Eberflus: Bears Practiced Jayden’s Hail Mary ‘a Hundred Plays Since We’ve Been Here’

A lack of repetition wasn’t to blame for the Chicago Bears allowing a game-winning Hail Mary to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

“We had those plays at the end, and it comes down to that last play,” head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters after the game. “We’ve practiced that play a hundred times since we’ve been here.

“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.”

You could probably hear the pained shouts of “just knock it down!” coming from every household in Chicago when Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels connected with wide receiver Noah Brown as time expired.

In situations like that, sometimes luck simply isn’t on your side. Daniels’ pass might’ve bounced up and landed harmless on the turf if its initial destination was a few inches in any other direction.

But the Bears’ execution left something to be desired. NBC Sports’ Rodney Harrison and Tony Dungy pointed out where Chicago went wrong with everybody going for the ball and seemingly neglecting their individual roles on the play.

For Bears fans, the Hail Mary is another reason to question whether Eberflus is the right guy for the job. If the players practice something “a hundred times” but can’t do it properly in the game, then that falls on the coaching staff.

Beyond not being executed well, the final play obscures the fact Chicago was second-best for most of the game. Washington gained 481 yards of offense and led 12-0 midway through the third quarter.

As painful as Sunday’s loss was, the fanbase might be willing to trade that for potentially accelerating Eberflus’ exit.