DENVER — There must be something in the Colorado air that makes comebacks that much sweeter.
The Commanders dug themselves quite a hole early on in Sunday’s game against the Broncos, trailing 21-3 about halfway through the second quarter. From that point, however, Washington’s sleepy defense woke up and Sam Howell led a potent offensive attack to a 35-33 come-from-behind win.
With the win, Washington moves to 2-0 for the first time since 2011.
To best understand the flow of this game, it was all Broncos early. Denver scored touchdowns on their first three offensive possessions. At one point Broncos QB Russell Wilson had 125 passing yards on just three completions.
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. >Sign up here.
Washington looked lost. Right until they weren’t.
The defense turned things around, forcing a fumble and a punt before halftime, then sandwiching that with a forced punt and interception after halftime.
And Howell got hot, too. The second-year QB turned 23 years old on Saturday. On Sunday, he showed that he might be young, but he’s capable as an NFL passer.
Sports
Just before halftime, Howell threw a laser down the right sideline to John Bates for a 35-yard gain that set up a field goal just before time expired. That brought the Commanders deficit within a touchdown, and then early in the third quarter, Howell tied it up with a 30-yard touchdown bomb to Terry McLaurin. The start wide receiver made an excellent play to bring the catch in, out jumping two Broncos defenders on the play.
Just like that, the game was tied, and the momentum switched from Denver to the visiting Washington sideline. It was palpable throughout the Mile High stadium.
That didn’t last long, however, as Ron Rivera elected to try a 59-yard field goal on an ensuing possession. The ball went right and Denver took advantage of the field position, securing a field goal of their own to retake the lead.
Expect much discussion if Rivera should have punted in that situation, pinning the Broncos deep and giving the reinvigorated Commanders pass rush the opportunity to go after Wilson. Alas, Rivera chose the opposite and it backfired.
That decision did not cost Washington the contest though, as Howell would engineer a fourth-quarter scoring drive to take a 28-24 lead, Washington’s first lead of the game. A key play came on a 36-yard screen pass from Howell to Antonio Gibson, a terrific play call from Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
The screen game magic would continue throughout the fourth quarter as Washington expanded its lead to double digits on an eight play, 64 yards touchdown drive that iced the game. On that drive, Howell and Robinson really shined.
The NFL world learned a lot about Washington in the comeback win over Denver. The Commanders won’t quit; they’ve got a real quarterback and a defense that can cause trouble. It won’t always be pretty, but it’s possible that it could be pretty good. For a Washington fanbase undergoing a reawakening, this squad gives them plenty to be excited about.
Enough about the game, here’s the stock report:
Stock Up
Brian Robinson: the second-year running back possibly played his best game in a Commanders uniform. He finished the game with 87 rush yards and another 42 in the pass game, but a late third-quarter 27-yard run really set the tone. He showed both his power and quick feet with a dash of speed to get to the top level of the Broncos defense.
Sam Howell: A strong effort from the second-year passer in his first NFL road start.
Chase Young: After a neck injury forced Young to miss the season opener, the fourth-year pass rusher notched a sack in his first game back. The second-half takedown of Russell Wilson marks Young’s first sack since 2021.
Ron Rivera: Despite a questionable 59-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter, Rivera finally broke through and beat the Broncos. Rivera had been 0-4 in his career against Denver, including a 2016 Super Bowl loss. The win also gets Rivera his 100th win as an NFL head coach, joining some elite company.
Emmanuel Forbes: It was a day of firsts for Washington, and that included the rookie grabbing his first NFL interception. Expect plenty more from the 2023 first-round pick with a nose for the football.
Defensive front: Jon Allen and Daron Payne are playing elite football and deserve accolades seemingly every game.
Rocky Mountain Thunder: Throughout the game, the Broncos sideboards encouraged fans to stop their feet to make more noise. It worked, the place was loud and at various times the whole stadium shook. It was pretty cool.
Eric Beiniemy: The Commanders play caller did a great job in the second half of mixing in screens with the run game to ice away the game. Impressive work.
Stock Down
Cameron Cheeseman: Long snappers aren’t supposed to make headlines, and when they do, it’s generally bad news. That’s the case here, as Cheeseman continues to be suspect for the Commanders. At least two snaps on field goal attempts looked subpar, and Rivera admitted last week to being concerned about Cheeseman’s struggles. This is something to watch.
Cheap shot: Broncos safety Kareem Jackson unloaded with a vicious head shot on Logan Thomas after a touchdown catch.
Charles Leno: The Commanders anchor at left tackle had a rough game, giving up a sack to speed rusher Nik Bonitto and getting called for a few penalties.
