There are crazy rides, there are wild rides, and then there’s what happened to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
On back-to-back passes, new quarterback Carson Wentz threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter, essentially giving away a win for the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars.
But then Carson Wentz threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to get the Commanders back on the hunt and eventually win the game.
If this is going to be the Carson Wentz experience in Washington, buckle up.
The Commanders made their regular season debut and for the first 30 minutes, FedEx Field rocked with happy fans cheering for their favorite team.
Then the second half happened.
Washington led 14-3 at halftime but eventually trailed 22-14 with about 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Ron Rivera’s defense suddenly seemed unable to get stops, and a Carson Wentz threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter that gave the Jaguars perfect field position to take over.
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In the end, Washington’s defense intercepted Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence, and Wentz took a knee for his first win as Commander Carson.
top up:
- Jahan Dotson – It didn’t take the rookie long to make a big impression, catching two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the game winner, with 1:46 left. A smaller wideout with long arms, he runs clean distances and catches everything. Quite a day for the first round, which some draft analysts felt was too high. You were wrong.
- Curtis Samuel- His first season in Washington was poor, marked by injuries and poor performance. His second season in Washington started with a bang as he rushed for 72 total yards and his first-ever touchdown in a Commanders uniform. Samuel looked great and made the defenders look stupid as they tried to attack him but ended up with nothing but air. Fast and fast there’s a difference, Samuel also showed real courage with some impressive catches in traffic.
- daron payne The fifth-year pro looked tough all afternoon, grabbing a sack of Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence in the fourth quarter. Payne had to face former Washington All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff for most of the day and it was a fight the football gods would surely enjoy.
- Terry McLaurin – The newly crowned team captain made up for the lack of volume with a gigantic move. With the stands quiet and the sideline depressed after two Wentz interceptions, McLaurin opened deep and pulled in a 49-yard touchdown. Without that, the commanders have no chance of winning the game.
- Antonio Gibson- There was much talk about the third-year runner’s departure, but with rookie RB Brian Robinson Jr. on the Non-Football Injured List, Gibson proved he can still move the unit. He finished with 130 yards from scrimmage and showed good hands to run inside.
- Darrick Forrest Sophomore safety was put into action when Kam Curl was out with a thumb injury and Forrest made a big step forward. He finished with four tackles and Lawrence’s game-winning interception. He missed a lot of time as a rookie but showed on Sunday how he can impress.
- Good Carson Wentz – The new QB was electric on his deep touchdown shots and it’s a big day when the passer goes 313 yards on four touchdowns. There were absolutely some gems from Wentz on Sunday.
camp below
- Inner Offensive Line – Injuries were piling up, but the center of the commander’s offensive line looks like trouble. The team lost Scherff in the offseason and brought in two veterans as reinforcements.
- secondary – As the Jags got hot in the second half, it seemed like their receivers were running wide open in bottom field. Christian Kirk finished for 117 yards and dismembered Washington defenders.
- Bad Carson Wentz – Indy and Philly’s conversation was that Washington’s new QB was inconsistent and a man who showed up Sunday. Wentz was pretty good for most of the afternoon aside from the two interceptions he threw on back-to-back passes. Aside from the picks, he was good, but interceptions can’t be ignored. He finished 27 of 41 for 313 with 4 TDs and 2 INTs.