But after a quick three-and-out from the Commanders’ offense, the Bears were right back in scoring position eight plays later. A pass interference call on fourth-and-3 kept the drive alive, and Roschon Johnson pounded his way into the end zone to give the Bears the lead for the first time all night. Williams completed a shuffle pass to Cole Kmet on the two-point conversion to give the Bears a three-point lead.
Then came the Hail Mary, which the Commanders players said in the locker room that they had prepared for in practice. So, when Brown learned that it was his assignment to get behind the pile and be there in case the ball came flying his way, he was ready for the moment.
“We have a team full of fighters,” Brown said. “I’m not surprised at all by this happening because I know we don’t give up until the final whistle. It’s just phenomenal effort on all sides. [The] Offense struggled a little bit, defense kept us in the game and offense found a way to pull through at the end.”
Most will only remember the ending, but the players are aware that they have plenty to fix before they take the field at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants. They won, and they’re happy about it, but they also know it didn’t need to come down to an improbable play to save them.
Still, the team is set up for the second half of the season in a way that few predicted it would be during the offseason. The Commanders are four games above .500 and first place in the NFC East. Everything, from a division title to a playoff appearance, is in front of them.
And no, Sunday’s game wasn’t the same dominant performance the Commanders had against the Carolina Panthers, but Brown knows that good teams find ways to win ugly games.
“By no means was it pretty on the offensive side of the ball. Shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties and stuff like that. There’s a lot to clean up, but it’s hard to win in this league, and we’re happy we did.”
