LANDOVER, Md. — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has long been known for the Hail Mary he threw for Gonzaga College High School in Washington.

In a showdown of rookie quarterbacks Sunday in Williams’ home territory, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels countered with his own Hail Mary — perhaps the biggest play of his young NFL career.

As the clock ticked to zero at Northwest Stadium, Daniels launched a 52-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Noah Brown. A pack of players tipped the football backward, and Brown came away with the catch and an 18-15 Commanders victory. The Commanders rushed the field to celebrate.

Daniels’ only touchdown of the night erased what would have been Williams’ winning drive.

Bears running back Roschon Johnson took a handoff, lowered his shoulder and powered with a group of teammates across the goal line with 23 seconds to play. A 2-point conversion lifted the Bears to a 15-12 lead.

Williams hit Rome Odunze for a 16-yard pass and Keenan Allen for a 22-yarder on the drive. When Allen drew a pass interference penalty against Commanders cornerback Benjamin St.-Juste in the end zone on fourth-and-3, the Bears got the ball at the 1. Johnson scored on their second try.

But the Commanders didn’t panic, and Daniels completed passes of 11 and 13 yards on the winning drive to get in position for the Hail Mary.

That completed a strong outing for Daniels, who was listed as questionable heading into the game after suffering a rib injury against the Carolina Panthers in Week 7. Daniels missed practice Wednesday and Thursday but recovered to start Sunday — and looked good doing it.

He completed 21-of-38 passes for 326 yards and rushed for 52 yards.

The game was the first back home for Williams, who grew up in Maryland and played in high school in Washington. Football players from his alma mater, Gonzaga, held the American flag during the national anthem.

But it didn’t turn into a happy occasion for the Bears quarterback, who completed 10-of-24 passes for 131 yards. He also rushed for 41 yards.

Coming off a trip to London followed by a bye week, the Bears offense found no rhythm and looked sloppy for much of the game. It didn’t help that they lost left tackle Braxton Jones to a knee injury in the second quarter, turning to rookie Kiran Amegadjie. Left guard Teven Jenkins also left in the fourth quarter with a knee injury.

The Bears didn’t score until late in the third quarter, when D’Andre Swift broke free for a 56-yard touchdown. He weaved around multiple defenders and then sped down the left sideline to cut the Commanders lead to 12-7.

The peak of the offensive troubles came when the Bears had third-and-1 at the 1-yard line. A touchdown would have given them the lead.

Williams attempted to hand off to offensive lineman Doug Kramer, who was lined up at fullback, but the football was fumbled — the fumble credited to Williams — and the Commanders recovered.

The Bears defense came up with a stop on the next drive to allow Williams to lead the drive that could have won the game.

The Bears held the Commanders to three short first-half field goals by kicker Austin Seibert. Seibert added another field goal in the third quarter for a 12-0 lead but missed a 51-yard attempt after Swift’s score.

The defense’s red-zone success in the first half included holding the Commanders after the Bears went for it on fourth-and-1 at their 40. Williams’ pass to DJ Moore went for no gain.

The Bears held up despite the short field, with cornerback Tyrique Stevenson breaking up Daniels’ third-down pass to tight end Zach Ertz in the end zone.

But the Bears couldn’t come away with one final play to seal the win..

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