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

After overcoming an 18-point deficit and squeaking out a victory late, what were some of the critical observations from the Washington Commanders' Week 2 win?

Less than 24 hours after witnessing Deion Sanders' Colorado team come back from 11 down to beat Colorado State, we saw a matchup between two former Buffaloes in Eric Bieniemy and Vance Joseph.

And it was almost as if the Washington Commanders were repeating the history from the night before. The Buffaloes were able to complete their largest fourth-quarter comeback since 2005, while Ron Rivera's men had their biggest road victory since 1990.

The Buffaloes saw one of their top weapons Travis Hunter knocked out of the game on a late hit, and the Commanders suffered a similar fate. Logan Thomas was knocked out with a concussion after he somehow managed to hold on to the football for a fourth-down touchdown reception late in the second quarter.

The common denominator for both teams was resilience. Deion Sanders noted it after his team's win.

"Tonight, we showed resilience. I mean, the guys had every opportunity to give up they had every opportunity in. And they never doubted themselves on the sideline. I mean, we were upset with some of the things not being executed that we're called. But these young men never, they give up, and everyone in total, and that's it, guys."

Deion Sanders via Saturday Down South

Does that not sound similar to Bieniemy's quote about "dragging your ass across the finish line"?

This team continues to show heart when many pundits continue to count them out. But, why should we be surprised? This is a team with multiple chips on their shoulders.

Let's start with an offensive coordinator looking to prove his worth after being overlooked countless times for a head coaching job.

We move on to a head coach who overcame cancer and had to deal with all of the former owner's baggage throughout his tenure.

An anticipated first-round quarterback who fell to the fifth round after a subpar junior year. A running back who was shot during an attempted carjacking only to come back stronger than ever. A defensive end who has dealt with injuries and been labeled a bust for taking too long to return to the field.

This Commanders' team has already overcome a lot, and this Week 2 win was just their latest accomplishment. Let's get into the key observations from the 35-33 win over the Broncos.

The Commanders have a (good) defensive line problem

After Montez Sweat balled out in Week 1 with 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles, you knew the Washington Commanders were going to have to roll up the Brinks truck in the off-season.

In Week 2, Sweat added 1.5 sacks to his total. Fellow impending free agent Chase Young returned to the field and added 1.5 sacks himself.

Young, who had his first sack in over 700 days, also played a big part in pressuring Russell Wilson on the play where Jamin Davis forced a fumble. That turnover, with the team down 21-3, proved to be a turning point in the game.

Will the Commanders be able to keep both Sweat and Young as part of their defensive front? It's looking like a tough ask, but never say never.

This is a nice problem to have and the Commanders won't be letting both leave by any stretch of the imagination. Much will depend on how Young fares on the health front between now and when the time to begin negotiations arrives, but this looks like it could be a potent weapon for defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio to call upon in 2023.

Commanders special teams play is a concern

Another week, another botched snap from Camaron Cheeseman. It's been well-noted that he changed his snapping form this summer to try something new, and the results...not great.

After being saved by a tremendous hold from Tress Way last week, Chessman's snap played a hand in Joey Slye's first missed field goal at the Denver Broncos in Week 2. An ongoing concern and something that could see big changes if things don't improve.

Last week, head coach Ron Rivera said until "something happens," they will continue with Cheeseman. Welp, I think the time has come to bring in some competition for the long snapper.

Additionally, my concern level on Slye is trickling up a bit. Not only did he miss this first field goal, but he badly missed on a 59-yard attempt, which albeit wasn't the best decision by Rivera.

Slye did struggle with accuracy last year and given that the margin of victory in both games was under seven points for the Washington Commanders, the kicker might be called upon to win the game in the future. Can we trust him to do that?

Finally, seeing Marvin Mims Jr. find daylight for a 45-yard punt return was a bit of salt in the wound with the Commanders down 21-3. Therefore, special teams deserve some extra film sessions this week.

Sam Howell and Eric Bieniemy are making Commanders' offense a force

Call me a believer.

I mean, it's hard not to be after the Washington Commanders scored its most points in years and had its biggest road comeback in 30+ years. Sam Howell and the offense were efficient throughout the game, moving the ball down the field, but had drives bogged down by sacks early on.

Howell did hold on to the ball too long in some cases and got sacked on his first three drives. However, he improved as the game went along.

Not only did he show good decision-making, avoiding turnovers and placing the football beautifully on touchdowns to Logan Thomas and Terry McLaurin, but Howell demonstrated his ability to extend plays with his feet, like on his 11-yard scramble.

Eric Bieniemy for his part, has made this offense exciting to watch for the first time in years. On Sunday, the team had 10 different receivers catch the ball, leveraged Brian Robinson Jr. in the running attack, utilized Antonio Gibson in space and took full advantage of the screen game.

After having Howell throw 30 passes in the first half, the team had adjustments and switched to more of a power-running attack, taking advantage of a gassed Denver Broncos defense.

With former offensive coordinator Scott Turner failing to make the proper adjustments across seasons, it is a breath of fresh air to see what Bieniemy has done with the offense.

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.