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Madhouse in Maryland

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DateOctober 27, 2024
StadiumNorthwest Stadium, Landover, Maryland
Attendance64,704
TV in the United States
NetworkCBS Sports

Madhouse in Maryland,[1][2] also referred to as the Madhouse in Landover,[3] the Miracle in Maryland,[3] The Maryland Miracle,[4] or Hail Noah,[5] refers to an American football play that took place at the end of a National Football League (NFL) regular season game between the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders on October 27, 2024. The play involved a last-second 52-yard Hail Mary pass thrown by Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels that was tipped at the goal line by Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson to wide receiver Noah Brown in the end zone to win the game 18–15.

The play marked the first Hail Mary in the final ten seconds of an NFL game since the Hail Murray play in 2020, with Daniels becoming the second rookie to throw a Hail Mary since 2006.[6] The play was cited as among the best of the 2024 NFL season.[7][8][9][10][11][12]

Background

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Headed into the game, the Washington Commanders held a 5-2 record while the Chicago Bears held a 4-2 record. In Washington's previous game against the Carolina Panthers, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a rib injury requiring backup quarterback Marcus Mariota to take over.[13] His injury status for the next game against the Bears was not established until a few hours before the game's kickoff.[14] The game opened with both teams trading punts, with Washington relying on kicker Austin Seibert to convert three field goals. The Commanders' offense moved the ball but failed to score any touchdowns.[15]

The third quarter had Seibert make a 47-yard field goal to make the score 12-0. The game's momentum changed late in the third quarter when Bears running back D'Andre Swift ran for a 56-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 12-7.[15] The fourth quarter began with a missed 51-yard field goal by Washington. The Bears reached the 1-yard line before a fumbled snap by Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams to backup center Doug Kramer Jr. was recovered by Washington's Jer'Zhan Newton at the goal line.[15][16] With 23 seconds remaining, Bears running back Roschon Johnson scored a 1-yard touchdown with a successful two point conversion to take their first lead of the game at 15-12.[15] According to ESPN's win probability tracker, the Bears held a 97.9% chance following the score.[17]

The play

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With two seconds remaining, Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels scrambled to avoid Bears defenders for 12 seconds before throwing a 52-yard Hail Mary pass. The ball landed into a crowd of players at the goal line and was tipped by Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson to Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown in the end zone, giving the Commanders a 18-15 victory.[7][15][18] Stevenson was taunting the crowd prior during the start of the play.[19]

Game summary

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Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 0 7815
Commanders 6 3 3618

at Northwest Stadium, Landover, Maryland

Game information

Broadcast calls

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TV (CBS)

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Jim Nantz, who called the play for CBS, stated:[1]

"Comes down to one last play and it’s gonna be getting longer by the second. You’re all the way back at the 30-yard-line”. “Now you can step into it. Here comes the Hail Mary with the game on the line… AND THE BALL IS CAUGHT! CAUGHT! IT’S A MIRACLE! IT’S NOAH BROWN! OH MY GOODNESS! THIS TOWN IS GOING CRAZY! IT’S A MADHOUSE IN LANDOVER, MARYLAND!"

— Jim Nantz

Radio

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Washington

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Play-by-play announcer Bram Weinstein and former Washington football players London Fletcher and Logan Paulsen called the game-winning play on the Commanders Radio Network:[3]

“They bring three. Daniels backing up — he’s just going to have to let one fly,” Weinstein said. “Goes to the right side, steps away from the defenders, gives himself some time. Now steps up, fires, heads toward the end zone, it is — CAUGHT! TOUCHDOWN!”

— London Fletcher

Washington Post writer Scott Allen described the three's narration following the play as "Screaming and laughter and indecipherable commentary".[3]

Chicago

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Chicago play-by-play announcer Jeff Joniak called the play for the Bears' radio booth:[20]

Jayden Daniels shifting back, being pressured, Jayden Daniels, being hemmed into the pocket, looking for blockers, looking for something. He's got plenty of time. Launches, deep pass, into the area, the end zone, tipped and it's caught by Noah Brown. He was the tip man, and now this place has gone into Bedlam mode. Washington, with the miracle finish. The break up pass, into the waiting arms of Noah Brown, nobody back there. Crushing loss."

— Jeff Joniak

Significance

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With the game-winning Hail Mary touchdown, the Commanders went up to 6-2 while the Chicago Bears fell to 4-3, becoming last in NFC North standings for the season.[17][19] The game also gave the Commanders their best start to a season since 2008.[21] The play marked the first Hail Mary in the final ten seconds of an NFL game since the Hail Murray play in 2020. In addition, Jayden Daniels became the second rookie to throw a Hail Mary since 2006, when ESPN began to track the play.[6] The lengthy scramble prior to the pass caused the play to become the first touchdown pass with more than 10 seconds to throw since the stat was first tracked by Next Gen Stats in 2016.[7] The Associated Press stated that play caused him to be considered an AP Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite.[14]

In the post-game interview, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus stated in response to the play:

“We had those plays at the end, and it comes down to that last 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.”

