Watch I … with II and III to follow:

Way to go, JAYDEN DANIELS ... way to go. You’re only a 

rookie, having played exactly eight games in the National 

Football League. Now tell me, what can you possibly do for 

an encore after Sunday’s Hail Mary heroics to win a game 

your Washington Commanders seemed destined to let slither 

away?

“Once in a lifetime,” you called it. Can’t get much better 

than that, now can it? I mean, there had been some question 

Daniels would even suit up, much less give another 

performance worthy of player-of-the-year consideration … 

having suffered damage to his ribs a week ago in a beatdown 

of woeful Carolina. But there he was, removing all questions 

about his health … scrambling for a first down and putting a 

move on linebacker T.J. EDWARDS in the process.

The answer, of course, is to do it again and again … and the 

way things have been going for the 2024 second overall 

draft pick out of LSU, who’s to say it can’t/won’t happen? 

Certainly not da Bears, latest victims of the rapidly growing 

Legend of Daniels.

With :02 remaining (officially), the ball on Washington’s 48 

yard line, and Bears’ QB CALEB WILLIAMS, the No. 1 

draftee from Southern California, having stopped – at least 

momentarily – congratulating teammates for a job well done 

to watch the final snap in anticipation of a raucous 

celebration of their own, everyone – I mean, EVERYONE – 

in the house, watching CBS’ coverage on TV or listening to 

the game on radio knew what was coming next.

Seemingly about to help the home team break an NFL-

record streak of 533 games without a shutout – on defense, 

that is – Chicago scored twice in the fourth quarter, the go-

ahead touchdown coming with 23 seconds to go … after 

Williams took advantage of belabored DB BENJAMIN ST. 

JUSTE who, on fourth down, was called for interference on 

a pass into the end zone. A two-point conversion made it 15-

12. “Barring a miracle,” said CBS’ JIM NANTZ, who 

certainly wasn’t expecting one, “this is going to be a 

shocking loss.”

Favored by three points, Washington was 5-2 and leading 

the NFC East. Both losses had been on the road … at Tampa 

Bay, where CURTIS MAYFIELD did something no other 

quarterback has done … and that’s outperform Daniels – no 

argument there … and at Baltimore in a 30-23 barn-burner 

in which Daniels kept pace with veteran Ravens QB

 LAMAR JACKSON. For most of the game Sunday, the 

Commanders’ defense made up for some glitches on offense 

that forced them to settle for four field goals (in five 

attempts) by AUSTIN SEIBERT. 

Daniels had two timely pass completions nullified when 

offensive lineman strayed too far from the line of scrimmage 

… including a 31-yard touchdown collaboration with 

 OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS early in the second half … 

when Daniels twice was forced to burn timeouts (that could 

have proved costly later) for reasons not totally explained by 

CBS analyst TONY ROMO … who could only guess the 

plays from OC CLIFF KINGSBURY were slow getting to 

Daniels, who uncharacteristically showed his displeasure at 

times … especially after a terrible mixup when the ball was 

snapped too soon and almost led to a lost fumble.

Although Daniels was having a typically good day … that 

could have been better without some dropped passes 

including one by veteran tight end ZACH ERTZ in the end 

zone ... he didn’t have a whole lot to smile about … that is 

until the very end when it could be argued both the 

timekeeper and referee CLETE BLAKEMAN helped.

The Commanders began their final possession with a 

mistake by AUSTIN EKLER who elected to return the 

kickoff … and only got as far as the Washington 24 yard line 

… wasting six precious seconds. On first down, Daniels 

threw short for Ertz … but only one second was taken off 

the clock … Blakeman was made aware and ordered the 

clock reset to from :18 to :12 left. “The clock operator really 

likes Washington,” Romo said.

On second and 10, Daniels completed a pass to Ertz for 11 

yards to the 35 … The Commanders took their final timeout 

and, with five … oops it was changed to … six seconds to 

go, Daniels found TERRY McLAURIN who quicklyout of 

bounds near midfield,, setting up the final snap. And, 

da Bears did everything by the book … dropping seven 

defenders deep, with three rushing Daniels and another 

making sure he didn’t get away into the open field … like he 

had any intention of doing so. 

As a result, Washington’s franchise QB had all kinds of time 

without a hand being laid on him … running around, back 

and forth, behind the line of scrimmage for more than 15 

seconds … while the ref ignored two Commanders grabbing

 JACOB MARTIN while another blindsided SEMON 

DEXTER JR.

Finally, the 6-3, sub-200-pound Daniels stopped, rared back 

and threw the ball as far as he could … the ball traveling 

about 60 yards just short of the end zone … where more 

than half-a-dozen bodies came together. The Bears’

 TYRIQUE STEVENSON, who spent most of the day 

trash-talking with Commander receivers and fans alike, 

soared the highest and barely got his hand on the ball … 

deflecting it behind the assembled directly to Washington’s

 NOAH BROWN … who earlier muffed a routine reception 

in Chicago territory … standing in the end zone.

Left alone, all by himself, this time he caught the ball … 

when it counted most. “That is the easiest Hail Mary catch 

you will ever see,” said Romo, former Dallas Cowboys QB 

... without fear of contradiction. 

Final score: 18-15, your Commanders, the team formerly 

known as – and still called by many fans – Redskins. Let the 

celebration begin.

So there was Redskins … err, Commanders’ ... first-year 

coach DAN QUINN running around, giving his best 

impression of the late JIM VALVANO, North Carolina 

State basketball coach, after winning the NCAA tournament 

… except, unlike Jimmy V, Quinn didn’t take long to find 

someone to hug him back.

And there was the obligatory CBS on-field interview with 

Daniels, who did not lose his poise while all around him 

teammates, friends, fans … just aboudt everyone but the 

Bears and their traveling party … were losing theirs. So, 

please tell us, Jayden, how can you explain what we just 

saw? “God,” Daniels said. “Nothing but God … God 

deserves the glory.”

At least that’s as good an explanation as you can find for the 

success … and, uncommon ease … of a Hail Mary. Right? 

Some things are just meant to be.

Until next time ...