Commanders seek to win first road opener since…
When did the Washington NFL franchise last win their first road game of a season?
It certainly wasn’t last season in Detroit. The Lions completely embarrassed the Commanders, racing out to a 22-0 halftime lead before defeating Washington 36-27.
How about 2021? Washington had split their first two games, both at home, losing to the Chargers 20-16 and then defeating the Giants 30-29. They traveled to Buffalo for the season’s first road game and were blown out by the Bills. The Bills had leads of 21-0 and 43-14, winning 43-21.
Ron Rivera’s first road game as a Washington head coach in 2020 was not competitive. Washington had won the opener at home 27-17 over the Eagles. But in Phoenix, the Cardinals raced to a 20-0 halftime lead and led 27-3 early in the final quarter before beating Washington 30-15.
Was it during Jay Gruden’s last season as head coach in 2019? Washington opened on the road at Philadelphia. Quarterback Case Keenum connected with tight end Vernon Davis for a 48-yard touchdown and rookie receiver Terry McLaurin for a 69-yard touchdown, and the Redskins led the Eagles 17-0 in the second quarter.
However, the Eagles then outscored Washington 32-10 the rest of the way, defeating Washington 32-27.
That’s right; we have to go all the way back to 2018 to find Washington winning their first road game of a season. The Redskins opened at Arizona, and new quarterback Alex Smith had touchdown passes to Chris Thompson (13 yards) and Jordan Reed (4 yards), opening up a 24-0 lead before winning 24-6.
#Redskins top Cardinals, 24-6
Alex Smith’s final stat line:
• Comp/Att: 21/30
• Pass yds: 255
• Yds per comp: 8.5
• Passer rating: 118.1
• TD-INT: 2-0 pic.twitter.com/1Pxv6UzpQc— The District Quarterback (@DistrictQB) September 9, 2018
So, it was six NFL seasons ago when Washington won their road opener. Today, Washington will face the Broncos in Denver. Not only are they looking to win a road opener, but this will be Sam Howell’s first NFL road game as well.
