Bears' Darnell Mooney on Not Catching Hail Mary vs. Browns: 'It Was Tough'

Chicago Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney had a potential game-winning pass hit his hands in the end zone with no time left on the clock Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.

Had Mooney been able to catch the Hail Mary throw from quarterback Justin Fields, the Bears would have won.

Instead, it bounced off his chest to seal a 20-17 loss.

"I tried to tip it and then hold onto it," Mooney said after the loss, per NBC Sports Chicago's Josh Schrock. "It hit my chest. I was already falling, so it's tough. It would have been crazy, but it's tough. How many times do you see a Hail Mary work and actually fall into— being able to make a catch?"

"It was tough. I wish I could have had it, but it is what it is."

The loss leaves the 5-9 Bears in the basement of the NFC North with only a slim remaining chance of a postseason appearance.

Fields sent the last-second pass toward the end zone from the Browns' 45-yard line.

The ball hit the hands of multiple Browns defenders before reaching Mooney, who was falling onto his back to the turf and unable to corral the pass.

After an interception by Browns safety D'Anthony Bell ended the game, a visibly disappointed Mooney remained sitting in the end zone as the Cleveland players celebrated their win.

"I was just like, 'Dang, that would have been crazy if I could have held onto it,'" Mooney said, per Schrock. "It was like, 'Wow, that was crazy.'

"I just saw it and everybody's killing me for it. But it was a hard catch. Difficult catch."

This is not the first time Mooney has been in the spotlight for not being able to complete a potential game-winning pass from Fields.

In Week 6 of the 2022 season, Mooney bobbled a catch on a fourth-and-goal at the four-yard line with 42 seconds left on the clock. Mooney said then he had lost the lost the ball in the Soldier Field stadium lights, per Schrock.

That miss led to a 12-7 Washington Commanders win and the 2022 Bears' third loss in a row.

Sunday night's loss was similarly demoralizing for the 2023 Bears, who could be headed for a last-place divisional finish and missed postseason for the second consecutive season.

Mooney made two catches for 14 yards in the loss. He entered the game ranked third among Bears receivers with 395 yards through 13 games.