Sam Howell threw for 2 touchdowns and the Washington Commanders rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the Denver Broncos 35-33 on Sunday, holding on after Russell Wilson related with Brandon Johnson on a 50-yard Hail Mary however failed to finish the tying 2-point strive.
Washington cornerback Benjamin St-Juste broke up Wilson’s go to Courtland Sutton on the 2-point conversion try. St-Juste appeared to get away with go interference, however no flag was thrown and the Commanders celebrated the franchise’s first 2-0 begin since 2011 whereas Sutton and his teammates argued vehemently for a foul.
Howell threw for 299 yards on 27-of-39 passing in his first street begin and led Washington to the second-biggest comeback in franchise historical past. Washington overcame a 21-point deficit to beat Detroit on Nov. 4, 1990.
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Curtis Samuel #4 of the Washington Commanders runs the ball in the course of the second quarter towards the Denver Broncos at Empower Subject At Mile Excessive on September 17, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Photos)
The Commanders trailed 21-3 within the second quarter. Brian Robinson Jr. ran for 2 scores throughout a 32-6 scoring outburst earlier than the Broncos made it fascinating on the very finish.
With 2 seconds left and the Broncos trailing 35-27, Wilson heaved a go towards the top zone that was deflected by a scrum of gamers earlier than Johnson snared it for the rating.
The Broncos (0-2) have misplaced back-to-back residence video games for the primary time, not the form of historical past coach Sean Payton hoped to make in his return to the sideline after a yr within the broadcast studio following a extremely profitable 15-year stint in New Orleans, particularly after he criticized predecessor Nathaniel Hackett for doing one of many worst teaching jobs in NFL historical past final yr.
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The Broncos jumped out to their huge lead by scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions for the primary time since Nov. 14, 2010, towards Kansas Metropolis, a recreation they went on to win 49-29.
Payton bought the ball into his younger speedsters’ palms early on, and it paid off with undrafted rookie Jaleel McLaughlin scoring on a 5-yard pitch, rookie receiver Marvin Mims Jr. hauling in a 60-yard landing go and second-year wideout Johnson hauling in a 16-yard rating.
Not one of the three touched the ball once more till Mims bought a handoff halfway by the third quarter with the rating tied at 21.
Russell Wilson #3 of the Denver Broncos scrambles for yards in the course of the fourth quarter towards the Washington Commanders at Empower Subject At Mile Excessive on September 17, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Photos)
Mims had two caches for 113 yards on two targets however wasn’t focused once more and spent a lot of the remainder of the sport on the sideline.
Robinson’s 2-yard TD run with 13:25 left gave Washington its first lead at 28-24 and his second rating, from 15 yards out, made it 35-24 with 7:11 remaining.
The sport turned when Howell threw a 4-yard landing go to Logan Thomas on fourth-and-goal and security Kareem Jackson was ejected for launching himself on the tight finish, who suffered a concussion on the play and did not return. Jackson additionally drew a 15-yard flag within the opener for successful he placed on Raiders receiver Jakobi Meyers.
With the flag transferring the conversion attempt to the 1, Washington went for two and pulled inside 21-11 when Robinson bought the ball previous the airplane. Joey Slye’s 46-yard discipline purpose as the primary half expired made it 21-14.
The Commanders tied it on Terry McLaurin’s 30-yard TD seize on their first drive after halftime.
Brian Robinson Jr. #8 of the Washington Commanders celebrates after scoring a dashing landing in the course of the fourth quarter towards the Denver Broncos at Empower Subject At Mile Excessive on September 17, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Photos)
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INJURIES
Commanders: Thomas did not return after struggling a concussion on his TD. … Broncos: S Delarrin Turner-Yell, who changed Jackson after he was ejected, sustained an undisclosed harm early within the fourth quarter and went to the locker room. He was changed by DB Essang Bassey.
