There Can Be Singular Moments

Sports Observation

   I’m aware that for the most part, I am known, if I am known at all, as a genre fiction wonk first and foremost. The vast majority of my work here on Substack has been devoted to telling tales of fantasy, horror, and occasionally sci-fi (fairly rare for me), and every now and then, observational pieces on the broader Culture War rampaging across societies in the West. But one facet of my overall personality is my love of a handful of sports, particularly American style football (NFL mostly, but I’m starting to enjoy college ball, and I am a supporter of the spring league upstart UFL, go Battlehawks!). Though I am primarily a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills (the Bills being my hometown team), neither of their most recent performances are what captivated my attention this last Sunday while I was at work; that attention was drawn to the Washington Commanders vs the Chicago Bears contest.

     First little side-bar, yes, I watch football at work. I work at a casino, and the televisions scattered all around the gaming floor have a constant stream of various sporting events on display, so I get my dose of sports while on the clock. It’s a nice little perk when you’re already a fan of the sports world.

     Anyhow, if you have a pulse and are even tangentially interested in football, then chances are good that you’ve already heard or read a decent amount of summary regarding this contest. It was one of those kinds of mid-season games that seems to be playing host to a healthy dose of foreshadowing regarding the remainder of the season, and possibly the playoff stretch. More than anything else, however, it exemplified the importance of remaining disciplined in all phases of the game, from the moment of opening kickoff, to the time the refs blow the whistle and declare the contest ended.

     Let’s first take a look at a summary of what most people were saying on X, Facebook, and other social media whilst the game was taking place- ‘snoozefest’, ‘boring’, and ‘a contest of incompetent offenses’ seemed to be the sentiments that ruled the day regarding this contest. Some, myself included, saw this game instead as a slugfest of defenses who were not willing to give up the ghost, and who would ensure that the game would be remembered as a battle of iron wills as the Bears and Commanders defensive units stood their ground, refusing to budge where in counted.

     For three quarters and some change, the Washington defense showed poise and determination, sprinting to wherever the ball was placed by Chicago’s offensive unit. On the opposite side of the contest, the Bears defense operated through the entirety of the game on the philosophy of “Bend, But Never Break”. Sure, they gave up a few decent chunk plays, allowing the Commanders to get into good enough field position on four occasions to let their kicker put points on the board, and stretch a small, easily-wiped-out lead into a two-possession contest that would require the Bears to do far better than they had most of the afternoon in moving the pigskin.

     But the Commanders’ defense, while swift around the field, actually did Break on at least two drives, allowing the Bears to not only score a pair of touchdowns in the final quarter, but to also use that second one to tack on a successful 2-point conversion. With less than two minutes remaining in the contest, the Bears had effectively said, “Sure, you stuffed us most of the day, but now, even if you get that kicker into position to boot another one through the uprights, the best you can do is play us for an overtime win! Best of luck buddies!”

     And they had good reason to believe this. After all, the Bears defense had been living the method I mentioned before; “Bend, But Never Break”. To any casual observer, and even some more studied ones like myself, it seemed like the Bears had secured for themselves a solid, much-needed mid-season win. With less than a minute now on the clock, Washington took to the field with their offense, a unit that hadn’t been able to get the Bears to give up any breathing room all day. And on that very last play of regulation time, with their kicker being out of reliable range to tie things up and get them into overtime, Jayden Daniels, a starting rookie quarterback, lobbed a Hail Mary floating pass toward the endzone.

     Defenders and receivers alike jumped up to swat at the ball as it came down. It got smacked, though not down into the turf, which would have locked in the Bears win, no. Instead of bending one more time, the Bears’ defense broke, because the ball popped up and forward, into the endzone and the eagerly waiting arms of a Washington receiver, who believed that ball would see its way to him. Sure enough, it did.

     The Bears “Bend, But Never Break” got broken, at the last moment, on a shoestring miracle of a pass from a player who had never seen such a situation in his brief time yet in the league. Major congratulations are due to Daniels, because rather than just accept that nothing was going to happen for him, he scrambled and evaded defenders for nearly thirteen seconds while he looked for some sign of hope down the field. He took a chance, unloaded, and was rewarded.

     For most of my readers, I understand that you might not have any vested interest or care to offer for ‘sportsball’, as so many folks online like to mock. But for those of us who enjoy the modern day parallels of gladiatorial contest and competition, this was a marvelous moment. It proved to us, as moments like this often do, that the staid and traditional wisdom of what has sustained successful competitors throughout history doesn’t always apply; it says to us, “Miracles are real”. It also says to us, “Even when things seem impossible, victory can be snatched from those who would best you, if you do not surrender.” I don’t care if you like sportsball or not, isn’t that a message that we could all stand to embrace now and again?

     Cheers.