“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
So begins one of the most famous novels of all time, “A Tale of Two Cities“ by Charles Dickens.
Two hours ago, it was the worst of times for the Washington Commanders, trailing the Denver Broncos 21-3 in the first half.
Minutes ago, Washington had held on to defeat the Denver Broncos in Denver 35-33.
How bad was it? When the Broncos led 21-3, Commanders quarterback Sam Howell seemed flustered on the next Washington possession, forcing what was nearly and should have been an interception.
At that point, Denver had 211 yards of offense and the Commanders only 89. The defense was a step slow on nearly every play, as the Broncos were averaging 12.4 yards per play. While Washington was averaging a mere 3.8 a play.
How ugly was this going to get?
The turning point came when Jamin Davis caused Russell Wilson to fumble, and Cody Barton recovered.
The Commanders drove 49 yards and scored when Howell found Logan Thomas on 4th & Goal from the 4. Brian Robinson’s run for two points was good, and it was 21-11.
The defense forced a punt, and the Commanders drove 46 yards and Joey Slye’s field goal as the half expired made it 21-14. The Commanders were back in the game.
Howell found Terry McLaurin from 30 yards, and the Commanders had tied it at 21-21.
Sam Howell to Terry McLaurin Passing TD (3/1) pic.twitter.com/S5DQpCO2lh
— NFL TD Videos (@NFLTDVideos2023) September 17, 2023
Following a Broncos field goal, Washington drove 75 yards for a 28-24 lead. Key plays of the drive were a 27-yard Brian Robinson run and a 36-yard screen pass to Antonio Gibson, with Saahdiq Charles making a key block for Gibson.
A 21-yard screen pass to Robinson and then a 15-yard Robinson run increased Washington’s lead to 35-24.
Montez Sweat and Chase Young made a huge sack on Wilson, forcing a field goal by Denver, and it was 35-27.
The Broncos completed a Hail Mary pass that bounced a couple of times on the game’s last play to narrow the Commanders’ lead to 35-33. But Benjamin St-Juste deflected Wilson’s pass on the two-point attempt, saving the day for the Commanders.
It was a tale of two games, and Washington got the win.