Washington took the lead twice on Sunday night, first a narrow 7-6 lead before halftime, then a 14-13 lead after a breakout play from wide receiver Treylon Burks for his first touchdown with the team.
But it ended in heartbreak again for Commanders fans after falling 27-26 in an overtime loss against Denver, dropping Washington to 3-9 on the season amid a seven-game losing streak.
Washington responded to a quick Denver touchdown to open overtime, with first quarterback Marcus Mariota finding Terry McLaurin for a 20-yard reception. Minutes later, a fourth-down defensive pass interference extended the Commanders’ lead before Deebo Samuel reeled in a 38-yard reception on third down, one play after a touchdown was wiped off the board due to holding. McLaurin would end the drive with a three-yard touchdown off an inside slant, posing the question whether head coach Dan Quinn would play for the win and go for the two-point try or tie and hope for one last defensive stop.
In the end, the two-point try fell short after linebacker Nik Bonitto batted down Marcus Mariota’s pass in the backfield, intended for a wide-open Jeremy McNichols, to finalize the loss.
According to head coach Dan Quinn, there was “no hesitation” in the decision to go for the win.
“That was the strategy all along,” Quinn said postgame. “Obviously, it was a play that we like, got it batted down, but against a man-to-man that’s one that we practice a lot so we liked it. Hate the outcome but like, there was no hesitation though. I knew before the drive started, like, hey, we’re gonna score and we're gonna go for two. Then you're in all four down territory. So it's more strategy in that way.”
The decision also came one season after Quinn and his staff proved themselves as one of the most aggressive teams in the NFL while maintaining efficiency, leading the league with an 87.5% fourth down conversion rate and 45.6% on third. The aggressive mindset has remained part of the Quinn era despite Washington falling to 0-2 in overtime games and 0-4 in one possession games.
“We're gonna be aggressive,” Quinn later added about his philosophy. “I felt that way at the end, for sure, to say, hey, this is - like there was no hesitation. Like this is how we're gonna go attack. Obviously, the first drive you got to get it stop to a field goal and not get the one but they made their plays too. So, like I said, I thought leaving the field, I thought, man, this was two teams going for it. I felt that way. It felt like a battle. I loved the sideline. I love like back and forth, trading punches. Sometimes you take one, sometimes you give them one. And I told the team if do those things and we hit those standards, it's not going to stay like this. And so I like the week of preparation, and we got to go get it done.”
Washington will now travel for the first of two consecutive road games to face Minnesota next Sunday, Dec.7 for a 1 PM kickoff.