Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson committed a fatal error during the dying seconds of Sunday’s loss.
Stevenson learnt the hard way not to count his chickens until they hatch as the Bears suffered an excruciating defeat to the Washington Commanders on a Hail Mary play in Week 8.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams looked to a have locked up the victory in the battle of the 2024 No. 1 and 2 draft picks when he led what appeared to be a 62-yard game-winning drive with 25 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
However, his rival counterpart Jayden Daniels pulled of a miracle in the Windy City as he threw a 52-yard game-winning Hail Mary to Noah Brown with triple zeros on the clock.
It was a devastating blow for the Bears but one player will be suffering with the defeat more than most.
Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was caught off guard during the Commanders’ Hail Mary
Washington unbelievably had to go 76 yards in 25 seconds with one timeout and most fans within the stadium believed the game was over – including Stevenson.
The cornerback was caught taunting Commanders fans near the edge of the endzone as Washington began its Hail Mary attempt.
In fact, he was so confident that he unbelievably had his back turned to the line of scrimmage as Washington snapped the ball.
Caught off guard, Stevenson scrambled into action, getting his hand to the ball only to tip it into the hands of Brown for the 18-15 Washington victory.
Daniels’ 52-yard Hail Mary was the longest game-winning touchdown since the ‘Miami Miracle’ in 2018.
Jayden Daniels threw a 52-yard game-winning Hail Mary to Noah Brown (pictured)
Stevenson got his hand to the ball only to tip it into the hands of Brown for the Washington win
‘We had those plays at the end, and it comes down to that last play,’ Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said of the play.
‘We’ve practiced that play a hundred times since we’ve been here,’ he said. ‘I have to look at what the execution was on that. We have a body on a body, boxing guys out like basketball at the very end. We have one guy that’s the ‘rim,’ that knocks the ball down. We’ve got a back-tip guy that goes behind the pile. I’ve got to look at it, detail it out and make sure we’re better next time.’
The game matched rookie quarterbacks Williams of Chicago, chosen No. 1 out of Southern California, and Daniels, taken No. 2 out of LSU in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Daniels was a game-time decision to play on Sunday after sustaining a rib injury on the Commanders’ first play from scrimmage in a home victory a week earlier against the Carolina Panthers. Daniels, who did not practice until Friday, was 21 of 38 for 326 yards and the score. He also ran eight times for 52 yards.
