The Washington Commanders have an opportunity to begin the season 2-0 on Sunday as they travel to Denver to face the Broncos. It will be a celebratory day in the Mile High City as the Broncos welcome back their Super Bowl XXXII championship team. Several Denver legends will be in attendance, including John Elway.
The Broncos are looking to avoid dropping their first two games under new head coach Sean Payton — both at home. Denver lost a heartbreaker to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1.
Buy Commanders TicketsHow can Washington defeat Denver?
We’ve identified four keys to victory for the Commanders in Week 2.
Harass Russell Wilson
Remember when Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera so badly wanted Russell Wilson that he was willing to part with multiple first-round picks? That seems like a long time ago after Wilson’s horrible 2022 season. Now, he’s looking to get his career back on track under Payton. In Week 1, Wilson completed 27 passes for 177 yards. The game plan was for Wilson to get rid of the ball quickly.
The Commanders harassed Arizona QB Joshua Dobbs all game last week. Now, Washington gets DE Chase Young back. The Commanders need to keep the pressure on Wilson, keeping him in the pocket. If Wilson posts similar numbers as last week, that bodes well for the Commanders.
Eliminate the big plays
The Cardinals didn’t do a lot offensively against the Commanders last week. However, their most successful drives came due to big plays where Washington’s defense was either tricked or out of position. The Broncos have much better skill talent than Arizona. Running back Javonte Williams can break long runs, and the combo of Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton is an excellent pair of wide receivers. The Commanders need to make the Broncos drive the field and, hopefully, get impatient and lead to a turnover or two.
Have better balance
Washington offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was aggressive in the first half last week. In fairness to Bieniemy, had Washington not turned the ball over three times or taken six sacks, the Commanders probably would have won that game by 14 or more points. In the second half, Bieniemy went exclusively with the run. Why? Probably because he knew that would be enough to defeat the punchless Cardinals with the way Washington’s defense was playing. Things will be more difficult against Denver. Fortunately, Bieniemy knows the Broncos well from his time in Kansas City.
For the Commanders to win, Bieniemy should have a more balanced offense against the Broncos to help quarterback Sam Howell. That should, in turn, create more play-action opportunities for Howell in the passing game.
Avoid a special-teams disaster
The Commanders and Broncos game will likely come down to the wire. Interceptions, while you don’t want them, happen. Washington needs to avoid a special-teams debacle, such as another bad Camaron Cheeseman snap. Cheeseman had some issues in training camp. The coaches blew it off, saying he was working on a new grip. Last week, he had another bad snap where punter/holder Tress Way saved him. Ron Rivera acknowledged the snapping situation is a concern. These are the types of mistakes that cost you the game. Washington can’t afford special teams issues.
