4 critical observations from the Commanders' win at Broncos in Week 2

Commanders' defense has the same Achilles heel

Throughout Jack Del Rio's tenure with the Washington Commanders, the team has relied on a bend-but-don't-break formula. Yes, they might allow big chunk plays, but they would get crucial stops in the red zone.

Although that has worked occasionally in the past, it feels a bit like playing with fire. The Commanders were burned on multiple occasions against the Denver Broncos, with Marvin Mims Jr. putting on a clinic with a 53-yard reception, 60-yard touchdown reception, and 45-yard punt return.

The worst part was the Commanders were so close to throwing the game away after Russell Wilson completed a hail-mary with no time left to bring the Broncos within two points. All the team needed to do was knock the ball down, and with multiple defenders in the vicinity, the fact that Denver was somehow able to complete the pass was unacceptable.

Yes, Washington has one of the best, if not the best, defensive lines in the NFL. However, for the defense to turn into a consistent top-10 unit, it needs to cut down on giving up the big momentum-shifting plays that have been too common over the past few seasons and have continued to plague the team early in the campaign.

The Commanders have shown they have no quit. But they did also benefit from some luck, having no facemask penalty called on Jamin Davis's forced fumble and no pass interference called on Benjamin St-Juste's coverage on Denver's two-point conversion attempt at the end of the game.

Ron Rivera and the team should be commended for the 2-0 start, but there are still areas of improvement needed for the Commanders to become a true contender and a team opponents fear seeing on their schedule.