If the Washington Commanders barely make the playoffs, the New Orleans Saints game would feel like a steal.
For most of the afternoon, Washington was the better team, but the game came down to a two-point attempt by the Saints. Spencer Rattler couldn’t convert the pass, and Washington walked away with a 20-19 win.
Missed Opportunities: Where to start? Jayden Daniels had three opportunities to hit a wide-open Terry McLaurin for touchdowns. Hit on any of those, and the game isn’t close. The Commanders also had a chance for a fourth-quarter interception that would have prevented New Orleans from scoring a touchdown.
Add that in with all of the untimely penalties and a missed field goal, and you can see why Washington is happy to leave New Orleans with a win and mad at the same time.
Spencer Rattler: When Derek Carr was hurt earlier in the season, former head coach Dennis Allen leaned on Rattler. Rattler would go 0-3. With Carr injured again, current head coach Darren Rizzi decided to go with Jake Haener.
That wasn’t the move. Haener went 4-10 for 49 yards and an interception in the first half.
Rattler’s second half came against a defense that was, at times, playing soft, but his 10-21, 135-yard, one-touchdown performance gave the Saints a chance, even if one of the touchdown passes was thrown by Cedrick Wilson.
The Saints offense had more energy, and Rattler looked more comfortable than Haener.
A Win is a Win: With the Los Angeles Rams breathing down the Commanders’ neck, no matter what, it looked like Washington needed a win, and they got just that.
Washington is just a half-game behind Green Bay. The Packers play Seattle in the Sunday night game.
