I’ve heard that enthusiasm over a win before.
I heard it firsthand with the Oakland Raiders the week after we beat the Miami Dolphins to end their winning streak in 1973, and to end their Super Bowl run in 1974. I heard it from the Buffalo Bills after they blasted the Los Angeles Raiders, 51-3, in the 1990 American Football Conference Championship Game. I heard it from the Jacksonville Jaguars after they crushed the Miami Dolphins, 62-7, in a 1999 playoff game.
I heard it again this week, that voice of satisfied confidence that last week’s win is a precursor for good things to come.
It never is.
This week it was Dan Quinn, head coach of the Washington Commanders, who during an interview could not hide his enthusiasm over how his team had hung in there, overcame all obstacles, and ended the Philadelphia Eagles ten game winning streak with a dramatic late touchdown to earn a thrilling 36-33 victory. The win put his young surprising team on the cusp of securing a postseason berth.
All that remains for Washington to lock up a playoff date is a home victory on Sunday over a rookie quarterback making his second professional start with a team that has lost four of their most recent six games.
Easy.
Right?
Nope.
Nearly impossible.
The rookie quarterback is Michael Penix Jr. of the Atlanta Falcons. He replaced a totally ineffective Kirk Cousins who single handedly cost the Falcons wins in recent weeks with a series of interceptions that turned would-be Atlanta conquests into victories for his opposition. Last week, in his first start, Penix had the advantage of playing against one of the NFL’s weaklings, the New York Giants, and led the Falcons to an easy win, 34-7. Now, in his second start, the competition and game site make the challenge more daunting for the Falcons rookie signal caller.
On the road against another rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who is enjoying one of the best seasons ever for a first-year quarterback. Daniels has a completion percentage that ranks among the best all-time and a pocket awareness that belies his youth. He has the ability to run, when necessary, but the intelligence and poise to keep his head looking for potential receivers before abandoning his passing opportunities too soon. A weakness young quarterbacks with the ability to run consistently fall prey to.
The Commanders satisfying come-from-behind triumph over the Eagles all but erases the trouble they had the week before in beating the New Orleans Saints. A team that was a two-point conversion at the end of the game away from handing the Commanders a loss before Washington escaped with a 20-19 conquest.
The Falcons have something more than the Commanders to play for this week. With last week's home win coupled with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday night loss in Dallas, the Falcons are back on top in the NFC South Division. Both Tampa Bay and Atlanta are 8 and 7 this season, but the Falcons downed Baker Mayfield and company in both their head-to-head regular season meetings. That means, if the Falcons and Buccaneers end the season with the same won/loss records, the division title and playoff berth go to Atlanta.
The Commanders making the playoffs even with a loss this week is likely; the Falcons are more in need of a win this week to improve their prospects for postseason participation. And they catch the Commanders off the glow of a victory that history shows always leads to a loss.
Qoxhi Picks: Atlanta Falcons (+3½) over Washington Commanders