CLEVELAND — Of all the players who could have had a shot at catching the Bears’ Hail Mary pass as it caromed around the crowded end zone Sunday, it would have meant a ton to receiver Darnell Mooney.
Desperate for a highlight in a dismal season and desperate to bail out the Bears against the Browns, Mooney came maddeningly close to making what would have been the catch of a lifetime for the game-winning touchdown, but the ball bounded away and the Browns won 20-17.
Quarterback Justin Fields launched the ball from the Browns’ 45-yard line, and the Browns swatted it as tight end Cole Kmet jumped. It deflected to Mooney at the front of the end zone as he fell backward toward the goal line, and he tipped it with his right hand to keep it in the air. It bounced into his chest as he rolled backward, but he couldn’t trap it before it rattled out, hit his foot and was intercepted by safety D’Anthony Bell.
THE BROWNS WIN IT 🤯
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 17, 2023
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‘‘I was already falling, so it’s tough,’’ Mooney said. ‘‘It would’ve been crazy. I mean, how many times do you see a Hail Mary work and [the ball] actually fall into being able to make a catch? I wish I could’ve had it.’’
He said he never felt he had control of the ball as he tumbled. And after watching the replay, he said, ‘‘Everybody [on social media] is killing me right now,’’ but it was ‘‘a difficult catch.’’
As the Browns ran off in celebration, Mooney sat in the end zone and imagined an alternate reality. He thought: ‘‘Dang, that would’ve been crazy if that would’ve happened, if I could’ve held on to it. Wow.’’
Mooney has done a lot of dreaming this season. Fields targeted him eight times Sunday, but he caught only two passes for 14 yards. As he nears free agency, he’s having his worst season: 29 catches for 409 yards and one touchdown.
‘‘I’m fine,’’ he said. ‘‘That’s a Hail Mary; it’s nothing targeted for me. . . . I just happened to be the guy in position right there to try to get the ball, but it’s a wild play.’’
The last two seasons have been brutal for Mooney, who topped 1,000 yards in 2021 before coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy arrived.
Eberflus’ only comment on the final play was, ‘‘It’s just about focus and concentration at the very end.’’
