Commander Country

Broncos Hail Mary Nearly Thwarts Commanders Comeback

The Washington Commanders almost saw their major comeback fall apart against the Denver Broncos.

Kevin Borba

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The Washington Commanders found themselves trailing by as much as 21-3 in their Week 2 road matchup against the Denver Broncos but turned it all the way up in the second half.

After a late surge to close out the first half, the Commanders tied the game up in the third quarter with a Terry McLaurin touchdown. Denver's offense, which was on fire in the first half thanks to Russell Wilson, went cold. They mustered just a field goal until the very last play of the game. With the Commanders going up by as many as 11, a field goal from Will Lutz got Denver within one score but they were low on time.

Something that didn't matter to Wilson and company, as he launched a 50-yard bomb as time expired that was batted around and ended up in the hands of Brandon Johson.

“We were in position and unfortunately the ball bounced the wrong way," coach Ron Rivera said. "We’d love to see it go the other direction and kudos to one of their guys. We’ve just got to understand that we’ve got to get in our box opposition a little bit better.”

Luckily for Washington, the defense may have gotten away with pass interference on Denver's two-point conversion.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson throws the ball against the Washington Commanders.
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson throws the ball against the Washington Commanders / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

At the end of the day, no penalty was called, but Washington's secondary certainly needs to spend a little more time on their prevent defense. 

On the bright side, the offense for the Commanders was looking quite explosive and in good hands of youngster Sam Howell. The second-year quarterback out of North Carolina was able to avoid turning the ball over, which is something that plagued him in Week 1.

He finished the day 27-of-39 for 299 yards and two touchdowns and also showed in the second half that if he's not constantly running for his life he is able to make plays. Howell was sacked three times in the first half to just one in the second.

As for Denver, while they may be frustrated with the no-call at the end, they should be more upset with the fact that Washington outscored them 21-12 in the second half.

This seems to be the mantra for Washington, but a win is a win no matter how ugly or in this case, scary it is.

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Kevin Borba
KEVIN BORBA

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