But in terms of the short-term importance, the Commanders also tightened their hold on the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. It was a game they needed to win to hold off teams like the Los Angeles Rams still in the hunt. It wasn’t a perfect day from either side of the ball, but it was enough to provide some momentum for the final three matchups, two of which will be at home.
As good of a moment as the failed two-point conversion was for the Commanders, there’s an argument it didn’t need to come down to that.
Both versions of the Commanders were present against the Saints. In the first half, Jayden Daniels led an offense that looked more like what they put on display against the Tennessee Titans two weeks ago. Daniels was nearly perfect through two quarters, completing 17-of-19 passes and fueling a 165-yard effort. McLaurin had another two-touchdown performance, and the defense gave Haener fits with three sacks. The Saints’ ground game, which was ranked 10th heading into Sunday, was limited to just 18 yards.
Then the second half rolled around, and the Commanders started running into problems. Although players like Daniels, who picked up a third-and-14 with a 24-yard run, provided plays that led to two field goals, they were held to a punt and a missed field goal on their final two drives when they could have closed out the game. That gave Rattler and the Saints time to climb back from a 14-0 hole and set up the final play at the end of regulation.
First appeared on www.commanders.com