Bear Digest

Chicago Bears' Hail Mary debacle named NFL's Moment of the Year

The Chicago Bears' 2024 season ended in one unforgettable nightmare of a play, and it was named the NFL's Moment of the Year.
Bryan Perez|
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

Some nightmares just never end.

For the Chicago Bears, that nightmare began in Week 8 when Jayden Daniels completed an improbable Hail Mary pass with time expiring to flip Caleb Williams' signature comeback win into a season-ending loss for the Bears.

During Thursday night's 2024 NFL Honors ceremony, it was voted the Next Gen Stats Moment of the Year.

Salt. Wound. Pour.

Yeah, this one's going to sting for a really, really long time. It's sort of like Caleb Williams getting stomped in the 2024 NFL Rookie of the Year voting. The dude barely cracked a fifth-place vote and almost got entirely shut out.

Instead, OROY went to the guy who completed the Hail Mary. Those kicks while Bears fans are down? Yep, they keep coming.

If there was anything good that came from that nightmare, it's that it jumpstarted the end of the Matt Eberflus era. The Bears didn't win another game until the season finale against the Green Bay Packers.

In a way, Bears fans' prayers were answered, too. The Hail Mary turned into Ben Johnson.

Now, with Johnson as head coach and a revamped and revitalized coaching staff supporting Caleb Williams, the 2025 season should have its fair share of moments for the Bears, not at their expense.

—  Enjoy free coverage of the Bears from Chicago Bears on SI  —

More Chicago Bears News:

Published | Modified
Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

Home/News