The Washington Commanders may have just turned their season around. Needing a win to pull within a game of .500, Ron Rivera’s team did just that, beating the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, 23-21.
Washington trailed 14-10 at the half but scored 13 points in the second half behind an inspired Taylor Heinecke to pull off the upset, sending the Packers to their third straight defeat.
The Packers didn’t convert a single third down on the day. The last time they did that was Week 6 of the 1999 season.
Green Bay took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter on an Aaron Rodgers touchdown pass to Aaron Jones from four yards out, and the Packers went up 14-3 on a pick-six in the second quarter, but it was all downhill from there.
Green Bay was held to just 232 yards of offense while Washington had a balance it needed to secure a big win. Heinicke went 20-for-33 for 201 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, including a gorgeous 37-yard score to Terry McLaurin early in the third quarter to gain control. McLaurin had 73 yards on five catches, while Curtis Samuel had 53 yards on five catches. Eight different receivers caught a ball from Heinicke on the day.
With the Packers depleted at receiver due to injuries, Washington was able to get pressure all game long, but there were several miscues by the visitors that did them in. From drops to missed assignments, the Packers didn’t do themselves any favors in a gut-wrenching defeat.
Green Bay had nine penalties on the day and also lost a fumble, seeing the ball for just 22:53 of gametime. While the Packers didn’t convert a single third down on the day, they only faced six of them. They were also 0-for-1 on fourth down, failing to convert a key play in the third quarter while driving.
For Washington, Brian Robinson had 73 yards on the ground on 20 carries.
Despite not sacking Rodgers, Washington did apply enough pressure to keep the veteran off his game, leading to one moment where he visible looked at the bench and said, “What are we doing?”
This win means the Commanders have a chance to pull to .500 with a win at the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday.
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