The Washington Commanders bounced right back just like their bloodied head coach

“He went into the training room, got bandaged up,” Mariota said, “and was like: ‘All right. Let’s keep going.’ I think that’s what really got the guys going.”

Maybe that's because Washington desperately needed a bounce-back game after an ugly-looking, injury-filled loss in which their offensive line was a glaring issue, their running game was nonexistent, their defense provided little in the way of pressure or resistance and no one really stood out in a positive way.

With some key coaching decisions, steady play from Mariota in place of Jayden Daniels, a strong ground game and contributions from up and down the roster, Washington (2-1) beat Las Vegas 41-24 to get itself pointed in the right direction before facing the Atlanta Falcons (1-2) next weekend.

"A great steppingstone for us,” Mariota said.

With starting running back Austin Ekeler done for the season, the Commanders spread the ball around, with Chris Rodriguez, Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt, Jeremy McNichols, Deebo Samuel and Mariota each getting at least three carries and totaling 201 yards rushing, 174 in the first half. Croskey-Merritt, Mariota and McNichols each scored a rushing TD, with McNichols going for 60 yards.

They did it behind an offensive line with two new starting guards — Andrew Wylie for Nick Allegretti on the right side, and Chris Paul for Brandon Coleman on the left — that also allowed only one sack.

“We weren’t happy,” Quinn said, referring to Washington's previous outing, a 27-18 loss at Green Bay on Sept. 11, “but we’re going to make the adjustments: What do we got to do to change it?”

What’s working

Special teams. From the day's first touch — Samuel's 69-yard return on the opening kickoff, setting up Mariota's 2-yard TD run after a short drive — to rookie Jaylin Lane's 90-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter, Washington dominated that area Sunday.

What needs help

The secondary. That's why the Commanders are signing safety Darnell Savage, according to his agent, Seth Katz. Savage, a 28-year-old from Maryland in his seventh NFL season, was released by the Jaguars last week. After giving up 289 yards on 19 completions to Geno Smith, including three TD passes to Tre Tucker, Washington is allowing 12.5 yards per completion — only the Dallas Cowboys, at 12.7, are worse this season. Another glaring statistic on the defensive side: The Commanders do not have a single takeaway. The only other teams with zero turnovers are the Jets and Dolphins, who are both 0-3.

Stock up

The pass rush. Washington sacked Smith five times, including twice by LB Bobby Wagner, who hadn't registered even a half-sack in the preceding 14 games, and last had two in one game in October 2023. Von Miller, Dorrance Armstrong and Javontae Jean-Baptiste also got in on the act. “We have guys that you have to respect,” Wagner said. "What we did today, I think we could do that throughout the rest of the season.”

Stock down

PK Matt Gay. He missed another field-goal attempt against the Raiders — from just 37 yards — making him 1 for 4 this season to that point. Gay did make two kicks later in the game, from 46 and 56 yards.

Injuries

The most important status to monitor will be that of Daniels, of course. Terry McLaurin, Washington's best receiver, hurt a quadriceps muscle on a 56-yard catch, while four members of the secondary left the game at some point: S Will Harris (ankle), S Percy Butler (hip), CB Marshon Lattimore (evaluated for a concussion) and CB Trey Amos (calf).

Key number

29% — Success rate on third downs for the Commanders' opponents through three games, 12 of 42, the best in the NFL. Washington held Las Vegas to 3 for 14, 21.4%.

Next steps

The Commanders face another struggling opponent they should beat, Atlanta, which is coming off an embarrassing 30-0 loss to Carolina. There will be reunions: Quinn coached Atlanta to a Super Bowl appearance; Falcons backup quarterback Kirk Cousins used to start for Washington.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL