Commanders key numbers: Comeback thriller at the Broncos in Week 2

What were some of the key numbers behind a jaw-dropping road win for the Washington Commanders against the Denver Broncos in Week 2?

If you had turned this game off before halftime, nobody would have blamed you. But anyone who chose this path missed one of the most entertaining Washington Commanders games in recent times.

After falling behind 21-3 and looking totally inept on the defensive side of the field, one Jamin Davis forced fumble caused a butterfly effect for the Commanders. Call them Lazarus, because this team came back from the dead and held on until the very end - literally - to move to 2-0.

From disgust to excitement to panic and relief. This game was a roller coaster ride of emotions. After seeing the same issues resurface once again with the offense not putting up points on the board, the defense starting in slow motion, and Sam Howell facing continuous pressure, it looked like it would be a long day in Denver.

But this team fought on and after seeing Davis recover a fumble and Logan Thomas knocked out of the game following an illegal hit on a fourth-down touchdown reception, this team played with a vengeance.

No, it wasn't a 28-3 Super Bowl comeback like Tom Brady and the New England Patriots orchestrated against the Atlanta Falcons. But for Commanders fans, it was much sweeter seeing the team crawl back from being down 21-3.

What makes it even better is beating Russell Wilson, a quarterback who chose not to be traded to Washington last season. The team may have let Russ cook early in the game, but they cleaned up the kitchen and took home the win.

Let's get into the key numbers from Week 2.

The Good: Commanders offense makes major strides

5-0: In our ongoing tracker, we can note that the Washington Commanders are now 5-0 when Brian Robinson Jr. scores a touchdown. The running back finished with two rushing scores and made some big plays throughout on the receiving end as well.

108.8: Sam Howell played the best game of his career, finishing with a passer rating of 108.8, throwing for 266 yards and two touchdowns while hitting 10 different receivers and not turning the ball over.

Although he did face pressure throughout the game, it was good to see Howell respond and continue to make big plays in tough spots, leading his second straight fourth-quarter comeback.

-9: After falling behind 21-3 early and allowing Denver's offense to have its way on their first three drives, the Commanders' defense held the Broncos to -9 net yards of offense on its next three drives.

During that period, the Commanders forced a fumble and two punts. This allowed the offense to climb back and tie the game at 21 early in the third quarter.

7: The Broncos' offensive line allowed the lowest pressure rate in the NFL in Week 1, giving up two sacks and four quarterback hits. The Commanders' defense feasted, getting 7 sacks and eight hits on Russell Wilson.

They harassed Wilson throughout the game, excluding the Broncos' first three drives. The three-headed monster of Chase Young, Daron Payne, and Montez Sweat combined for four of the seven sacks.

It had been 700+ days since Young last had a sack. Welcome back.

Other Tidbits:

Note: This was the biggest comeback for Washington since Kirk Cousins led the team to victory after being down 24-0 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7 of the 2015 season. That game ended with the now-famous "You like that?" soundbite. Somewhere in Minnesota, the former QB1 is smiling.

3-0: Howell became the first Washington quarterback to start his career 3-0 since Ed Rubbert in 1987. Todd Collins also won his first three starts in 2007 after taking over for Jason Campbell, but he was a spry 36 years old at the time.

Howell just celebrated his 23rd birthday the Saturday before the Broncos win.

The Bad: Big plays continue to plague Commanders defense

8: The Washington Commanders' defense has struggled with giving up big plays throughout Jack Del Rio's tenure. That trend continued in Week 2.

The defense gave up 8 explosive plays (plays with over 20+ pass yards or 10+ rush yards). The team gave up runs of 14, 14, and 15 yards, passes of 21, 50, 53, and 60 yards, and a 45-yard punt return.

71: Penalties also continue to plague the team as it had eight infringements for 71 yards, including an offensive holding penalty that wiped out a 19-yard Sam Howell scramble and a roughing the passer penalty that gave the Broncos a free first-down in the red zone on their second-to-last possession.

10: The Commanders' offense needs to start faster and has gone into halftime with a cumulative deficit of 10 points during the first two weeks of the season. The comeback strategy might work against the Arizona Cardinals and Broncos but might be tougher against teams like the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles.

61-17: Washington has to do a better job of incorporating the running attack in the first half of games, as the team is very one-dimensional early on. Over the past two weeks, the Commanders have run 61 pass plays to 17 run plays in the first half.

With three weapons - Brian Robinson Jr., Antonio Gibson, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. - at the running back position, they can easily take some pressure off Howell by diversifying the play-calling a bit. Yes, being down 21-3 does force you to pass more, but the signal-caller had 24 passing attempts at halftime against the Cardinals and 30 against the Broncos, which is fairly similar.

8: The same team that was unable to sack Jimmy Garoppolo at all and only hit him three times, was able to sack Howell on four occasions with eight quarterback hits. Yes, some of this is on the former fifth-round pick holding the ball for too long, but there were many times that the offensive line got completely blasted.

With Howell continuing to improve and the offense making strides, if the defense plays like the top-five unit it's expected to be, the Commanders can be dangerous. That's a very big if though based on what we've seen over the years from Del Rio.