Bears WR Kevin White nearly becomes hero with Hail Mary catch vs. Patriots

It was the best catch of Kevin White’s career, and the maligned Bears receiver tried to give it to teammate Taylor Gabriel in a wild flurry.

“There was just nowhere I could go to pitch it,” White said.

It was all part of White’s desperate attempt to score as time expired in the Bears’ 38-31 loss against the Patriots on Sunday at Soldier Field.

White caught the 54-yard Hail Mary from quarterback Mitch Trubisky at the Patriots’ 2-yard line and turned to the 1, only to be met by four Patriots defenders.

Did White think he had a chance to score?

“For a second I did, until I felt a bunch of guys, then I kind of knew it was over,” White said. “But I just tried to stretch the ball, and I actually tried to hand it to [Gabriel], but there was no time left.”

It was the longest catch in White’s injury-plagued career. It also was his second catch in the fourth quarter after not getting targeted once by Trubisky in the first five games.

“It definitely felt good [to get involved],” said White, who also was thrown a jump ball on the goal line in the second quarter. “It was a long time coming, but I just have to stay ready.”

But after being used primarily as a blocker this season, making a leaping 54-yard reception still felt “real good,” White said.

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Finding playing time has been difficult for White, the Bears’ 2015 first-round pick, especially after the arrivals of Gabriel, Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller. But special-teams player Josh Bellamy also has had more opportunities than White this season on offense, including four more targets Sunday.

“[The catch] kind of quiets the noise and shows everyone that I’m the same guy, even better; that I can make the big-time plays,” White said. “I just got to stay focused and control what I can control.”

On Sunday, that was going up and grabbing a Hail Mary from Trubisky, who got his long pass off despite pressure.

“I just tried to fight and get in, tried to change the game, make a big-time play,” White said. “If I had a Kyle Long or one of the linemen to push me in, it would have been a different game.”