Winner: Broncos pass-rushers
We asked for the Broncos' pass-rush to step up, after being invisible against Las Vegas, and it did. Randy Gregory, Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper all played well in this game.
Cooper had two sacks and Gregory and Bonitto each had one. Both Gregory and Bonitto had an additional tackle for loss each as well. Bonitto did get flagged for a facemask penalty on Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, but it was encouraging to see the second-year player step up when the team needed him to.
It's equally good to see production out of Gregory, who has a long way to go to live up to the contract he received from the team as a free agent last year. Hopefully, this is a trend that he can continue.
As for Cooper, he continues to be a player that makes plays when one is needed for this defense. He might have been the team's best pass-rusher in this game and on one play, he knocked the ball out of Howell's hands, forcing a fumble. The Commanders were able to get on it but it resulted in a 16-yard loss.