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Both the Washington Commanders and Denver Broncos will be coming into Sunday Night Football rested after a Week 12 bye. The Commanders got positive news amid their six-game slide with wide receiver Noah Brown’s 21-day window opening and quarterback Jayden Daniels returning to practice. Daniels is unlikely to play Sunday, although his return indicates he could be back on the field sometime before the end of the season.
Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota will be at the helm for his fourth start this weekend. Against the Miami Dolphins in Madrid, Mariota (66.7%, 213 yards, one touchdown, one interception) threw the game-sealing interception in overtime that allowed the Dolphins to seal the game with a field goal, 16-13.
With head coach Dan Quinn calling the defense, Miami was limited to 311 all-purpose yards and 5.8 yards per play. The defense had an incredible goal-line stand in the fourth quarter, stopping the Dolphins offense at the goal line with less than two minutes remaining to send the game to overtime. The Commanders also recorded three sacks on Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and forced three punts.
The last time Denver took the field, they stunned the Kansas City Chiefs 22-19 in Week 11 for their eighth-straight win. The game came down to a game-winning 35-yard field goal from kicker Wil Lutz as the clock expired after a 2:59 drive. The Broncos have had a number of come-from-behind fourth quarter wins this season, most notably against the New York Giants.
Although the Commanders didn’t face a pass rush of the same caliber as the Broncos in Week 11, both Laremy Tunsil and Chris Paul are two of the best in the league in pass block win rate.
The Eagles gave up a 21-point lead heading into the second half of their Week 12 divisional bout against the Dallas Cowboys, losing 24-21. Dallas’ comeback ties a franchise record for the team’s largest comeback. While the loss didn’t drop the Eagles from first place in the NFC East, it made clinching the division a bit more difficult.
A to Z Sports
MVP: LT Laremy Tunsil
The offense has struggled in many ways over the last few weeks, but one player has been constant all year, and that’s left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Tunsil is the second-highest graded pass blocking tackle in the entire NFL according to PFF, and he’s only allowed one sack on 383 pass blocking snaps. The trade has been well worth it this season, and he will get a new deal this offseason.
Glue guy: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr
He didn’t start the season strong after being a healthy scratch the first few weeks, but as I expected, running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. has been a constant producer over the last few weeks. Rodriguez has still been in a steady rotation at running back, but he has 160 yards on 33 carries and two touchdowns...
