'SNF' takeaways: Broncos escape again in thrilling OT win over Commanders

All but two of Denver's 12 games have been decided by one score this season and Sunday night was no different. However, five of the one-score wins have come against teams with a record below .500, including the one-point win over the Commanders.

According to the NBC broadcast, the Broncos ranked third in points allowed entering Week 13, while their 49 sacks were the most through 11 games since 2000. Despite the stout defense, this Broncos team always seems to find itself in tightly-contested games.

At some point, you would think the close calls would eventually catch up to the Broncos. At this point, they seem to make the right plays when they need to, even when things are not going their way. Sometimes, that is all it takes and it currently has Denver (10-2) atop the AFC standings depending on what happens on Monday night when the New England Patriots host the New York Giants.

Treylon Burks makes spectacular catch for Commanders

The 2022 first-rounder only had one TD catch entering Sunday night, but you would never know it. Burks made this sensational one-handed grab to give Washington the 14-13 lead early in the third quarter, drawing comparisons to the highlight-reel grab from former Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr.

That five-yard TD was Burks' only catch of the game, but he certainly made the most of it on a day where several stars around the league made spectacular catches of their own.

Bo Nix completes wild TD pass

It was not the smoothest of nights for the second-year QB, but he still made a few noteworthy plays. One of them came on a 2nd-and-10 prior to the half when he somehow found a way to hit wide receiver Courtland Sutton for this incredible TD.

Nix scrambled 10.4 yards and only had a 30.8% completion probability on the throw (h/t Next Gen Stats).

Nix was 29-of-45 for 321 yards with one TD and one interception against a Commanders team that ranked 28th in the league in points allowed (26.9 PPG) entering Week 13. It was ugly at times, but the effort to extend that play and get the TD was a huge play in the game.

Pesky Commanders come up just short

The Commanders entered Week 13 with a 3-8 record and without star QB Jayden Daniels (elbow) once again. That did not stop veteran Marcus Mariota from stepping up in a big way.

He was 28-of-50 for 294 yards with two TDs and one interception. Mariota also led the team with 55 rush yards and made key plays down the stretch to keep the game alive, converting multiple third and fourth downs. The Commanders even converted eight of their 17 third-down attempts against a Broncos team that leads the league with a 30.7% conversion rate.

It would have been easy to just hand the win to Denver given what Washington was up against coming into the night, but the Commanders gave everything they had and left it all on the field.