The Washington Commanders had nothing to lose, and Coach Dan Quinn didn’t hesitate.
When Terry McLaurin hauled in a touchdown pass to cut the Denver Broncos’ lead to one in overtime, Quinn chose to go for the two-point conversion. With his team in a long skid and with a shot at an upset over an opponent that had won eight in a row, why not?
What followed — quarterback Marcus Mariota’s pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage by edge rusher Nik Bonitto — doesn’t change the fact that it was the right call. After all, running back Jeremy McNichols was wide open. Nonetheless, as has been the case seemingly every week this season, things just didn’t go the Commanders’ way.
With the 27-26 loss on “Sunday Night Football,” Washington’s losing streak swelled to seven games.
For the Commanders (3-9) — at least until the closing moments — it was a game in which the defense showed progress and the offense continued to give reason for concern. With Quinn calling plays for the second straight game, defensive tackle Daron Payne returning from suspension and safety Will Harris returning from injured reserve to suit up for the first time since Week 3, the defense was solid against Denver (10-2).
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Washington gave up touchdowns on consecutive Broncos drives at the end of the second quarter and in the third quarter, but the defense regained its composure from there. The Commanders forced four stops in a row in the fourth quarter and gave the offense plenty of chances to take control of the game. The defense faltered when it gave up a 76-yard touchdown drive to start overtime, but that came only after the Commanders’ offense repeatedly dropped the ball.
Far too often, the offense failed to finish promising drives. The Commanders made it into Devner territory on seven of their 10 drives (not counting the kneel down to end the first half) but finished with just 26 points.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s unit had multiple series in which it easily moved the ball against what’s arguably the best defense in the NFL. The Commanders kept the Broncos on edge with zone reads and run-pass options that made them difficult to decipher.
With running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. getting his second consecutive start, the ground game looked good. The passing game was limited without injured starter Jayden Daniels, but tight end Zach Ertz put forth his best performance of the season with 10 catches for 106 yards. In his first game back after aggravating his quadriceps injury in Week 8, Terry McLaurin had a solid outing with seven catches for 96 yards and one touchdown. Even Treylon Burks flashed with an impressive one-handed touchdown grab in the third quarter.
Only one hand necessary
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The first major letdown came on Washington’s second possession of the game. Their defense forced a quick three-and-out and handed the offense excellent field position at the Washington 42-yard line. The Commanders seemed poised to capitalize when McNichols converted a third-and-13 on an improbable 16-yard run.
Two plays later, Mariota took that chance away with some poor decision making. After initially looking to scramble, he attempted a throw while leaping in the air just as defenders made contact. His target was Rodriguez, who had two defenders between him and the football. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw easily picked off the ill-advised pass.
The Broncos turned the interception into only three points, but the miscue also robbed Washington of a scoring opportunity. It was a game-changing moment in what remained a one-score contest until the final whistle.
Another missed chance came with the Commanders facing third and four at the Denver 49-yard line late in the third quarter, trailing 20-14. Before the snap, left tackle Laremy Tunsil committed a false start. Mariota went on to heave an errant pass generally in McLaurin’s direction that fell incomplete.
After coming up with just three points on their first three drives of the fourth quarter, the Commanders put together a clutch 18-play, 71-yard drive to tie the game at the end of regulation. In overtime, however, after a solid drive resulted in a touchdown, the Commanders couldn’t make the game-winning play. Overall, Washington averaged just 4.9 yards per play and failed to find any kind of consistency.
There’s some hope for the Commanders’ offense. McLaurin was on a snap count Sunday, but he should be able to ramp things up from here. Additionally, Daniels (elbow) and wide receiver Noah Brown (groin) could make their returns against the struggling Minnesota Vikings (4-8) next week.
Perhaps improved health is all Washington’s offense is missing. Given that the playoffs are all but out of the question, stringing together those types of positive developments will be the focus for Washington in its final five games.
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