Two teams coming out of their bye week in opposite directions meet in prime time on Sunday when the Denver Broncos visit the Washington Commanders in Landover, Md.
Denver (9-2) has won eight straight and holds the second seed in the AFC behind the New England Patriots (10-2) and ahead of the Indianapolis Colts (8-3).
The Broncos play the Commanders and Raiders before finishing with a difficult four-game stretch that includes the Packers, Jaguars, Chiefs and Chargers.
Wide receiver Troy Franklin said Denver is taking a week-by-week approach.
“If you get too far ahead of yourself, things can possibly fall apart,” Franklin said. “So, you’ve just got to be where your feet are and everything else will just take care of itself.”
Washington (3-8) has dropped six straight games, including a 16-13 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins before its bye.
For Denver, coming off a 22-19 win against Kansas City, coach Sean Payton would like to see improvement in two areas.
“The penalties stand out if you said, ‘What’s the low-hanging fruit that you have to clean up to improve your chances of getting the best possible seed?'” Payton said. “Then, secondly, is harping on the plus-minus turnover (margin), giveaway-takeaway. We (were plus-one) last week, and that meant a lot.”
Denver has committed a league-high 93 penalties for 883 yards, and is minus-3 in turnover ratio, with only nine takeaways.
Offensively the teams are not far apart statistically. The Broncos are 14th in the league on offense, averaging 335.3 yards per game, and the Commanders are ranked 17th with 330.2 yards.
The disparity is greater on defense. Denver boasts the third toughest defense to gain yards and score against, allowing 274.4 yards and 17.5 points per game. Washington is allowing 387.0 yards (31st) and 26.9 points (28th).
“I liked the intensity that I saw, especially down in some of the red zone stuff,” coach Dan Quinn said of the defense against Miami. “I liked the communication to limit the explosive plays. That’s a few of the things I want to see. And heading into this game that’s going to be an important piece for us, to make sure … right spot, right location, really nailing your job not most of the time, every time.”
Kicker Jake Moody, signed off the Bears practice squad, makes his Commanders debut. Washington released Matt Gay after he missed two field goals (51 and 56 yards) against Miami. He had made only 4 of 9 kicks from 50-plus yards.
Washington may soon get some injured players back. Jayden Daniels (elbow) returned to practice Wednesday, although fellow quarterback Marcus Mariota is expected to make his sixth start Sunday.
Safety Will Harris (ankle) could return for the first time since he was injured in Week 3. Wide receivers Terry McLaurin (quad) and Noah Brown (groin/knee) also returned and were limited. McLaurin last played in Week 8, and Brown played just two games.
“It’s awesome,” Mariota said after seeing McLaurin, Brown and Deebo Samuel on the practice field together. “And we understand they’re all working back, but at the same time, to see them out on the field running around doing their thing, it was really cool for all of us.”
For the Broncos, inside linebacker Alex Singleton (illness) and cornerback Pat Surtain (pec) returned to practice on Wednesday. Singleton missed one game after undergoing successful testicular cancer surgery, and Surtain has missed three games.
