CINCINNATI – There weren’t many who would have predicted that the Washington Commanders would have a better record than the Cincinnati Bengals entering Week 3 of the NFL season, but that’s exactly the scenario that awaited us Monday night at Paycor Stadium.
The Bengals began the night after contesting the opening kickoff and wasted no time charging down the field before quarterback Joe Burrow connected with star receiver Ja’Marr Chase for a 41-yard touchdown pass that flew over the head of Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil while safety Percy Butler entered the game too late to have any impact on the game.
As disappointing as the opening drive was for the Washington defense, the first offensive drive of the game was encouraging. After much talk about the Cincinnati defense’s inability to stop the running backs, the Commanders brought Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr. into the game early, and the two combined for seven touches.
That drive ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Robinson and Washington tied the score. After a missed field goal attempt by Cincinnati, Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels brought his offense back onto the field.
Seven plays and 62 yards later, Washington scored again on a drive that ended with Ekeler running 24 yards into the end zone. Another extra point by Austin Seibert gave the Commanders a 14-7 lead after two touchdowns on the team’s first two possessions.
While the offense continued its strong play, the defense continued to play poorly – completely contradicting the ideas that defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. wants his unit to have.
Washington used coverage at nearly every level of defense and allowed Burrow and the Bengals to charge down the field again, but again stopped them short of the end zone. This time Evan McPherson’s kick was good and Cincinnati cut the Commanders’ lead to 14-10 with more than five minutes left to play in the half.
Daniels and the Commanders offense had plenty of time and didn’t waste any of it. More importantly, the young quarterback finally connected with star receiver Terry McLaurin and made a 55-yard run behind Cincinnati cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt who was behind him. On the next play, Daniels kept an option and did the rest, taking the ball for a 4-yard touchdown run, Washington’s third of the game.
The drive gave the Commanders a 21-10 lead and drew some early boos from Bengals fans.
However, Burrow and Cincinnati’s offense had some time to make up for the defense’s weaknesses and promptly brought the ball to Washington’s 25-yard line, forcing coach Dan Quinn to call his second timeout of the half with 53 seconds left before halftime.
Giving their defense a chance to rally seemed to have paid off, and after four more plays – including two incomplete passes – the Bengals were forced to attempt another field goal, cutting the lead to 21-13 with 22 seconds left in the half.
Quinn decided to have his quarterback kneel on the ball, and that’s where we are at halftime: Washington leads by eight points, the Bengals fans boo, and the Commanders get the second half kickoff.
Stay with CommanderGameday and the Commanders in the crosshairs Podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders during the 2024 season.
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