Denver survives (barely) by halting a Marcus Mariota comeback attempt in OT



The Denver Broncos are officially winners of nine straight. But the AFC West front-runners needed every ounce of effort -- and even some extra time on the game clock -- to outlast the Washington Commanders on Sunday night. Continuing a wild day of Week 13 matchups, this one featured a gutsy performance from Washington's Marcus Mariota, who made a third straight start in place of injured quarterback Jayden Daniels. But it ended with a last-gasp defensive stand by Nik Bonitto and the Broncos, who left Landover, Maryland, with a 27-26 overtime victory.

Streaky throughout the contest, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix had a fourth quarter to forget, breaking a trend of late-game magic ... until, of course, he rediscovered his crunch-time flair in overtime, finding Evan Engram for a big gain that helped set up RJ Harvey's second score of the night. Mariota matched, or maybe even exceeded, Nix's playmaking with his own finish, driving Washington all the way into the end zone in the final minutes of the extra frame, only to have Bonitto deflect his pass to a wide-open Jeremy McNichols on coach Dan Quinn's 2-point attempt.

The failed conversion, which would've clinched a major prime-time upset for the slumping Commanders, marred an otherwise valiant effort from Mariota, who finished with nearly 350 total yards against one of the NFL's top defenses. It also confirmed the Broncos (10-2) as the class of the AFC West, at least on paper.

Here are some big-picture takeaways from Denver's tight win on Sunday night:

Plays of the game
The defining play was the last, with Bonitto perfectly timing a leap to deflect Mariota's throw:

But there was no shortage of other highlights in this one, which started slow but finished with theatrics. The best of them all? Probably the ridiculous one-handed score by ex-Tennessee Titans castoff Treylon Burks, whose only reception of the matchup had shades of Odell Beckham Jr.'s famous snag:

The Commanders deserve your respect
At least for their effort in this one. Plenty of folks leading Washington's charge have gotten plenty of heat lately, from Dan Quinn, the man tasked with readying a slumping lineup; to Adam Peters, the man responsible for building such an old, banged-up roster. But Sunday night brought a different kind of fight from the Commanders, who had no business taking a first-place team with a top-tier defense to the very brink of overtime. Mariota, in particular, was incredibly poised as the game wore on, showcasing pristine chemistry with all three of his top targets -- Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and Zach Ertz -- after plenty of justified debate about his ability to drive the ball as a passer in place of the recovering Daniels. Washington may be out of the mix for meaningful winter football games, but perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to call them hapless near the bottom of the standings.

The Broncos just might be in trouble
There are two ways to paint Denver's performance: 1.) Nine straight is nine straight, and once again, Nix and the Vance Joseph-led defense came up big when they were needed most, so all is well in Mile High; or 2.) The Broncos cannot reasonably expect to play like this -- sneaking by foes small and large with last-second effort -- and parlay a pretty regular-season record into legitimate postseason success. Yes, they're resilient. Yes, Nix proved at various points against Washington he can turn in top 10-level darts under pressure. Yes, Denver's vaunted "D" was just getting pillars like Alex Singleton and Patrick Surtain II back on their feet. But the Broncos were up against a so-so backup quarterback, and they barely survived. Their last four wins have come by a combined 10 points! The grit should be admired. But color us a bit concerned about their January prospects.

What's next
Denver (10-2) will hit the road for a divisional showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders (2-10), who are coming apart at the seams after another listless offensive showing, which came after coach Pete Carroll's abrupt dismissal of coordinator Chip Kelly. The Commanders (3-9) will also take to the road for a Week 14 date with the Minnesota Vikings (4-8), who just got crushed by the Seattle Seahawks while starting undrafted rookie Max Brosmer in place of the injured J.J. McCarthy at quarterback.

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