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ORCHARD PARK – With the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles and the currently rolling Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East, the Washington Commanders don’t seem to have much of a chance to win that stacked division.
However, two weeks into the 2023 season Ron Rivera’s team is right there, tied for the lead with those two powerhouses at 2-0 after a thrilling 35-33 victory over the Denver Broncos Sunday.
The Commanders fell behind 21-3 in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High, but they roared back with a 32-3 run that extended from late in the second quarter until midway through the fourth to take a 35-24 lead.
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Denver then pulled within two on the final play of the game when the Commanders gave up a 50-yard Hail Mary touchdown from Russell Wilson to Brandon Johnson, but Washington was able to stop the two-point conversion to secure the victory.
Washington’s respected defense gave up 399 yards to the Broncos, and now it has to confront the revived Buffalo Bills who are coming off a 38-point, 450-yard day against the Raiders.
Here’s an early look ahead to the matchup:
Top players for Washington Commanders on offense, defense
▶ QB Sam Howell: This guy is not making anyone’s elite QB list, probably ever, but the 2022 fifth-round pick is now 3-0 as an NFL starter as he threw for 299 yards and two TDs against the Broncos.
▶ RB Brian Robinson: The 2022 third-round pick, who saw the start of his NFL career delayed last year when he suffered a gunshot, had 87 yards rushing and caught two passes for 42 yards Sunday. The 225-pounder from Alabama is a load to bring down.
▶ WR Curtis Samuel: The seventh-year veteran was held in check by the Broncos as he had just three catches for 19 yards, but for his career he has 263 receptions for 2,843 yards and 18 TDs, most of that coming during four years with the Panthers.
▶ WR Terry McLaurin: The Commanders most explosive target had five catches for 44 yards Sunday as he’s still battling a toe injury from the preseason. He has three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and 4,366 yards across his first four-plus NFL seasons with 22 TDs.
▶ WR Jahan Dotson: A first-round pick (No. 16 overall) last year, he was a player many people thought would be a great pick for the Bills. He had 35 catches last season in 12 games with seven going for TDs, but he’s off to a slow start with eight for 62 yards this year.
▶ DE Montez Sweat: Part of an elite defensive line that will give the Bills a massive test. He already has nine tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles in the first two games of the season.
▶ DE Chase Young: The No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft missed the opener with an injury but made his debut in Denver and had 1.5 sacks and three tackles.
▶ LB Jamin Davis: The Commanders’ first-round pick in 2021 is coming off a 104-tackle season in 2022 when he became a full-time starter. This year he has nine tackles and a forced fumble.
▶ SS Kamren Curl: Through two games he’s the Commanders’ leading tackler with 21.
Who is favored to win Bills vs Commanders?
The Bills have opened as a 6.5-point favorite for the game.
The money line is Bills minus-280 (bet $280 to win $100) and Commanders plus-235 (bet $100 to win $235). The over-under is 46.
What time does the Bills vs Commanders game start?
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m at FedEx Field.
How to watch Bills vs Commanders game on TV, streaming
∎ Cable/Network: CBS. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WROC (Channel 8, Rochester), WIVB (Buffalo area), WTVH (Syracuse area), WKTV (Utica area), WENY (Elmira area), WRGB (Albany area), and WBNG (Binghamton area).
∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV – you must watch on your phone or tablet.
NFL+ is available in the NFL App across all app stores and NFL.com for $6.99/month or $49.99/year, and it now includes NFL Network across devices. Fans can upgrade to NFL+ Premium for $14.99/month or $99.99/year, and get all of the content and features of NFL+ as well as full and condensed game replays, the All-22 Coaches Film, and now NFL RedZone.
Also, for a limited time only, NFL Media is offering a 20% discount off the yearly subscription price for both NFL+ and NFL+ Premium. With it, you’ll be able to watch every local game on Sunday and the national games on Monday and Thursday nights as well as the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
You can also stream games if you have subscriptions to DirecTV, fuboTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Paramount+.
On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Commanders game
You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on channels 146 or 390 (Bills) and channels 111 or 233 (Commanders), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:
- Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)
- Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)
- Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)
- Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)
- Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)
- Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)
- Newark (WACK 1420 AM)
- Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)
- Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)
- Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)
- Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana and on Threads @salmaiorana1. To subscribe to Sal’s newsletter, Bills Blast, which will come out every Friday during training camp, please follow this link:https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
