For the third straight week, Washington kept its fans on the edge of their seats as they topped Atlanta 30-24 for the team’s seventh one-possession win of the season.
The victory doesn’t only punch the Commanders’ playoff ticket, but the long-suffering franchise has reached 11 regular season wins for the first time since 1991 (when they won their third and final Super Bowl during the Joe Gibbs era).
And this was after a first half during which they struggled on multiple fronts and on an evening when they wore burgundy jerseys with burgundy pants.
Jayden Daniels once again elevated the roster beyond its capabilities, rushing for 127 yards while throwing for 227 and three touchdowns. And unlike the last five times the team has made the playoffs, Washington enters the final week of the regular season assured of a place in the party.
First Down: Washington may have won, but the Falcons were a clear co-conspirator with their lousy clock management at the end of both halves.
Given 1:53 to work with and their running game resembling a blowtorch through butter (posting 101 yards on 17 first half carries), Coach Raheem Morris declined to call a timeout as the final seconds of the first half ticked away. And instead of having the ability to run another play or two, Atlanta settled for a field goal. A 17-7 deficit at halftime felt a lot more manageable than a 21-7 crater.
Atlanta then doubled down in the fourth quarter, refusing to use either of its two timeouts after getting the ball at their own 19 with 40 seconds to play in regulation. Instead of a more doable distance, the Falcons had Riley Patterson attempt a 56-yard field goal in the waning moments of the final period.
Remember, like personal days, one can’t carry over timeouts to next season (remember to take your personal days before the year ends).
Second Down: Washington’s win plus Green Bay’s loss to Minnesota catapults the Commanders past the Packers into the No. 6 seed of the NFC.
A win over Dallas or a Green Bay loss to Chicago in Week 18 means a Wild Card Round matchup with Tampa Bay or the Los Angeles Rams (LA has a one-game lead), while a loss plus a Packers win means the Burgundy and Gold will get a third matchup with Philadelphia the first playoff weekend.
The no-repeat rule in the NFC East continues as the Eagles wrapped up the division by drilling Dallas (there hasn’t been a repeat winner in the East since Philadelphia won four straight from 2001-04).
And the New York Giants lost their hold on the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by outscoring Indianapolis, while the Colts were one of two teams eliminated this past weekend (Seattle was the other, even though they beat Chicago).
Third Down: Washington moved the chains on 6-13 attempts, with Jayden Daniels completing 7/10 passes with three conversions while scrambling twice for two first downs. Chris Rodriguez Jr. posted the other conversion on his lone third down run of the night.
The top option? Jamison Crowder for quantity (three catches on three targets with one conversion) and Zach Ertz for quality (two catches on two targets for two touchdowns).
Yardage breakdown: 4-4 on third and short, 1-2 when needing four to six yards, 1-7 on third and long. Defensively, the Commanders held the Falcons to 2-10 on the money down.
Flag on the Play: Thirteen penalties for 108 yards! Wow.
And the first three were devastating: an offside on Mike Sainristil that turned a field goal into a touchdown drive, a pass interference that put the ball at the one (Atlanta scored on the next play), and a hold that set up a 1st and 20 (Daniels threw an interception on the next play).
Seven flags were on offense: five holdings and two false starts. Sam Cosmi (two holds plus one false start) and Brandon Coleman (hold and a false start) were repeat offenders while Tyler Biadasz (hold) and K.J. Osborn (hold) each had one infraction.
The four defensive penalties were a pair of pass interferences on Michael Davis, one roughing the passer (Dante Fowler) and one neutral zone infraction (Daron Payne). The two special teams penalties were offsides (Sainristil) on a Falcons field goal attempt and holding (Darrick Forrest) on punt coverage.
Through 16 games the most common penalty has been offensive/special teams holding (20), with false starts (18) a whisker behind. Sam Cosmi’s three flags Sunday give him a team-high 11 on the season.
The most costly penalty Sunday night? Cosmi’s hold in the fourth quarter took a touchdown off the board and saddled Washington with a third and goal from the Atlanta 12. They’d settle for a field goal and give the Falcons a window of opportunity they’d exploit (tying the game on their next possession).
Fourth Down: After appearing on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, it’s back to FOX with the No. 3 team of Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez announcing (the top team of Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady are calling New Orleans-Tampa Bay in the 1 p.m. window as well, taking away more than a few eyeballs).
Meanwhile, each of the networks mourned the death of former CBS/ESPN/NBC host and play-by-play announcer Greg Gumbel.
In a competitive business filled with big egos and catty competitors, the guy first known as “Bryant’s brother” more than held his own in the booth and on the desk, while earning a reputation as a pleasure to work with by everyone he dealt with — from on-air talent to those behind the scenes.
And in an age where “Shouting in Suits” and “Hot Take Central” seems to be the ticket to greatness, Gumbel was a pro’s pro. We were blessed to have 40-plus years of him on the national stage.
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