The Denver Broncos have not gotten off to a hot start in two home games.
After getting off to an early 21-3 lead, the Washington Commanders roared back to stun the Broncos 35-33 at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday.
Midway through the second quarter, Denver had a 95.9 percent chance to win, per ESPN. Instead, Washington outscored the home team 32-12 over the final 2 1/2 quarters of play.
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“Really a tale of two teams,” Denver head coach Sean Payton told reporters in Denver following the loss. “The first quarter and a half, we played the way we wanted to, with relative to being on schedule.”
Turnovers played a major role in the game as the Commanders took advantage of two Broncos giveaways during the comeback bid.
“Every one of their games last year where they didn’t have a takeaway, they lost the game,” Payton explained. “We gave them the ball at midfield and the momentum shifts at that point.”
On both sides of the ball, the Broncos struggled after losing early momentum.
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“Defensively, I didn’t think we played well in the second half,” Payton added. “Offensively, we were slow with our communication. That was frustrating. It’s got to start with us and me.”
The Broncos did nearly complete a comeback of their own after trailing 35-24 in the fourth quarter. As the final seconds ran off the clock, Russell Wilson completed a 50-yard Hail Mary pass to Brandon Johnson for a touchdown to set up a potential game-tying two-point conversion.
Washington held strong as Wilson’s pass to Courtland Sutton fell incomplete with no flags on the try as the Commanders advanced to 2-0.
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The Broncos fall to 0-2 after a pair of home losses under Payton’s new regime in Denver.
Featured image via Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports Images
