Tag: Falcons at Commanders 2022

Commanders defeat Falcons: some of the numbers

Some of the more interesting numbers from the Commanders’ win over the Falcons including Ron Rivera’s 100th career win.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”8zRlSelBGH-2388770-7498″]

Yes, it was at times ugly.

Yes, Taylor Heinicke raised the concern meter, making some very unfortunate decisions with the ball in his hands.

Yes, the Falcons drove and drove and seemed destined to win.
Yet, there were the Commanders, making a huge play, getting a huge win and leaving us shaking our heads, but at least with smiles on our faces.

When the game had concluded, here are some numbers that jumped out to me:

  • 100 Ron Rivera came into Sunday’s game with a 96-87-1 regular season head coaching record. Including his 3-5 playoff record, Sunday’s heart-stopping 19-13 win over the Falcons gave Rivera 100 total NFL wins as a head coach.
  • 105 Brian Robinson Jr, Sunday accomplished his first NFL 100-yard rushing game. Robinson achieved the feat with his 18 carries.
  • 82 The Commanders led 19-13, but the Falcons drove 82 yards down to the Commanders 2. Montez Sweat then tackled Mariota for a 2-yard loss back to the 4 yard line. Daron Payne then deflected Mariota’s pass, which was then intercepted by Kendall Fuller, preserving the win.
  • 18 This game was such a nail-biter, such an evenly contested game throughout that only 18 yards of offense separated the two teams. The Falcons concluded their day with 167 yards rushing and 165 passing for an offensive total of 332 yards. The Commanders generated 176 rushing, 136 passing (314 total yards).
  • 7 Just seven weeks ago the Commanders were 1-4, fans were already talking about tanking the season, so they could draft high enough to get their future quality quarterback. In these seven weeks, the Commanders are 6-1, running their record to 7-5.
  • 7-5 I know it was ugly. I know Taylor Heinicke really had some bad decisions. But they won and this is the first time the franchise through 12 games has been at least 7-5 since the 2000 team coached by Norv Turner. Unfortunately for Turner, that team lost three of their final four games, finished 8-8 and Turner was fired (at 7-7).

 

Daron Payne and Kendall Fuller rescue Commanders

Thanks to Daron Payne and Kendall Fuller, the Washington Commanders pick up a critical win over the Atlanta Falcons.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”8zRlSelBGH-2388770-7498″]

Daron Payne’s outstretched arm, deflected Marcus Mariota’s pass and Kendall Fuller intercepted it, rescuing the Commanders to a 19-13 win Sunday over the Atlanta Falcons at FedEx Field in Landover.

Joey Slye had missed an extra point wide right, leaving the Commanders up only six points. We all were feeling sick as the Commanders could not stop the Falcons on their final drive. Atlanta had driven 80 yards in nine plays, in an agonizing four minute drive.

On 2nd & Goal from the Washington 4, Mariota looked to the right hash at the goal line, saw Cordarrelle Patterson and threw what he thought would be the winning touchdown pass. Suddenly Payne gave new meaning to “Left hand up”, deflecting Mariota’s pass and Fuller made the diving catch in the end zone, rescuing what looked surely to be an infuriating loss.

On a day when the Commanders defense struggled to get the Falcons running game off of the field, and Taylor Heinicke made several bad decisions with the football, the Commanders won, defeating a Falcons team that was every bit as good as the Commanders.

The Commanders won ugly. But you know what? Since the Joe Gibbs 2.0 years, this team has not been able to win ugly. This team in the last 15 years seemed to always manage to lose games like this.

Today, Payne and Fuller rose to the occasion, made the huge play when the team was in desperate need for someone to rise up and rescue them. And that is just what Payne and Fuller did… they rescued the Commanders, making a great play!

Falcons at Commanders: Playoff implications for BOTH teams

Sunday’s game between Washington and Atlanta has playoff implications for both teams.

Washington’s 23-10 victory at Houston in Week 11 raised the Commanders’ record to 6-5, solely in 8th position where seven teams qualify for the playoffs.

Sunday, the Falcons (5-6) come to FedEx Field. Even a quick glance at their record, instructs Commanders fans that a loss to the Falcons would leave both teams at 6-6. However, the Falcons in this scenario would have the upper hand moving forward, having won the head-to-head meeting.

NFL Week 12 began Thanksgiving Day, and Commanders fans watched closely as the two teams ahead of the Commanders, the Giants and Cowboys, met in Texas. Both came into the game at 7-3, but with Dallas’ 28-20 victory, the Cowboys are now 8-3, and the Giants fall to 7-4.

The Commanders will naturally be tempted to look ahead to a Week 13 contest against the Giants. Yet, they simply cannot afford to make that mistake. The Commanders must control what they can control. They must take care of the task laid before them and defeat the Falcons Sunday.

A Commanders’ win would raise their record to 7-5, narrowing the Giants (7-4) lead over Washington to only one game.

Other Week 12 games related to the Commanders’ playoff chase have Tampa Bay (5-5) at Cleveland (3-7), Seattle (6-4) hosting Las Vegas (3-7), San Franciso (6-4) hosting New Orleans (4-7) and Green Bay (4-7) traveling to Philadelphia (9-1).

The Commanders must realize the Falcons sit alone in 9th place, only one game back and this is a big game for Atlanta. It must also not be overlooked that the two teams met last season.

No doubt, there are many Falcon players who vividly remember Washington won in the last minute when Taylor Heinicke found J.D. McKissic down the right sideline for a 30-yard touchdown, providing Washington the exciting 34-30 win.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbykgy681k112p8 player_id=none image=https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]