Even with No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams, the Chicago Bears find themselves in a familiar spot heading into November: last place in the NFC North.
Unlike the rest of the league’s cellar dwellers, the Bears are still above .500 at 4-3 following one of the biggest gaffes in a last-gasp loss in league history.
The Bears, however, have the league’s toughest remaining schedule, which includes all six games against division opponents — who are a combined 17-5 — and games against the 49ers, Cardinals and Seahawks, all of whom are tied atop the NFC West at 4-4.
The Bears were primed for their fourth consecutive victory when they took a 15-12 lead over the Commanders on Roschon Johnson’s 1-yard TD run and a 2-point conversion with just 25 seconds remaining in their game Sunday at Washington.
Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels, drafted one spot behind Williams and playing through sore ribs, found Zach Ertz for an 11-yard gain and Terry McLaurin for 13 to get the Commanders to midfield and set up a Hail Mary.
Video posted on social media showed Chicago cornerback Tyrique Stevenson pointing toward the stands and raising his arms in the air with his back to the play — he said because he was cheering with Bears fans — when the ball was snapped with 2 seconds left.
When he realized what was happening, Stevenson sprinted toward the middle of the field. Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Stevenson was supposed to block out Noah Brown. And with Daniels scrambling around for nearly 13 seconds while avoiding the three-man rush, Stevenson had plenty of time to recover from his goof-up and complete his assignment.
Instead, Stevenson went up for the pass, which got tipped to Brown wide open in the end zone behind the scrum.
The 52-yard heave was the longest Hail Mary by a rookie quarterback this century and handed the Bears a gut-wrenching 18-15 loss that they may look back on with deepening regret.