The Denver Broncos looked like they would get themselves to 1-1 on the season when they took a 21-3 first half lead at home against Sam Howell and the Washington Commanders. Instead, they found themselves down 11 in the fourth quarter after a complete meltdown saw Washington rattle off a 32-3 run as the Broncos just fell apart on both sides of the ball.
However, Russell Wilson and the Broncos offense came back to life at the very end of the game, cutting the deficit to 8 and then finding a miracle in the form of a 50-yard Hail Mary in the final seconds that got tipped a few times before falling into the hands of rookie receiver Brandon Johnson to cut the lead to two.
A HAIL MARY AS TIME EXPIRES
📺: #WASvsDEN on CBS⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FhXtx7w3wW pic.twitter.com/kjBwNtACqA
— NFL (@NFL) September 17, 2023
It was a wild play that had Tom Jackson screaming “KNOCK IT DOWN!” ringing through the ears of anyone old enough to have watched NFL Primetime. The good news for the Commanders secondary that botched their Hail Mary defense was they had a second chance to preserve a win on the two-point try. Wilson tried to find Courtland Sutton coming across the end zone to his right, but the pass got broken up by Benjamin St-Juste, who jumped over Sutton’s back to make the play — to the chagrin of Broncos fans who thought it should’ve been pass interference.
It all came down to the two-point conversion and the @Commanders defense held strong. #WASvsDEN pic.twitter.com/ViybFi6BXj
— NFL (@NFL) September 17, 2023
It was certainly close to being early contact, but by making a play on the ball he probably saved himself from the flag. It’s a brutal loss for the Broncos, who never should’ve needed late game heroics in the first place. However, to get the hard part of the equation done with the 50-yard bomb and then not score from a few yards out on the two-point conversion only sprinkles a little extra salt in the wound of an 0-2 start to the season.