Commanders Lucky to Escape Saints

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Dec 16, 2024 10:00 AM ET

Well, that was a heart-stopper as the Washington Commanders managed to outlast a plucky New Orleans Saints team 20-19 at Caesars Superdome to move to 9-5 on the year and take a big step toward playoff football.

The Commanders dominated time of possession (40 minutes to 19), but eight sacks and nine penalties saw the game stay close, with the Saints a two-point conversion away from claiming an unlikely win.

It was far from good for Washington, but at this stage of the season, winning is all that matters. For head coach Dan Quinn, winning on the road, in the manner in which they did, has him pleased.

"In a game of missed opportunities, penalties, and missed plays, lots to clean up," Quinn said. "A little bit like December and January football where it does get hard, so to go all the way down to the end to the last play, you've heard me talk about the fight of the group, and that's one of the things that I really admire about our team. We've been in a lot of close games, and we are getting battle-hardened. It's not always comfortable to be on those spots, but being there on the sideline, right there at the end to go for it, that's why we do it. To come up with a win here on the road, that's a big deal."

In his homecoming, Daniels finished his day going 25 for 31 with 226 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 66 yards on 11 attempts to lead his team to a win.

It now puts the Commanders in the position to punch their playoff ticket over the next week or so in Jayden's first season as the starter. Given all the changes around the organization this year, it would be a big step in the right direction.

But as Quinn stated, there's a lot to clean up, and it certainly wasn't a smooth performance by any means, but this team has an edge to them, and while some might point out that the Saints got closer than they should have, when push came to shove, they got it done.

And at this time of the year, that's all that matters.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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