Jayden Daniels, speaking after the game, stated that he did not see Noah Brown catch the Hail Mary, learning that the ball was caught only by screaming throughout the stadium and the Washington sideline rushing the field. Washington offensive lineman Sam Cosmi described the play as "like a movie” that he had front-row sets to, while receiver Noah Brown, who caught the Hail Mary, stated that he felt "blessed" to have Daniels as his quarterback and stated that he wouldn't want to replace him with any other.[14]

Several athletes and sports personalities reacted to the play, including Kevin Durant, J. J. Watt,[8] Robert Griffin III, Michael Thomas,[22] Skip Bayless, Danny Parkins, Tom Pelissero, Matthew Berry, Albert Breer, and Adam Schefter.[11] Washington Post writer Scott Allen deemed the play "The greatest play in Northwest Stadium history".[3] Chicago Tribune writer Dan Wiederer described the play as having "Double Doink shock value".[8]

Sports personalities such as Doug Gottlieb and Trey Wingo also issued harsh criticism against the conduct of Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson during the play, believing that his apparent taunting of Commanders fans for several seconds before and during the play prevented him from focusing on the play.[23] Many sports personalities also criticized Bears' play calls such as the attempted hand-off to backup center Doug Kramer Jr. that resulted in a lost fumble at Washington's one-yard line instead of a touchdown.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Keeley, Sean (2024-10-28). "Jim Nantz has epic call on Commanders' Hail Mary touchdown". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  2. ^ "Lions Fans React to Bears Epic Loss to Commanders". Detroit Lions On SI. 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  3. ^ a b c d e Allen, Scott (27 October 2024). "'A madhouse in Landover': Listen to calls of the Commanders' Hail Mary". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  4. ^ "'Holy Shi– Jayden Daniels' — NFL World Loses Their Collective Minds After Daniels Throws Game-Winning Hail Mary Touchdown". Pro Football Network. 27 October 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Reactions to Commanders Last-Second Win over Bears Pouring In". Washington Commanders On SI. 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  6. ^ a b "Jayden Daniels, Commanders leave Bears and fans reeling with Hail Mary". ABC7 Chicago. 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  7. ^ a b c Next Gen Stats (27 October 2024). "Jayden Daniels held onto the ball for 12.79 seconds on his game-winning 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown to Noah Brown, the first TD pass with a time to throw over 10 seconds in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016)". X. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Sugrue, Brendan. "NFL world reacts to the Commanders' unreal Hail Mary TD vs. Bears". Bears Wire. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  9. ^ "Jayden Daniels' Hail Mary beats Caleb Williams and the Bears". Yahoo Sports. 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  10. ^ Thompson, Scott (2024-10-27). "Commanders pull off play of the year with Hail Mary to beat Bears". Fox News. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  11. ^ a b Bachar, Zach. "Jayden Daniels' Hail Mary TD Shocks NFL Fans as Commanders Beat Caleb Williams, Bears". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  12. ^ "Jayden Daniels's Ridiculous Hail Mary Touchdown vs. Bears Had NFL Fans in Awe". SI. 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  13. ^ "Commanders 40-7 Panthers (Oct 20, 2024) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  14. ^ a b c "Jayden Daniels' Hail Mary TD to Noah Brown gives Commanders 18-15 win over Bears". AP News. 2024-10-27. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Commanders 18-15 Bears (Oct 27, 2024) Play-by-Play". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  16. ^ a b "Bears Recreating 'Refrigerator' Perry Play Backfires in Crucial Moment vs. Commanders". SI. 2024-10-27. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  17. ^ a b "Commanders 18-15 Bears (Oct 27, 2024) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  18. ^ Keeley, Sean (2024-10-28). "Jim Nantz has epic call on Commanders' Hail Mary touchdown". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  19. ^ a b "Tyrique Stevenson goes from taunting Commanders fans to tipping Hail Mary pass". NBC Sports. 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  20. ^ "Bears' Radio Call of Jayden Daniels's Stunning Hail Mary Was So Perfectly Sad". SI. 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  21. ^ Gowton, Brandon Lee (2024-10-27). "NFL Playoff Picture: Jayden Daniels Hail Mary prevents Eagles from taking first place in the NFC East standings". Bleeding Green Nation. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  22. ^ "Jayden Daniels's Ridiculous Hail Mary Touchdown vs. Bears Had NFL Fans in Awe". SI. 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  23. ^ Keeley, Sean (2024-10-28). "NFL media react to Tyrique Stevenson's embarrassing Hail Mary snafu". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
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