In the nation’s capital, in a game much closer and more exciting than anyone expected, the Denver Broncos kept their winning ways going.
The Broncos took down the Washington Commanders 27-26 in an overtime thriller on Sunday Night Football at Northwest Stadium. Denver put together a five-play, 76-yard touchdown drive to kick off the extra period, and its defense broke up the would-be game-winning two-point attempt.
The Broncos (10-2) have now won nine consecutive games. The Commanders (3-9), meanwhile, dropped their seventh straight.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Denver’s defense, finally at full strength, shows closing ability
The Broncos have boasted one of the NFL’s elite defenses all season, but Sunday marked the return of two of its leaders – All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II, who missed the previous three games with a partially torn pectoral muscle, and veteran linebacker Alex Singleton, who’d been sidelined last week recovering from testicular cancer surgery. The two combined for three pass breakups, a quarterback hit and 10 tackles to help Denver to victory.
It wasn’t a banner day for the Broncos’ defense at large, though, as it gave up 419 yards, the second-most it’s allowed all season. A hurting Commanders team also scored 26 points, the most Denver has given up in a game since Week 7.
But in the biggest moment of the game – Washington’s two-point try for the win – it came through with a pass breakup. It’s plays like that which give the Broncos one of the most feared defenses in the league.
2. Broncos’ offense warrants concern entering December
While the Broncos’ touchdown drive in overtime is certainly worthy of praise, Denver’s offense blew several opportunities down the stretch of regulation to ice the game. It opened the fourth quarter with a terrible interception by Bo Nix, then punted on three consecutive drives.
Denver is in a great position to be a top-two seed in the AFC playoffs, but there’s going to come a time — sooner or later — when the Broncos are going to have to be able to depend on their offense for large lengths of time. And so far this season, outside of a 44-point outburst vs. a pre-trade deadline Cowboys team in Week 8, Denver has shown little in offensive consistency for 60 minutes.
Finding a way to get the run game going would go a long way toward taking pressure off Nix and sustaining drives. The Broncos had just 87 rushing yards against the Commanders, the third straight game they’ve been held under 90 rushing yards.
3. Did the Commanders show the blueprint on slowing down the Broncos’ D?
While it came in a loss, Washington effectively slowed down Denver’s dominant pass rush for notable stretches of time, particularly in the first half.
The Broncos didn’t have a sack, let alone a quarterback hit, on Marcus Mariota through two quarters. The veteran quarterback was able to get the ball out of his hands quickly and some effective runs from tailback Chris Rodriguez Jr. managed to neutralize Denver’s imposing defensive front, which has gotten after everyone this season. The Broncos had entered Week 13 leading the NFL in sacks and pressure rate.
A quick passing game and running the ball well against Denver is easier said than done, though. While Mariota was sacked just twice, Denver finished with six quarterback hits.
4. Treylon Burks with TD catch of the year
Burks, a 2022 first-round pick with the Titans who was drafted to succeed A.J. Brown, joined the Commanders in October in search of a fresh start to his career. On Sunday night, he turned in one of the best touchdown catches you’ll ever see.
The fourth-year receiver corralled a ridiculous one-handed grab near the back corner of the end zone while falling backward, “Mossing” Broncos cornerback Riley Moss in the process. It resembled Odell Beckham Jr.’s iconic sideline catch against the Cowboys in 2014.
The catch marked the second touchdown of Burks’ career, and his first since his rookie season in 2022.
Patrick Smith/Getty Images.
4 ½. What’s next?
The Broncos will finish their two-game road trip next week against the Raiders (2-10) before facing four playoff contenders to wrap up the regular season: the Packers, Jaguars, Chiefs and Chargers.
The Commanders will hit the road for the next couple of weeks — Vikings, then Giants — before three division games to end 2025.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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