The day started with incredible promise. Fans chanted early and often and for much of the day it seemed like the Washington professional football franchise would return to its former glorious position as titans of the league after the introduction of new ownership.
Well, it took a while, but eventually the fans got plenty to cheer about after a dominant second-half defensive effort and just enough offense for Washington to beat Arizona 20-16.
Kickoff came at 1 p.m. Around 3:15 p.m., the home crowd was booing as the Commanders offense gave up a sack and was forced to punt deep in their own territory.
It was just before the third quarter ended that the Commanders pass rush took over. Cardinals QB Josh Dobbs was sacked on consecutive plays and fumbled the second time, which Commanders Pro Bowl defensive tackle Daron Payne recovered.
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It was the boost Washington needed that reinvigorated the crowd.
Though not particularly sexy, seven plays later Washington QB Sam Howell ran in a six-yard touchdown to give the Commanders a 17-16 fourth quarter lead.
Later in the fourth quarter Montez Sweat continued his quest for world domination with a forced fumble. Washington's offense did not do much with the opportunity but was able to muster a field goal to extend the lead to 20-16.
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The game swung on the play of Sweat and the Commanders defensive line.
Coming into the season many questioned if Washington did enough to bolster its offensive line, and the early results are it did not. Second-year quarterback Sam Howell was sacked six times and pressured throughout the contest.
In the first game for new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, the Commanders run game was almost non-existent. At halftime Howell had thrown the ball twice as much as the team had rush attempts. It also didn't help when running back Antonio Gibson fumbled in the red zone as Washington was working its way towards a score.
And even beyond the poor line play and subpar rushing output, Howell made too many mistakes. He threw an interception after a tipped pass and made the big mistake of fumbling deep in his own territory leading directly to a Cardinals first-half touchdown.
He's a young passer and there will be ups and downs. Howell showed his talents on a first half touchdown when he extended the play, rolling left towards the sideline, allowing running back Brian Robinson to drift with him and then past the ensuing Arizona pass rush. Howell delivered a pretty sidearm throw for the TD.
But even beyond the turnovers, Howell just had some misses and likely was too slow to get rid of the ball on a few occasions.
Coming into the season, most questions were pointed at Washington's offense. Could the line hold up? What will Howell be?
There were not, however, questions about the defense. The Commanders ranked in the Top 10 of most defensive metrics last season and were expected to continue on that trajectory, if not improve.
That group didn't show up in the first half Sunday but flipped the script in the last 30 minutes.
It's a fun day with a good result. Washington is now 1-0 and avoided a disastrous opening loss.
In the big picture, however, the Commanders skated by against a bad team thanks to its defense. Offensively, Washington's unit doesn't look ready to compete in the NFC East.
