Madhouse in Maryland

Madhouse in Maryland

Northwest Stadium, the venue of the game, in 2023
Chicago Bears (NFC North) (4–2) Washington Commanders (NFC East) (5–2) 15 18 Head coach: Matt Eberflus Head coach: Dan Quinn
1 2 3 4 Total CHI 0 0 7 8 15 WAS 6 3 3 6 18
Date	October 27, 2024
Kickoff time	4:25 p.m. EDT (UTC-4)
Stadium	Northwest Stadium, Landover, Maryland
Favorite	Commanders by 1
Referee	Clete Blakeman
Attendance	64,704
TV in the United States
Network	CBS
Announcers	Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson

The Madhouse in Maryland,^[1][2][3] also referred to as Hail Maryland,^[4] Miracle in Maryland,^[5] or Hail Noah,^[6] refers to an American football play that took place at the end of a National Football League (NFL) regular season game between the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders on October 27, 2024. The play involved a 52-yard Hail Mary pass thrown by Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels as time expired that was tipped at the goal line by Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson to Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown in the end zone behind a crowd of players to score a walk-off touchdown to win 18–15.

The Madhouse in Maryland marked the first successful Hail Mary in the final ten seconds of an NFL game since the Hail Murray play in 2020, with Daniels becoming the second rookie since 2006 to successfully throw one. The play was cited as among the best of the 2024 NFL season.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} The game was also notable for being the first meeting between quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Daniels, who were respectively selected first and second overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

Headed into the game, the Washington Commanders held a 5–2 record while the Chicago Bears were 4–2. Daniels entered the game with a rib injury he suffered the previous week against the Carolina Panthers, a game completed by backup quarterback Marcus Mariota.^[12] His playing status for the Bears game was not established until a few hours before kickoff.^[13] The game opened with both teams trading punts; Washington then relied on kicker Austin Seibert to convert three field goals.^[14] The third quarter saw Seibert make a 47-yard field goal to make the score 12–0. The game's momentum changed late in the third quarter when Bears running back D'Andre Swift ran for a 56-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 12–7.^[14]

The fourth quarter began with Seibert's 51-yard field goal attempt that was blocked by Gervon Dexter. The Bears reached the 1-yard line before a fumbled handoff by Williams to backup offensive lineman Doug Kramer Jr. was recovered by Commanders defensive tackle Johnny Newton at the goal line.^[14][15] With 23 seconds remaining, Bears running back Roschon Johnson scored a 1-yard touchdown, followed by a successful two point conversion, to give Chicago its first lead of the game at 15–12.^[14] According to ESPN, the Bears had a 97.9% chance to win following the score.^[16]

With two seconds remaining, Daniels scrambled to avoid Bears defenders for nearly 13 seconds before throwing a 52-yard Hail Mary pass. The ball traveled into a crowd of players at the goal line and was tipped by Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson to Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown behind him in the end zone, giving the Commanders an 18–15 victory.^[7][14][17] Stevenson was taunting the crowd prior to the play and had his back turned for a few seconds after it had started.^[18] Some commentators raised concerns about potential uncalled holding by the offensive line.^[19][20]

Jim Nantz, who called the play for CBS, stated:^[1]

Comes down to one last play and it's gonna be... getting longer by the second. You're all the way back at the 30-yard-line. Now you can step into it. Here comes the Hail Mary with the game on the line… And the ball is caught! Caught! It's a miracle! It's Noah Brown! Oh my goodness! This town is going crazy! It's a madhouse in Landover, Maryland!

— Jim Nantz

Commanders play-by-play announcer Bram Weinstein and color commentators London Fletcher and Logan Paulsen called the play for the Commanders' radio broadcast:^[5]

They bring three. Daniels backing up — he's just going to have to let one fly. Goes to the right side, steps away from the defenders, gives himself some time. Now steps up, fires, heads toward the end zone, it is — Caught! Touchdown! Touchdown Washington!

— Bram Weinstein

Washington Post writer Scott Allen described the three's narration following the play as "Screaming and laughter and indecipherable commentary".^[5]

Bears play-by-play announcer Jeff Joniak called the play for the Bears' radio broadcast:^[21]

Jayden Daniels shifting back, being pressured, Jayden Daniels, being hemmed into the pocket, looking for blockers, looking for something. He's got plenty of time. Launches, deep pass, into the area, the end zone, tipped and it's caught by Noah Brown. He was the tip man, and now this place has gone into bedlam mode. Washington, with the miracle finish. The break up pass, into the waiting arms of Noah Brown, nobody back there. Crushing loss.

— Jeff Joniak

With the win, the Commanders improved to 6–2 while the Bears fell to 4–3 and into last place in the NFC North standings.^[16][18] The game also gave the Commanders their best start to a season since 2008, when they were known as the Washington Redskins.^[22] In addition, Daniels became the second rookie to throw a successful Hail Mary since 2006, when ESPN began to track the play.^[23] The lengthy scramble prior to the pass caused the play to become the first touchdown play longer than 10 seconds since the stat was first tracked by Next Gen Stats in 2016.^[7] In the post-game interview, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus stated:

"We had those plays at the end, and it comes down to that last play. We've practiced that play a hundred times since we've been here," he said. "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."

Daniels, speaking after the game, stated that he did not see Brown catch the pass and found out only after the crowd's reaction and the Commanders' sideline rushing the field. Washington offensive lineman Sam Cosmi described the play as "like a movie", while Brown stated that he felt "blessed" to have Daniels as his quarterback and that he would not want to play him with any other.^[13] Several athletes and sports personalities reacted to the play, including Kevin Durant, J. J. Watt,^[8] Robert Griffin III, Michael Thomas,^[24] Skip Bayless, Danny Parkins, Tom Pelissero, Matthew Berry, Albert Breer, and Adam Schefter.^[25] Washington Post writer Scott Allen deemed the play as the greatest in Northwest Stadium history.^[5] Chicago Tribune writer Dan Wiederer described the play as having "Double Doink shock value".^[8]

The conduct of Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who was observed taunting Commanders fans in the crowd for several seconds before and during the start of the play, was criticized.^[26] Stevenson later apologized, stating that he "let the moment get too big".^[27] Many also criticized the Bears' play calls such as the attempted hand-off to backup offensive lineman Doug Kramer Jr. that resulted in a lost fumble at Washington's one-yard line earlier in the 4th quarter.^[15] According to the Redskins Rule, the Commanders' win would traditionally have indicated a win for Kamala Harris of the incumbent Democratic party in the 2024 United States presidential election.^[28] However, Republican nominee Donald Trump won the electoral and popular votes.

• List of Hail Mary passes
• List of nicknamed NFL games and plays

• Video of the play on YouTube
• Pro Football Reference game profile