The Washington Commanders lead the Cleveland Browns 7-3 at halftime of their Week 17 game from FedEx Field.
It was an ugly first half for Washington quarterback Carson Wentz, who was making his first start since Week 6. Wentz’s first passing game was high to running back Jonathan Williams out of the backfield. On his second attempt, Wentz makes a poor decision, throwing into traffic as Cleveland cornerback Denzel Ward picks him off.
The Browns took advantage, coming away with a field goal to give them a 3-0 lead.
Washington moved into Cleveland territory on its second possession, and head coach Ron Rivera decides to go for it on fourth down. However, offensive coordinator Scott Turner removed running back Brian Robinson Jr. from the game and called a pitch play to Williams, which lost yardage.
Washington’s defense again held the Browns.
Unfortunately for the Commanders, their third possession began deep on their side of the field. Facing a third down, Wentz throws deep down the middle of the field into double coverage and is intercepted by Browns safety Grant Delpit.
For the second time in the game, Taylor Heinicke chants were loud at FedEx Field.
The Browns completed a solid drive with a field goal, giving them a 6-0 lead. However, Washington was offsides on the play, and Cleveland took the yardage and decided to go for the touchdown.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson ran the ball and the Washington defensive end Chase Young and safety Darrick Forrest stopped him short at the two-yard line. The Commanders would again begin a drive inside the five-yard line.
How did they respond? With heavy doses of Robinson and Williams. On this drive, Wentz makes his best throw of the day on third-and-17, finding rookie wide receiver Jahan Dotson on a 20-yard reception near midfield.
The Commanders drove all the way to the one-yard line, facing fourth-and-goal. What would Ron Rivera do? Of course, he will go for it. This time, Turner called for a QB sneak, and Wentz dove over the pile to give the Commanders a 7-3 lead, punctuating a 21-play. 96-yard drive that took up over 11 minutes of game time.
Wentz ended the first half by completing six of 10 passes for 62 yards with two interceptions. Tight end Logan Thomas caught three passes for 32 yards, coming away with some critical receptions for first down.
Robinson carried the load with 18 carries for 64 yards in the first half.
The Commanders sacked Watson four times in the first half. The Browns finished the first half with 81 total yards.