2024 REWIND: Week 13 – Commanders score 4 TDs in 1st half, beat the Titans 42-19 in a romp

Washington broke a 3-game skid and went into the bye week with an 8-5 record

The Commanders entered this game with some key injuries and a lot on the line.

Before the prior week’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the Commanders still had reasonable hope of winning the division title by beating the Eagles in Week 16 and getting a little help from teams like the Steelers and Ravens. But, with the loss to Dallas dropping the Commanders record to 7-5, any realistic hope of surpassing the 9-2 Eagles in the final 5 weeks of the season were gone.

The playoff focus now shifted to the fight for an NFC wildcard seeing. The competition looked like this in Week 13:

• #5 seed – Vikings 9-2
• #6 seed – Packers 8-3
• #7 seed – Commanders 7-5

In the hunt:

• Cardinals 6-5
• Buccaneers 5-6
• Rams 5-6
• 49er 5-6

Washington held the first tie-breaker over the Cardinals, so Arizona would need to finish the season with more wins (or fewer losses) than Washington to overtake them for the #7 seed. On the other hand, Tampa Bay held the tie-breaker over Washington, and could replace the Commanders as the #7 seed if the two teams finished the regular season with identical records.

Every game from now until the end of the season would be crucial to Washington’s playoff hopes.

A win against the Titans today, followed by a Week 14 bye to get healthy and prepare for a road trip to New Orleans, would put the Commanders in a relatively strong position entering the final 4 games of the regular season. Conversely, a loss to the Titans, extending the Commanders’ losing streak to 4 games, followed by a week off to brood over what might have been, would likely find Washington on the outside looking in when the traveled to New Orleans for the first of a series of ‘must win’ games to keep any playoff hopes alive.

This game against the 3-8 Titans, who beat the Texans on the road in Week 12 by a score of 32-27, was critical to the Commanders’ 2024 season.

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First Quarter

Tennessee offense opens with a 3 & out to set the tone for the game
The Titans opened with 2 false start penalties, a stuffed run for no gain, and a screen pass for a loss to bring up 3rd & 22 at the 16-yard line. The Commanders defense looked good early! On 3rd down, Will Levis tried to escape pressure and ran right into Frankie Luvu, who slammed him as Levis loosed the ball for an incomplete pass.

Commanders score the first of 5 straight offensive touchdowns
Following the 50-yard punt and 7-yard return, Jayden Daniels led his offense onto the field at the 41-yard line. On Washington’s 3rd play from scrimmage — 2nd & 1 — Brian Robinson took a handoff on a GT-pull to the right, and romped 40 yards for a walk in touchdown. With about 12 minutes left in the first quarter, Washington has taken a 7-0 lead.

So far, it’s been an ideal start for the Commanders. If we can get another 57 minutes like this, Commanders fans will have the kind of day they’ve been hoping for but haven’t seen for more than a month now.

The Titans are forced to punt again
A pair of runs by Tony Pollard earned the Titans their initial first-down of the game. After a pair of passes that gained 6 yards, the Titans faced 3rd & 4; on the third down play, Frankie Luvu knocked the ball down at the line. Offensive lineman JC Latham caught the ball, but couldn’t advance it. Ryan Stonehouse came on for his 2nd punt, which went into the end zone for a touchback.

Commanders go 80 yards in 11 plays for the game’s 2nd TD
The Commanders’ second drive of the day began at the 20-yard line. So far, Daniels is 2-2 for 19 yards; Levis is 3-5 for 3 yards. It’s been a lopsided game through the first 6 minutes.

After several good plays and a first-down, Washington faced 3rd & 1 at the 47-yard line. Staying ahead of the chains, this looks like the offense we saw early in the season. On 3rd down, Robinson burst through the line for 16 yards and another first down at the TEN 32-yard line.

A 5-yard scramble on 1st down was followed by an 11-yard catch & run to McLaurin for another set of downs. On 1st & 10 from the 21-yard line, Jeremy McNichols took the ball wide left for 12 yards.

On 1st & goal from the 9-yard line, McNichols ran for another 6 yards. On 2nd down, Jayden Daniels kept the ball himself, and picked his way through traffic to score a 3-yard touchdown in the middle of the field.

After the PAT by Zane Gonzalez, the score stood at 14-0 with 02:23 left in the quarter. The scoring drive had consumed 11 plays and covered 80 yards, taking about six & a half minutes.

Commanders defense forces the first of 2 consecutive turnovers
Following the kickoff, the Titans offense took the field for the 3rd time in the game at the 15-yard line following a penalty for illegal block in the back on the return. The Titans have been penalized 3 times for 20 yards so far in the quarter.

So far, the Titans have earned 1 first down; the Commanders have earned 7. Washington has 94 yards on the ground; the Titans have 12.

