All that separated the Falcons from getting back to .500 and legitimizing their place in the mix for a playoff spot in the NFC was four yards.
Trailing the Commanders 19-13 with 1:03 to play, Marcus Mariota and the Falcons' offense found themselves on the doorstep of the goal line, and after seven straight runs, Arthur Smith decided to have his quarterback put the ball in the air, and what happened next will be hotly debated for days to come.
Looking for Cordarrelle Patterson out of the backfield, Mariota’s pass was tipped at the line by Daron Payne and picked by Kendall Fuller. That looked to be the play that sealed Atlanta’s fate, but after a quick stop from the Falcons' defense, it appeared that Mariota would get one more crack at it with around :35 left, but Ade Ogundeji would run into the punter, and the Commanders were able to keep possession and get in victory formation. Taylor Heinicke dropped to a knee and the Falcons dropped to 5-7 on the season with their playoff chances taking a sizable hit for the moment. In the process, the Falcons also fall to 4-5 in one-score games this season. On the other hand, Washington has now won six of seven and improved to 7-5.
While Atlanta totaled 167 yards on the ground, their inability to connect on a few key pass plays was apparent throughout the game—including a few drops and a few throws from Mariota that left fans scratching their heads. In their first game without Kyle Pitts, the Falcons threw for 165 yards with Mariota completing 15 of his 25 attempts with one score and the pick.
Atlanta would score on two of their first three possessions—a Younghoe Koo field goal to open the scoring and a connection between Mariota and TE MyCole Pruitt—but a field goal late in the 3rd quarter would be the last points of the day for the Falcons. The Commanders, meanwhile, found the end zone on their first drive as Brian Robinson trucked Darren Hall on his way in for his first receiving touchdown of the season. Washington would tie the game at 10-10 late in the first half and that’s where the score stood at halftime after Koo missed a 58-yarder at the gun.
The Commanders broke the tie late in the 3rd quarter with Heinicke finding an open John Bates for a 16-yard touchdown, but Joey Slye’s missed PAT kept the score at 16-10. The two teams would trade field goals and then three-and-outs before the Falcons handed their fans a fast pass to the emotional roller coaster that was the final minutes of the game. Lost in the shuffle on the final Falcons’ drive was Mariota’s best play of the day as he slipped while avoiding a sack before getting up to find Olamide Zaccheaus for 45 yards.
Another questionable sequence of play calling occurred late in the first half as the Falcons turned the ball over on downs at their own 47 after Patterson was stood up at the line on 4th and 1. Mykal Walker would pick off Heinicke on the next play to limit the damage before Koo’s missed kick.
As the rain came down, Heinicke was unable to get much going through the air for Washington with just 138 yards total, but he did have to two touchdowns. Robinson did most the Commanders damage on the ground with 105 yards on 18 carries.
The one saving grace for the Falcons is the fact that the Browns were able to upset the Buccaneers this afternoon, so the NFC South remains within reach with five games left to play. The Falcons aren’t dead yet in terms of the playoff conversation, but they’re certainly running out of time to make up ground. If the 2022 regular season does end with Atlanta on the outside looking in, today’s loss could very well be the deciding factor.