Instant reactions to the Commanders’ win over the Falcons

The Washington Commanders continue to find ways to win. It isn’t necessarily pretty, but it is efficient enough. Led by a stingy defense, the Commanders held off the Falcons 19-13 Sunday afternoon.

A late pass deflection by Daron Payne that led to a Kendall Fuller interception, ultimately sealed the game, as the Falcons were knocking at the door to take the lead.

Washington has a simple formula: play stout defense, pound the rock on offense, and the quarterback just needs to manage the game. Despite Taylor Heinicke’s best efforts at times, the Commanders head into December 7-5.

With two games on deck against the 7-4 New York Giants, it is starting to get real. And the win today, pushes the Falcons to 5-7, giving Washington two games of cushion between the rest of the field.

With the most important stretch of the season approaching, here are the instant reactions to Washington’s third-straight victory.

Instant reactions to the Commanders’ third-straight victory

1. The defense answers the bell again

The Falcons are one of the best in the NFL at imposing their will in the ground game. The offensive line is underrated, they have a multitude of versatile threats, and the conductor (Arthur Smith) is good at keeping the offense unpredictable.

Atlanta got theirs on the ground today. They totaled 167 yards and averaged 5.8 yards per carry. Marcus Mariota’s legs were a thorn in the side of the defense all day. Despite that, however, the Commanders came up clutch when it mattered the absolute most.

They stopped the Falcons on fourth-and-inches in the first half, keeping points off the board. They held the Falcons to two field goals when they got beyond the thirty. They even came up with a crucial three-and-out that set up Washington with an opportunity to seal the game.

The defense took it into their own hands though, as they forced a Marcus Mariota interception to essentially seal the victory. Daron Payne deflected it, adding to his two tackles for loss. Payne is going to get his payday this offseason, and Washington needs to make sure it is from them.

The defense is playing at an extremely high level right now. The front four is dominant, the linebackers are limiting explosive plays over the middle of the field, and the secondary rarely allows explosive plays.

They weren’t perfect today. But like against Philly, they were opportunistic and stingy. And today, that was good enough. This defense is a huge reason the Commanders are 6-1 over their last seven games. They have been the engine behind this midseason surge from the Burgundy & Gold.