On 2nd & 6 from the Titans 19-yard line, Mike Sainristil ripped the ball out of Tony Pollard’s hand for a fumble recovered by the Commanders at the 24-yard line.

Washington scores TD No. 3
Wanting to take advantage of the sudden change, on 1st down, Brian Robinson burst up the middle for 8 yards, but was stuffed for no gain on the next play. On 3rd & 2 at the 16-yard line, Daniels, enjoying beautiful pass protection, took all day to survey the field before hitting a wide-open Terry McLaurin for a 16-yard touchdown on the left side of the end zone. With the PAT, the score moved to 21-0 with 24 seconds left in the first quarter.

The scoring drive that followed the fumble recovery took 3 plays, covered 24 yards and used 1:09 on the clock. So far, the Titans have 24 total yards; Washington has 163, with 61 in the air and 102 on the ground.

Titans implode on kick return
Improbably, the nightmare continued for the Titans when the Tennessee kick returner dropped the ball on the runback. Tyler Owens forced the fumble, which was recovered by Michael Walker at the TEN 34-yard line.

Commanders score 4th consecutive TD
The first quarter came to an end with Jayden Daniels scrambling for a 7-yard gain on 1st down.

Things literally couldn’t have gone any better for the Commanders in the first quarter, with 2 forced turnovers, a 3-touchdown lead, and possession of the ball inside the Titans’ 30-yard line as the teams changed ends of the field.

Second Quarter

Five plays later, on 3rd & 12 at the 14-yard line, Tennessee was penalized for roughing the passer, giving Washington 1st & goal at the 5-yard line.

Robinson bullied his way to the 1-yard line, and then, on 2nd down, with a heavy formation, Robinson was tackled behind the line to bring up 3rd & goal from the 4-yard line. On the 3rd down play, Daniels went back to McLaurin, who caught the ball right at the goal line against tight coverage for Terry’s 2nd touchdown of the half.

After the extra point, the Commanders had a 4-TD lead in a 28-0 2nd quarter shutout of the Titans with about 11 minutes left in the half. The scoring drive was 9 plays, covering 34 yards in 4:20.

The Commanders have run 26 plays; the Titans 10. Washington has 187 total yards; Tennessee has 24.

Hapless Titans go 3 & out
A penalty against the Titans on the kickoff put the offense at the 15-yard line.

The Titans opened up with a short gain on 1st down followed by a holding penalty (the 7th penalty against TEN in the game) on 2nd down. The Titans faced 3rd & 7 at the 18-yard line.

Will Levis threw incomplete to Okokwo, with the ball bouncing off his hands near the 20-yard line in the middle of the field to force yet another punt.

Commanders offense fails to score for the first time today
After a punt and an unnecessary roughness penalty against Michael Davis for blocking out of bounds, the Commanders took over for their 5th offensive drive of the game at their own 12-yard line. So far, Washington has scored a touchdown on every offensive possession. Jayden Daniels has thrown for 69 yards and 2 TDs and has run for 18 yards and another TD.

A pass to Zaccheaus and a run by McNichols would have brought up 3rd & 1, but Tennessee’s 8th penalty of the game – a facemask when tackling McNichols — gave the Commanders another 1st down at the 35-yard line.

With the game in hand, McNichols is getting the work while Brian Robinson relaxes on the bench, but on 2nd down, Daniels scampers to the left sideline for a 12-yard gain.

Washington has the ball in Tennessee territory.

On 1st down in Titans territory, the Commanders ran a flea flicker that wasn’t very well-executed, but ended up gaining 7 yards.

Several plays later, on 3rd & 20, the Titans were flagged for 12 men on the field, moving Washington up to the 25-yard line, now needing 15 yards. A false start penalty against Sam Cosmi, however, moved the ball back to the 30-yard line as the 2-minute warning was given.

Following the time out and facing 3rd & 20, Brian Robinson came back on the field to run for 2 yards. The failure to convert the first down brought Zane Gonzalez out for his first field goal attempt of the game.

FG miss: The 46-yard attempt went wide right, and Washington turned the ball over on downs at the 36-yard line. Washington’s 2024 kicking adventure continues.

Titans finally put together a 9-play drive to score
After earning one first down, an incomplete pass on 2nd down brought up 3rd & 11; then, an offensive holding penalty pushed the Titans back to their own 40-yard line facing 3rd & 21.

On the following play, Levis escaped heavy pressure and found Calvin Ridley for a 30-yard gain to the WAS 31-yard line.

They soon faced 3rd & 6 at the Commanders 27-yard line.

With 28 ticks left on the clock, Levis heaved a ball into the end zone; it was caught by Westbrook-Ikhine against Mike Sainristil for a beautiful touchdown reception.

After the PAT, the scoreboard stood at 28-7 with 00:23 left in the half. The scoring drive had lasted 9 plays and covered 54 yards.

Washington can’t score before the half
The Commanders took over at the 30-yard line after the kickoff with 3 time outs available.

Kliff Kingsbury decided to try to move the ball. Luke McCaffrey got 5 yards on a checkdown catch & run on 1st down. McLaurin added 4 yards on 2nd down, and Dan Quinn decided that he’d seen enough. The Commanders went to the locker room with a three-touchdown lead.

Washington will get the ball to open the second half.

Halftime Stats

Statistics via ESPN

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Third Quarter

Titans defense tries to provide a spark with a 3 & out against the Commanders offense
After the kickoff, Washington’s 6th offensive drive began at the 22-yard line. Jayden Daniels managed to get each of the first 5 drives into the end zone or the red zone in the first half. He needed to get another score on the board on this drive to knock the fight out of the Titans. It didn’t happen.

A short run by Robinson was followed by a scramble for a loss of a yard by Daniels, but an illegal blindside block against Zach Ertz moved the ball to the 11-yard line, 2nd & 20.

A play later, on 3rd & 20, Washington ran a screen pass to Dyami Brown for 7 yards. This was an ugly drive, and Tress Way was forced to punt for the first time in the game.

Titans score again
The 50-yard punt and 6-yard return gave TEN the ball at the 37-yard line. If Will Levis can lead a touchdown drive here, the Titans will be back in the game. Washington’s defense needs to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The Titans drove successfully and deep into Washington territory.

A dropped pass by Tony Pollard on 2nd & 7, however, brought up 3rd & 7 at the Washington 23-yard line. Levis took a shot to Okonkwe, but overthrew him by two yards with good coverage by Jeremy Chinn.

Kicker Nick Folk came out and drilled a 41-yard field goal to move the score to 28-10 with just under 9 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. The scoring drive covered 40 yards in 9 plays.

Tennessee defense forces a turnover to give life to the Titans
The Commanders started their 8th offensive drive of the game at the 22-yard line again after coming away scoreless on their two previous offensive drives. Washington needs to recover the momentum that the team had in the first quarter, having allowed the Titans to score 10 unanswered points.

Noah Brown was shaken up on a play early in this drive. A pass to Terry McLaurin resulted in a defensive pass interference penalty when #17 was mugged on the left sideline, giving Washington another first down by penalty.

Two plays later, on 2nd & 9 at the 34 yard line, Jayden Daniels threw a high ball to Zach Ertz; it skipped off of the tight end’s outstretched hands and was intercepted by Armani Hooker!

With the turnover, a game that had been controlled early by Washington was suddenly in danger of becoming competitive.

The Titans took over at their own 38-yard line.

Another Titans field goal
On 2nd & 10 from the Washington 46-yard line, Tony Pollard ran a beautiful post route in the middle of the field and gained 30 yards on a nice pass from Will Levis.

Two plays later, Will Levis was slammed to the ground for a loss of 3 yards, and on the next play, the ball was snapped before Will Levis was ready.

He fell on the ball for a loss of 8 yards, bringing Nick Folk out for another field goal. Folk nailed the 44-yard field goal to make the score a bit closer at 28-13 with 03:40 left in the 3rd quarter

The Titans shot themselves in the foot on this drive, but they are showing signs of life. Washington needs a sustained scoring drive here to get into the 4th quarter with a 3-score lead.

Washington puts a nail in the coffin with a 9-play TD drive
Following the kickoff, Washington started the next drive at the 28-yard line.

On 2nd & 5 near the middle of the field, Daniels hit Zach Ertz inside the numbers and the tight end rumbled for a 25-yard gain to the TEN 24-yard line. On the next play, Dyami Brown took a WR screen for another 12 yards to the TEN 12-yard line with time winding down in the 3rd quarter.

Time ran out on the quarter with Washington facing 2nd & 6 at the Titans 8-yard line.

Fourth Quarter

This key drive has lasted 7 plays and covered 54 yards so far. It needs to end with a score — preferably a touchdown — to re-take control of the game and get momentum back on the Commanders side.

After a tough inside run by Brian Robinson, Washington faced 3rd & 1 at the 4-yard line. The subsequent play looked a little awkward, but ended with an easy Zach Ertz touchdown.

Following the PAT, the score stood at 35-13, and it appeared as if Washington was on its way to a dominating win.

Washington has to finish out the final 14:15 of the game with solid defense and offense to make sure the Titans can’t climb out of the 22-point hole they are in. Washington has achieved 22 first downs compared to just 8 for Tennessee.

Titans offense folds with another 3 & out
Levis overthrew Calvin Ridley deep by 5 yards on 1st down, and then missed Whyle high on the left sideline to bring up 3rd & 10. The crowd came to life.

Calvin Ridley was wide open in the middle of the field, but he stopped running while Will Levis threw where Ridley would have been if he’d kept running. The incompletion resulted in a very quick 3 & out on a drive that lasted only 27 seconds on the game clock.

Commanders burn 4th quarter clock but fail to score
After the punt, Jayden Daniels and the Commanders offense took over at the Washington 29-yard line. All they really need to do is control the ball and burn clock, but this team probably should keep its foot on the gas. The Commanders would probably benefit from a big win, and it would be good to kill any hope the Titans might still be hanging onto with 13:48 left in the game.

On first down, Daniels tried to hit Dyami Brown downfield, but the ball skipped off his outstretched hands near the Tennessee 25-yard line.

Chris Rodriguez came on the field, and on 2nd down, went off left tackle for 17 yards. Three plays later, on 3rd & 2, CRod gained another 8 yards. Kliff Kingsbury stayed with the running back, extending the drive to the Tennessee 34 yard line and burning clock before running a jet sweep to Dyami Brown on 2nd down.

On 3rd & 2, Daniels was under pressure and the ball ended up on the ground to end the drive.

Another missed field goal: Zane Gonzalez came out to attempt a 52-yard field goal on 4th & 6. This kick, like his earlier attempt, went wide right. The Titans took over on downs at the WAS 42-yard line. The kicking game continues to haunt Dan Quinn.

Tennessee scores a late touchdown, but it’s too little and too late
On 3rd & 7, Levis was under heavy pressure; however, a pass interference call (legitimate) against Jeremy Chinn, gave the Titans 15 yards and a first-down at their own 45-yard line.

Two plays later, Quan Martin was hurt on a completion to Tyler Boyd at Washington’s 21-yard line.

After an incomplete pass and a short gain on a pass to Pollard, the Titans faced 3rd & 6. On the 3rd down play, Levis hit Westbrook-Ikhine at the goal line for a touchdown that looked similar to the TD pass to McLaurin earlier in the game.

Titans head coach Brian Callahan decided to go for two. A beautiful pass from Will Levis to Tyler Boyd was broken up by Mike Sainristil on fantastic diving defensive play.

With 7 minutes left, the Commanders offense strikes a killer blow
On first down, Chris Rodriguez burst through the middle of the line and rumbled 25 yards to the 45-yard line. With just over 6 minutes remaining in the game, Washington’s ball control offense was contributing to a likely win.

Another 7 yards on the next two plays set the Commanders up with 3rd & 3 at the TEN 38-yard line.

On 3rd down, Daniels scrambled to his right and kept the ball as he stepped out of bounds at the 38-yard line. With kicker Zane Gonzalez struggling, Dan Quinn decided to go for it on 4th & 2. Daniels successfully found Luke McCaffrey for a 7-yard gain in the middle of the field to keep the drive alive.

Kliff Kingsbury called Chris Rodriguez’ number again to keep moving the ball and the clock as the time moved under 4 minutes. A screen pass to Dyami Brown gained 3 yards, forcing Tennessee to use its 2nd time out as it faced 3rd & 2.

On the 3rd down play, Daniels faked the ball to CRod, rolled out for a naked bootleg left, and hit Terry McLaurin at the 10-yard line. The chants of “Terry…Terry…Terry” were clearly audible on the game broadcast.

On the next play, Chris Rodriguez, who had been cut by the Commanders 8 days earlier, walked into the end zone to put a 40-burger on the board. Following the PAT, the score was 42-19 with 03:31 remaining, and the Titans were out of time outs. This game is over.

The scoring play lasted 9 plays and covered 71 yards in 3:36.

The fat lady sang
The Titans offense came onto the field, but the entire goal at this point is for both teams to get through the final minutes without injury.

Washington gave up a first down on a defensive pass interference penalty by Bobby Wagner, and Noah Igbinoghene nearly picked off a pass. With 02:48 on the clock, Tennessee faced 4th & 8 at their own 32-yard line. The 4th down pass fell incomplete.

Let’s just get outta here
With the Titans unable to convert, the Commanders took over possession with 02:39 on the clock. Surprisingly, Jayden Daniels remained in the game and Marcus Mariota stayed on the sideline. A Chris Rodriguez run brought up the 2-minute warning.

Daniels handed the ball to Rodriguez two more times to achieve the first down and seal the win.

With a bye week ahead, Washington was able to relax and enjoy the break with an 8-5 record, well-positioned for a wildcard seeding for the playoffs.

Tennessee Titans vs. Washington Commanders | 2024 Week 13 Game Highlights

Full Game Stats

Statistics via ESPN

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