Commander Country

Washington Commanders Hot Early, But Cool Down vs. New England Patriots in First Half

The New England Patriots scored 14 unanswered points to take a lead against the Washington Commanders.

Jeremy Brener

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The Washington Commanders are heading into the locker room against the New England Patriots knowing they have to play better. They trail 14-10 against the Pats despite leading 10-0.

The Commanders started off hot in the first two drives, kicking a Joey Slye 37-yard field goal on the team's second drive in the first quarter. Then, after a Patriots punt, the Commanders rallied again to score a touchdown on a 9-yard run from Brian Robinson Jr.

However, the Patriots then began to wake up and get in the game.

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) catches a pass for a touchdown during the first half against the Washington Commanders at Gillette Stadium.
New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) catches a pass for a touchdown during the first half against the Washington Commanders at Gillette Stadium / Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

New England responded with a forced fumble on Robinson on the next Washington possession, which gave the Patriots incredible field position inside the red zone. The Patriots scored on a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mac Jones to tight end Hunter Henry.

After a Commanders punt, the Patriots only needed two plays to score again. Jones found JuJu Smith-Schuster on a 20-yard catch before Rhamondre Stevenson ran the ball 64 yards for a touchdown to take the lead.

The Commanders had an opportunity late to retake the lead and got inside the Patriots 5-yard line. However, a Sam Howell interception inside the red zone crushed their chances of grabbing the lead before the half, giving the Patriots a ton of momentum going into the locker room with the crowd on its side.

The Commanders will have to come into the third quarter with better execution if they want to win the game.

The Patriots will receive the ball when the two teams return to the field for the second half.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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