The Washington Commanders had nothing to lose when they matched the Denver Broncos' touchdown in overtime. Head coach Dan Quinn went for a two-point conversion to seal the win, which was the correct call. Unfortunately, they fell just short of a stunning upset.
Kliff Kingsbury called the perfect play to scheme veteran running back Jeremy McNichols wide open. It was there for the taking, but quarterback Marcus Mariota couldn't get his pass over Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto when push came to shove.
Mariota had a great game aside from that. The signal-caller got his throws out on time. His distribution downfield was urgent and accurate. He also made good use of his mobility, evading Denver's ferocious pass rush with great success. But when one more throw was needed, the Oregon product couldn't come up with the goods.
Marcus Mariota came agonizingly short of cementing Commanders' upset
Cris Collinsworth, who was analyzing the game for NBC Sports, pointed the finger squarely at Mariota. He felt like more air should have been put on the ball, especially considering how open McNichols was after Kingsbury's perfect play design. And it's hard to argue.
"They had a walk-in touchdown... They had the play called perfectly... If [Marcus] Mariota had it to do over again, he could have thrown it about as high as he wanted to. Because there was nobody there."Cris Collinsworth
Mariota would love to have the throw again, of course. At the same time, it's easy to be critical when you're not in the plate with one of the league's most prolific edge defenders coming for you. Had he been a little more aware, there would have been more height. But there wasn't much time to think as Bonitto came through unchallenged.
Aside from this error, it was a pleasing outing from Mariota. It was indeed a lot better than fans were expecting from the signal-caller before the clash, but whether he'll get the chance to right this wrong when the Commanders travel to the Minnesota Vikings this weekend is another matter.
Jayden Daniels' status remains murky, but insider reports suggest the No. 2 pick in 2024 could feature. That would demote Mariota to backup duties once again. Still, he's arguably done enough to attract interest from teams looking for a veteran quarterback to either compete for a starting job or take over as a young player develops in 2026.
That's for the future. For now, Mariota will no doubt be rueing his decision. But when the dust settles, he can look back on his efforts with an enormous sense of pride.