After the Washington Commanders’ Week 8 Hail Mary victory over the Chicago Bears, they received a broad, first-hand look at how one gutting moment can absolutely short-circuit a franchise. The Bears went from looking like a promising team on the rise to giving up replay-worthy outlier touchdowns on a weekly basis. The offensive coordinator was fired. The head coach’s seat went from lukewarm to hotter than a suspect, off-brand phone charger purchased on Amazon. The team has lost five consecutive games and fallen to 4–7.
So, the unfolding of the Commanders’ wild Week 12 game against the Dallas Cowboys—in which Washington nearly tied the game after a delirious 86-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds remaining, only to miss the extra point—offers some particularly high stakes for the near future of this franchise.
