Broncos-Commanders reflection
By: Jake Rajala
The Washington Commanders gave it hell, but they weren’t able to squeeze out a victory against the Denver Broncos. The Commanders tied it in overtime, but attempted a two-point conversion. Sadly, they failed. With that said, I’m going to lay out five things we learned from the contest.
Nik Bonitto
Nik Bonitto played like he was from another planet. He had a key sack and forced fumble. Furthermore, he had the play of the game with the pass deflection at the end of overtime. He started out reeling in countless sacks this season, but has been nowhere to be found as of late. He turned the corner in this game and is proving he still is a leader for this defense.
Marcus Mariota looks like a QB1
On 4th down in overtime, Marcus Mariota somehow evaded a couple of Broncos defenders and threw it to his target, which forced a pass interference on DEN. Mariota finished with 294 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 55 rushing yards, and an interception. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mariota starts Week 1 for a team next season. Just as we witnessed Geno Smith earn the keys to a QB1 spot after being a bust, Mariota could very well do so, too.
TE central
Zach Ertz dropped a touchdown in overtime, but he still had a superb game. He finished with 10 grabs for 106 yards. It was one of his best games as a Commander. On the Broncos side of things, Evan Engram was a nightmare to cover. He recorded six catches for 79 yards. With each defense stingy and out to cover WR1s, the TEs found a way to make an impact.
Scary Terry is back!
Terry McLaurin has been battling injuries. Even before his injuries, he was pedestrian, which scared me (as a fantasy owner of McLaurin). Nonetheless, he really bounced back tonight. He had the OT touchdown and 7 grabs for 96 yards. He was sure handed and reliable, as a true WR1 is.
Treylon Burks
I have to talk about two WRs on Washington.
Treylon Burks was cut in Tennessee and fed with motivation to turn his career around. In the SNF contest, Burks was thrown a ball toward the corner of the endzone, and Burks had the best catch of the season. OBJ showed his respect on social media toward Burks, too. Hopefully, Burks can be a consistent threat in the red zone.
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