Commanders Survive in New Orleans, Beat Saints 20-19

With the New Orleans Saints about to try a two-point conversion to win the game Sunday, Washington Commanders fans could have been forgiven if they felt they were being tormented by the ghosts of seasons past.

The list of heartbreaking losses over the last 25 years is long. Descriptions of players sitting dejectedly at their lockers talking about “learning how to close games out,” “not letting those slip away,” and “got to figure out how to bounce back” are refrains that have haunted this team for more than a quarter century.

But this is an age of enlightenment for a franchise that last won a Super Bowl in 1991. After playing uninspired but effective football for roughly three and a half quarters, the Commanders did what they had to do to preserve a 20-19 win over New Orleans, improving to 9-5 with three games left in the regular season.

The win marks the first time the Commanders won nine of their first 14 games since 1992. The franchise hasn’t won this many games since 2015. If Washington upsets division-leading Philadelphia next Sunday at Northwest Stadium, it would likely clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2020.

Washington started quickly, driving 56 yards on 12 plays on its first possession and scoring when Jayden Daniels scrambled left from the 16-yard line, slipped, got up, and fired a perfect throw to Terry McLaurin in the end zone for an early 7-0 lead.

Washington’s defense kept first-time starting quarterback Jake Haener on the run the entire first half. The Commanders sacked Haener three times and allowed him to complete just four of ten passes for 49 yards. Rookie Mike Sainristill also intercepted Haener on a pass intended for running back Alvin Kamara.

Washington stretched its lead to 14-0 late in the second quarter when Daniels found McLaurin in the end zone for a second time with less than 6 minutes until halftime.

Washington had three chances to put the game out of reach in the second half but Daniels missed Terry McLaurin on three long passes where he had beaten the defender covering him by at least a step.

New Orleans replaced Haener with Spenser Rattler in the second half. The rookie sparked the Saint’s comeback.

Trailing 17-0, Rattler gave the ball to wide receiver Cedric Wilson. Wilson pulled up and threw a perfect pass to Kamara in the endzone to cut the lead to 17-7.

Leading 20-13 late in the 4th quarter, Washington attempted to put the game away with a 54-yard field goal attempt from Greg Joseph, who was filling in for an injured Zane Gonzales. The ball sailed wide right and set up Rattler to be the hero.

Rattler drove New Orleans 56 yards to the goal line with three seconds left in the game. On the last play of regulation, he hit tight end Foster Moreau in the end zone to cut the lead to 20-19.

Inerm head coach Darren Rizzi wasted no time deciding whether to kick or go for two. He sent the offense back out onto the field.

This time Rattler looked for Juwan Johnson but the ball fell short and the Commanders survived.

This time, the Commanders didn’t let it slip away.