LANDOVER — Repeated chants broke out at FedEx Field on Sunday. And not the ones that you might expect.
Just days earlier, with the Washington Commanders confirming that owner Dan Snyder was exploring a sale of the franchise, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to hear a chorus of “sell of the team” take over Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
But the ticket holders in the stands seemed, for once, more focused on the action on the field than off, and that interest could be heard clearly in the chants for fan-favorite Taylor Heinicke.
Heinicke, the gritty backup who had dragged the team back to .500 with two straight wins, was out of miracles against the Vikings though and so were his teammates.
Heinicke threw a costly interception in the fourth, defensive tackle John Ridgeway was called for a brutal penalty and the Washington Commanders blew a double-digit lead to suffer a 20-17 loss.
The defeat snapped a three-game Washington winning streak as the Commanders fell to 4-5 on the season. Heinicke finished with 149 yards on 15 of 28 passing for two touchdowns and an interception — the latter of which helped the Vikings back in the game.
Though this loss doesn’t fall solely on Heinicke. The Commanders had the opportunity to get the ball back with just under two minutes left, but defensive tackle John Ridgeway was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty that wiped out Minnesota’s short-field goal attempt — giving the Vikings a new set of downs.
The Vikings (7-1) were able to drain the clock down all the way to 12 seconds after the error. Heinicke completed one pass before running back Antonio Gibson was tackled in bounds to let time expire.
With all the drama of the past week, it was easy to forget that an actual football game needed to be played — an important one, at that. Sunday marked the return of former Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Vikings quarterback who hadn’t played at FedEx Field since leaving in free agency in 2018. These Vikings are off to their best start in Cousins’ tenure — thanks partly to the hiring of first-year coach Kevin O’Connell, Washington’s former offensive coordinator.
The Commanders have struggled to replace Cousins. And the Vikings’ first drive was a forceful reminder of that. The quarterback led Minnesota on an efficient nine-play, 78-yard drive — throwing repeatedly to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who hauled in a 9-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead.
Washington’s offense, meanwhile, failed to generate much of anything to begin the game. The unit was particularly bad on third down — a season-long problem, no matter who has been under center for the Commanders. Washington finally picked up its first third-down conversion of the game with less than two minutes left in the first half.
But the Commanders hung in there — with their defense again paving the way. Like in their last three wins, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio’s unit made repeated stops by pressuring Cousins. The defense even forced a turnover late in the first half when cornerback Benajmin St-Juste forced a pass breakup that fell right into teammate Danny Johnson’s hands for the interception.
The Commanders went into halftime down, 7-3. But when Heinicke and company came out of the locker room, Washington finally got into a rhythm.
That was jumpstarted by a remarkable throw from Heinicke in which he threw into triple coverage to complete a 47-yard touchdown to wide receiver Curtis Samuel. Samuel fought through the bodies, hauled in the catch and rolled into the end zone untouched to give the Commanders the lead.
It didn’t end there. Heinicke later found Dax Milne for a 6-yard strike to cap a 10-play, 78-yard drive, giving Washington a 17-7 lead.
The Vikings, though, had gotten off to their strong start by learning how to claw through games. Despite the deficit, Minnesota worked its way back. Minnesota’s rally started with a nine-play, 68-yard drive that resulted in a 25-yard field goal.
Then, Heinicke threw a crucial interception with 8:52 left — giving the Vikings the ball back at Washington’s 12-yard line after safety Harrison Smith’s 35-yard return. The Vikings needed just two plays to score — with Cousins hitting running back Dalvin Cook for the 12-yard touchdown.
That tied the game, and Washington’s offense couldn’t rally. After a Commanders three-and-out, Minnesota got the ball back — driving all the way down the field. And the Commanders committed a horrendous mistake on Ridgeway’s penalty, an error it couldn’t overcome.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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