At the end of Thursday’s game between the Commanders and Bears, Chicago had one last shot from the 4-yard line.
Quarterback Justin Fields threw a jump ball to receiver Darnell Mooney on the right side of the end zone. Mooney went up to grab it, but bobbled the ball. He was ruled down at the 1-yard line for a turnover on downs and Washington escaped with a 12-7 victory.
After the game, Mooney lamented the fact that he didn’t secure the ball outright.
“If I just catch the damn ball the first time, we win the game,” Mooney said, via Josh Schrock of NBCSportsChicago.com.
“At that period of time, I’m literally just telling myself, ‘Just please, give me this ball. Give me this ball,’” Mooney added. “I just got to close the game for us. If I want to be that player, I want to be that guy for our team, I got to make that play.”
While Mooney’s bobbled catch was Chicago’s last offensive play, the receiver was far from the Bears’ biggest offensive issue. The team was 0-of-3 in the red zone, with all three possessions netting zero points.
The Bears scored on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Fields to receiver Dante Pettis.
A fifth-round pick in 2020, Mooney caught seven of his 12 targets for 68 yards on Thursday night. He has 17 receptions for 241 yards this season.
