The Commanders went up 10 points on a Curtis Samuel touchdown catch in the second quarter, but the Falcons were able to pare it down before halftime.
Younghoe Koo hit a field goal to slice the Washington lead to 17-10 and the Falcons had back-to-back sacks of Sam Howell on the ensuing drive to force a quick punt. The kick was short and the Falcons took over in Washington territory with 48 seconds to play, but a false start on Jake Matthews and a couple of incompletions meant that the Commanders are still up a touchdown at the break.
Howell has now been sacked 32 times through five-and-a-half games, but he was able to throw a pair of touchdowns when he wasn’t being dropped by Falcons defenders. One of the sacks was by defensive lineman Calais Campbell and the veteran now has 100 of them on his career.
Howell’s first touchdown pass was set up by a 61-yard punt return by Jamison Crowder that set Washington up in the Atlanta red zone and the second came after a failed fourth down try by the Falcons near midfield. Those short fields proved manageable to the Commanders and their defense has also forced a pair of three-and-outs so far on Sunday.
The Falcons will need to sustain more drives in the second half if they’re going to get a win at home on Sunday.