For three quarters, the battle between Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was a defensive struggle. But the fourth quarter was the time for the two young passers to shine.
Williams drove his team down the field on a 10-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a touchdown with 25 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to put the Bears ahead of the Commanders 15-12. And then Daniels used those final 25 seconds to set up one final Hail Mary attempt, used his legs to extend the play, and then chucked it into the end zone where Noah Brown caught a 52-yard touchdown to win the game, 18-15.
Prior to the fourth quarter, Williams was having a dismal game. He completed just four of his first 16 passes and could do nothing against the Commanders’ defense. But at the end of the third quarter Bears running back D’Andre Swift exploded for a 56-yard touchdown run, and then the fourth quarter was all Bears.
The Bears nearly threw the game away when a disastrous attempt at a tribute to Refrigerator Perry resulted in Williams and offensive lineman Doug Kramer botching a handoff and fumbling near the goal line. But the Bears’ defense made a stop, and then Williams led the Bears’ offense down the field.
And then Daniels did his thing, completing a game that saw him pass for 326 yards despite playing through a rib injury.
The win improves the Commanders to 6-2, and they look like real contenders in the NFC East. The loss drops the Bears to 4-3, and they’re struggling to keep pace in the NFC North.
Most importantly, this was a great showcase of two quarterbacks with a great future ahead of them. We’ll see them battling for NFC playoff berths plenty more in the future.