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Oct 27, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) reacts after being tackled during the second quarter against the Washington Commanders at Commanders Field. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Washington Commanders' last win over the Bears still 'bothers' their rival QB

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By David Harrison | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Jayden Daniels doesn't want to talk about it, because the Washington Commanders' quarterback says it won't help him and his teammates win on Monday night.

Head coach Dan Quinn said it was a cool moment, perhaps one of the coolest he's been part of and certainly the coolest single play in his first year as the Commanders' leader, but outside of that it has no bearing on his team's Week 6 matchup against the Chicago Bears.

To that end, this version of the Washington roster is not nearly the same as the one that was on the field when the Hail Mary happened last year, but to say it doesn't still have echoes reaching into this week would be, at least somewhat, inaccurate.

Peter Casey-Imagn Images

A Haunting Memory

Because while it isn't on the mind of the Commanders entering Monday night, it still weighs on one player: Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.

"Not going down the rabbit hole of the 'revenge' title or anything like that," Williams said about the play and last year's game. "Obviously, you don't want to lose, especially in that fashion of a Hail Mary... Does it bother me? Yeah. I want to go out there and I want to win every single game that I have... when you go back home... to come out with a win always feels a little bit better when you can do it at home."

Even if he didn't necessarily grow up a fan of the franchise, coming up in the DC area, Williams at least likely had dreams of winning a game in Northwest Stadium, even if it wasn't wearing the hometown colors.

Last year, after the Hail Mary pass from quarterback Jayden Daniels landed in the waiting hands of receiver Noah Brown, he heard the cheers he'd imagined, but they just weren't for him, and they weren't for his team.

And when Williams walks into Northwest Stadium for the second time as an NFL quarterback, that moment and that feeling will be with him. And that is something the Commanders may be able to pile onto through pressure to push the young quarterback into a critical mistake.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

A Tale of Two Mindsets

Helping Williams avoid that emotional pitfall is Chicago head coach Ben Johnson who has his own negative history with Washington, but not the same history.

"You'd have to talk to those guys about it," Johnson said when asked about the Hail Mary, referring to players and coaches who were with the Bears when it happened. "We're a new team and we're just focused on winning this game this week."

A Nightmare Renewed?

That's the right way to go about it, of course. Those aren't wounds from 2025, but memories from 2024. But those memories are real, and they'll be featured at some point and in some way on Monday night, not just on the television screens, but on the big screen inside the stadium.

At that moment, Williams will be transported back to that night, and the nightmare that followed. If Washington has its way, he won't wake up from it until after he once again leaves the DMV with a loss in his carry-on bag.