Bears can't corral Hail Mary on final play, blow fourth-quarter lead in loss to Browns

Published Dec. 17, 2023 7:54 p.m. ET

Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — For a split second, it was all in Darnell Mooney's hands: the ball, a breathtaking win and Chicago's playoff hopes.

They all slipped away.

Mooney couldn't haul in a Hail Mary from Justin Fields on the final play Sunday as the Bears fell 20-17 to the Cleveland Browns, who overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

After the Browns took their first lead on Dustin Hopkins' 34-yard field goal with 32 seconds left, the Bears quickly moved the ball to Cleveland's 45-yard line. On the last play, Fields launched a pass toward the end zone and a pack of players.

When it came down, two Browns defenders tried to bat it away but instead directed it toward Mooney, who was falling onto his back. As he fell, Mooney tipped the ball to himself with his right hand and momentarily cradled it on his chest before it squirted out.

Mooney then kicked the ball with his right foot and it was intercepted by Cleveland safety D'Anthony Bell.

As Cleveland's players celebrated, Mooney sat alone in the end zone with his arms resting on his knees and thinking of what might have been.

“It’s tough and crazy," said Mooney. "How many times do you see that Hail Mary work and actually be able to maybe catch it? It was tough. I wish I could have had it, but it is what it is. You just try to tip and try to catch it.”

After speaking with reporters, Mooney leaned back into his locker as he seemed to replay the near miss.

The Bears (5-9) fell two games back for an NFC wild-card spot with three games left.

While it's easy to focus on Mooney's play, Chicago had other chances to put away the Browns.

The Bears led 17-7 going into the fourth before giving up 13 points in the final 12:27.

Before the collapse, Chicago's defense had played well. The Bears intercepted Cleveland QB Joe Flacco three times, with Tremaine Edmunds returning a pick 45 yards early the third quarter to give the Bears a 14-7 lead.

Chicago was able to put pressure on Flacco as end Montez Sweat, whose arrival from Washington at the trade deadline improved the Bears' defensive front, recorded 2 1/2 sacks.

But the Bears couldn't get a stop when they needed one, and gave up several big pass plays — Amari Cooper's 51-yard TD with 3:08 left was the costliest — while allowing Flacco to throw for 212 yards in the fourth.

“It’s frustrating, kind of letting it slip through our fingers like that,” Sweat said. "There were a lot of missed opportunities. As many plays as we made, we missed a lot more. The margin of error in this league is really thin.

"We can’t really hone in on the highs. We’ve got to focus on the lows.”

Cairo Santos booted a 41-yard field goal to make it 17-7, but Chicago couldn't get anything going on offense in the final 15 minutes. The Bears failed to score on their final six drives, managing just three first downs.

Chicago punted three times in the fourth quarter — 10 overall — when it was imperative to run the clock and keep the Browns' offense off the field.

“It’s simple, we just have to be better and I have to be better,” said Fields, who completed 19 of 40 passes for 166 yards. “We need to get the run game going. I have to be better as the quarterback for this team.”

Fields has played better of late, perhaps re-directing the idea that the Bears — who are in position to earn the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft thanks to a trade with Carolina this spring — should consider other options at quarterback.

“What makes him not the quarterback for the Bears next season?” asked D.J. Moore, who had four catches for 52 yards. “There's what? Two (college) guys. I don't think they're better than Justin.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl