Nik Bonitto batted away Marcus Mariota's pass in overtime to deny Washington a winning two-point conversion as the Denver Broncos held on for their ninth straight victory, a 27-26 thriller over the Commanders on Sunday night.
After Denver's RJ Harvey ran for a touchdown on the first possession of overtime, Mariota drove the Commanders down the field, aided by a pass-interference penalty, connecting with Terry McLaurin for a touchdown.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn went for two, but Bonitto leaped and knocked the ball down to seal a thrilling win.
The win improved the Broncos to 10-2 and kept them in the hunt for the No 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Bo Nix threw for 321 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Broncos, who have eight victories in one-score games.
"We didn't escape. We won," Broncos coach Sean Payton declared. "The journey of a good team's season involves games like this. And then you believe you can do it again."
Washington, meanwhile, now has consecutive overtime losses as part of a seven-game losing streak.
For the Commanders (3-9), a woeful defense has shown signs of improvement in the two games since coach Dan Quinn took over play-calling from coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.
"I was pleased with the run game - this is a team that's been able to get on the edge, which is something we haven't done as well," Quinn said.
"There was progress that was made, certainly in the run game, and we've got plenty of room to grow in that.
"Hate the outcome, but I do love the fight and where we're at."
The game also featured one of the more spectacular NFL touchdown catches in recent memory, with Treylon Burks making a falling one-handed grab in the corner of the end zone.
It was Burks' second career touchdown and first since 2022, and it drew raves from NBC commentator Cris Collinsworth, who compared it to a famous one-handed grab by Odell Beckham Jr. during a Sunday night game in 2014.
Burks wears No 13, Beckham's number with the Giants. Beckham took notice, posting "13 13" on social media.
Burks deflected the fuss, saying: "To me, it was just making a play for the team, honestly. I'm not the type that will sit there and scroll on the internet. I kind of stay away from that."
The Broncos stay on the road to face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14.
Denver play three of their last four games at home, starting with consecutive home games against current playoff teams in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers and Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
They then travel to face the Kansas City Chiefs in a Christmas Day game in Week 17 at Arrowhead Stadium before closing out the regular season against the Los Angeles Chargers at home in Week 18.
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