The Washington Commanders snapped a three-game losing streak with a 24-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.
Quarterback Sam Howell passed for a career-high three touchdowns despite throwing for a career-low 151 yards. Additionally, Howell did not turn the ball over, although he was sacked five times.
Washington’s defense shut down Atlanta’s powerful rushing attack for the most part, but quarterback Desmond Ridder passed for 296 yards. However, the Commanders intercepted Ridder three times, including linebacker Jamin Davis’ game-winner late in the fourth quarter.
Washington improves to 3-3. Here’s everything we know from Sunday’s win.
Final score: Commanders 24, Falcons 16
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| Washington Commanders | 3 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
Why the Commanders won
There are two reasons the Commanders won this game:
- Wide receiver Jamison Crowder’s 61-yard punt return to set up Washington’s first touchdown. The Commanders finally get an explosive play on special teams.
- Desmond Ridder’s three interceptions. Kendall Fuller’s interception set up the Commanders’ only second-half touchdown, and Benjamin St-Juste’s interception in the end zone ended a scoring opportunity for the Falcons. Finally, Jamin Davis picked off Ridder to end the game. Without these turnovers, the outcome is much different.
It was over when....
This game was in question until the end. The Falcons made plenty of head-scratching decisions, from head coach Arthur Smith to Ridder, but still had a chance to win with less than two minutes remaining. Ridder drove Atlanta into Washington territory, but the Falcons had to call their final timeout with around 30 seconds remaining when they failed to get the play in on time.
On the third-down play after the timeout, Ridder looks to running back Bijan Robinson on a slant and linebacker Jamin Davis steps in front of the rookie to pick off the pass and seal the win for the Commanders. Davis’ excellent defensive play ended the game.
Player of the game: DE Casey Toohill
Sam Howell had his first three-touchdown performance of his career, but it was far from his best game. Several defensive players made an impact, as did Crowder on the punt return, but none stands out more than Casey Toohill. The reserve defensive end took advantage of his extra snaps with Montez Sweat out, recording two tackles, two sacks, three QB hits and three QB pressures. Toohill’s sacks were timely, too.
Game notes
- Cody Barton led the Commanders with 14 tackles, including one for loss, but had a critical personal foul on a late hit on Ridder in the fourth quarter.
- Kamren Curl had 11 tackles and he broke up three passes. Curl was everywhere. Sometimes, his impact doesn’t show up in the box score, but his work in coverage was excellent at times.
- Rookie Quan Martin saw his first playing time on defense and made an impact. He hit Ridder on the third-down play, where Barton was penalized. Had Barton held up, Martin had knocked the ball loose from Ridder on the blitz.
- Jahan Dotson did not have a catch, dropping his only target, which would have been a big play down the field. Logan Thomas had only one target, a reception for two yards.
- Terry McLaurin caught six passes for 81 yards.
- The Commanders were outgained 402-193 in total yardage. Atlanta held the football for over 36 minutes.
- The Commanders had 58 total yards in the second half.
Injuries
- DE Montez Sweat injured his thumb in the third quarter and left the game for a bit. He returned later in the fourth quarter.
- DT Daron Payne was injured on a goal-line play in the fourth quarter. It looked serious at the time, but after a timeout, Payne was back on the field.
What's next
The Commanders play their second divisional game next week on the road against the struggling Giants. New York has dominated Washington recently. Can the Commanders finally defeat the Giants?
