One play changed the game for the Washington Commanders on Sunday, and potentially altered the rest of the season
The Commanders needed a big play, and they got one.
The Washington Commanders needed a road win against the Los Angeles Chargers in the worst way, and it looked to be another loss after the typical start. The defense was on its heels again, and the team went down 10-0 in the first quarter.
Justin Herbert had the Chargers driving down the field for another score, which would’ve put them up 17-0, but that’s when the game changed.
Quan Martin was in the right place at the right time and made the play that had to be made, and it completely flipped the outcome of the game.
Quan Martin’s fumble stole momentum
The vibes were shot once again after yet another slow start on the road, but it only takes one jolt to get things going, and that’s exactly what Martin’s hit on Quinton Johnston did.
The defense needed a confidence boost, and the best way to do that is by getting a turnover. Going into the game, the Commanders only had one turnover on the season, which came last week in an ugly performance, but they needed more. The fumble changed everything for the entire team, and the real Commanders woke up.
Dan Quinn called it the “winning time moment”
The turnover wasn’t just a wasted splash play; it showed the defense what it’s capable of for the rest of the season, and the entire team started playing better. Often, that momentum shift will push the entire team, and that’s the one play that stood out to head coach Dan Quinn the most.
“I’d also like to talk, really, how one play can set it off,” Quinn said. “And that was Quan Martin. To me, on the forced fumble and the Marshon [Lattimore] fumble recovery, I thought it energized our team. Every once in a while, you see a play and there it is. That’s the one that’s something that needed to take place, and sometimes we can expect where it’s going to happen or who it’s from, but often it’s even better when it’s kind of the perfect person to do that.”
“We ended up scoring on that drive after that fumble recovery,” Quinn added. “I thought that was the one, that was the play that set it off for this game, for our team, the energy that it brought, and just thought I’d bring that up. Oftentimes, I talk so much about winning time moments, and every once in a while, there’s just a play that sets off the direction of how the game’s going to go for the entire team, and I thought that was the play in this game.”
Imagine what a long week would’ve felt like if the Commanders went down 17-0 and eventually lost on the road again to the Chargers. We don’t have to, though, because Martin’s forced fumble saved the game and showed what the defense can do the rest of the season, with the Chicago Bears coming up next.
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