The league is in great hands over the next 10-15 years with this dynamic rookie class. Two of them were on the field Sunday night.
The Atlanta Falcons came into Sunday’s game trying to nail down their first playoff spot since 2017 when Matt Ryan was under center. They departed Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland devasted.
The Falcons, sitting at .500 (8-8) fell by six, 30-24 to the Washington Commanders (11-5) in overtime on Sunday Night Football, with Commanders’ rookie sensation quarterback Jayden Daniels hitting veteran tight end Zach Ertz over the middle for a touchdown.
“The fan base waited a long time for this,” Daniels said. “I really can’t put into words how much it means to them and how much it means to me to be able to go out there and lead this franchise and this team to opportunities like that.”
Daniels, who is a lock for Rookie of the Year honors, ran like the wind for a season-high 127 yards, including 42 in overtime, and was surgical with the ball completing 24 of 36 passes for 227 yards and had two touchdown passes to Ertz and another to Olamide Zaccheaus to make the playoffs in his rookie campaign.
“You want to be in these moments,” said veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner, who saw a look in Daniels’ eyes late in the game that foreshadowed another winning performance. “Him getting hit and making big plays, his confidence, his demeanor never changes. You know that he knows he’s going to make a play, and everybody on the sideline and on the field believes he’s going to make a play.”
The Falcons had a double-digit lead, 17-7 at halftime, seemingly in control of the game, and their defense quickly put the Commanders in a precarious position, third-and-22 on their initial drive of the second half. Then, Falcons outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone committed an illegal contact penalty, giving Washington new life and a fresh set of downs, flipping the game upside down.
Embed from Getty ImagesLed by Daniels, the Commanders’ offense methodically wore down the Falcons’ defense. Atlanta’s offense responded back with a game-tying touchdown inside of a minute 40 seconds to play, and after a three-and-out, the Falcons gave kicker Riley Patterson a chance to win it from 56 yards out. But Patterson’s kick, which was straight on, came up short.
In the extra session, the Commanders received the kickoff and marched down the field, bleeding the clock taking over seven minutes. Daniels threw the knockout punch to Ertz on third-and-2 with 2:45 remaining.
In the third quarter alone, Washington ran 25 plays, possessed the rock for 12:53 and gained 145 net yards. Comparably, Atlanta had just three plays over 2:07 and lost one yard.
In time, as the Commanders’ offense grew more confident and the Falcons’ defense became wearier, Washington turned their 10-point halftime deficit into a 24-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
“We just went back to our technique and fundamentals: Keep it simple for stopping the run and keep it on the passing game,” Commanders’ linebacker Frankie Luvu said. “Shout out to the quarterback, man. He threw a couple balls at the end of the game. He’s a hell of a player, man, and pulse of that team and they fought. It’s always a fight with them.”
The Falcons had a chance at the end of regulation and blew it.
“Control what your controllables are,” Atlanta coach Raheem Morris said. “Go out there and win our football game. That’s all we can do. Everything else is out of our control. Those things don’t matter. Thing we got to do is prepare for this football game. Prepare for the Panthers.”
Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who was the 8th pick in the draft, struggled to ride the wave of momentum created by a strong first start in the team’s 34-7 trouncing over the New York Giants last week, until he needed it most.
Penix went 19-for-35 passing for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He converted a few big throws to receiver Drake London, headlined by a 31-yard catch-and-run on fourth-and-11 on the team’s final drive, but also missed a handful of easy passes.
He connected with tight end Kyle Pitts for a 13-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal late in regulation, the first touchdown pass of Penix’s NFL career.
Falcons’ linebackers JD Bertrand and Kaden Elliss each made their own personal history in the first half. Bertrand, a fifth-round rookie, earned his first NFL sack, while Elliss, a sixth-year pro, recorded his first NFL interception.
Receiver London broke the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his professional career with a 14-yard reception from Penix midway through the second quarter.
Falcons: Host Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers next Sunday while scoreboard-watching the Saints’ game at the Buccaneers.
Commanders: Visit Cooper Rush and the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday with the chance to improve their playoff seeding.
