Denver Broncos (9-2) at Washington Commanders (3-8)
Date: Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025
Time: 8:20 p.m. EST
Stadium: Northwest Stadium
Location: Landover, MD
Betting: Washington +6.5, O/U: 43.5 (DraftKing)
With both teams fresh off their bye weeks, primetime football returns to Landover, MD on Sunday night as the Washington Commanders welcome the Denver Broncos, the first matchup between the two teams since Sept. 17, 2023.
Denver holds an 8-7 all-time series lead, though it’s Washington who has won four of the six matchups at home.
The Broncos ruled out a pair of players with tight end Nate Adkins and outside linebacker Jonah Elliss ruled out heading into kickoff, while four others are listed without an official game status despite updated injury designation through the week.
Wide receiver Pat Bryant, inside linebacker Alex Singleton and outside linebacker Jonathan Cooper are among them after being listed as a full participant through the week. But arguably the biggest return expected on Sunday night features cornerback Pat Surtain Jr. after missing the last three games due to a partially torn pectoral muscle, marking the longest he’s been sidelined during his football career.
"We kind of had those two young guys split Pat's role and it's worked out for both guys," Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said this week. "And moving forward it's huge for our team to have those guys play so many meaningful reps. To get Pat back now, we have no worries. Depth is what you have to have to win a championship, and we have that [at cornerback] now."
It's a notable return given Washington is set to return WR Terry McLaurin for just his second game since week three, coming days after the veteran indicated he is looking to play “as much as I can and as much as they’ll allow me to.”
"It's really encouraging to hear from my teammates and coaches that they don't feel like I've missed a step,” he added. “I just have a confidence about myself."
Washington will also be without WR Noah Brown, who did not practice on Friday after being limited on Wednesday and a full participant on Thursday. Defensive end Drake Jackson has been ruled out, while the return of quarterback Jayden Daniels is tabled for at least one more week despite returning to practice on Monday, cementing the third consecutive start for quarterback Marcus Mariota.
But in the end, whether Sunday proves to be the end of a six-game losing streak for the Commanders likely depends on the pass rush battle on both sides of the ball.
For Denver, all eyes will turn to whether the front seven can continue at the historic pace its currently on with already 49 sacks through 11 games, marking the most by an NFL team through 11 games in over a decade. Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury noted the tough matchup looming for rookie OT Josh Conerly, who is set to close the final six games against some of the NFL’s top edge rushers.
“He’s had a bunch of [tough matchups] but that’s life as a rookie in the NFL,” Kingsbury said on Thursday. “And just continued to grow and compete. I’ve been really proud of the physicality and the run game, been proud of the resiliency. He had some tough matchups early, going through that streak of those three guys and came through it and got better each week.”
On the flip side, Washington has generated 25 sacks through 11 games with QB Bo Nix finding success against sub.-500 teams in 2025.
While the secondary may have its hands full defending receivers Cortland Sutton and Troy Franklin with Pat Bryant, expected to return from injury, the X-factor, whether Washington can slow down Denver’s rushing attack is the biggest question mark ahead of Sunday night. Denver averaged over 122 yards per game on the ground with Washington among the worst run defenses in the NFL.