Commanders get right in Jayden Daniels' return, come back to beat the Chargers

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The Washington Commanders had a dream season in 2024. This season has been a little more challenging at the start. 

But the Commanders are showing they have the toughness to fight their way through some adversity. 

Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers could end up being a big one in the Commanders' season. They came into the game 2-2, after quarterback Jayden Daniels missed two games due to a knee injury, and fell behind by 10 points to strong team on the road right away. But behind two touchdown runs and 150 total yards by rookie running back Bill Croskey-Merritt and a strong defensive effort for the final three quarters, the Commanders stormed back to win 27-10. 

It wasn't a win on a Hail Mary or an overtime win that set up a raucous celebration, like they had last season. But it was an impressive win that puts the Commanders right back on track. 

Washington falls behind early

The Chargers were in control early on. They led 10-0. Washington, as has been the case most of this season, started very slow. Croskey-Merritt's first touchdown got Washington back in the game, then a Chargers penalty completely changed the game. 

The Commanders were punting from their own end zone, and Ladd McConkey returned the punt for a touchdown. But on the play, rookie linebacker Marlowe Wax crashed into the punter's plant leg as he went for the block. That was a 15-yard roughing the punter penalty, a first down and new life for the Commanders' drive. A great pass and catch on a 40-yard gain by Luke McCaffrey got the Commanders in position for a field goal, and they hit it to tie the game. It looked like the Chargers might have a 17-7 lead late in the first half, but instead it was 10-10 going into halftime. 

Then the Commanders got a second touchdown run from Croskey-Merritt early in the second half, and it was clear the game had completely changed in Washington's favor. 

Commanders D comes up big

The Commanders defense was fantastic after some issues early on. The one time they gave up a long drive in the second half, they made a huge play to keep the Chargers off the board. 

The Chargers had first-and-goal at the 1-yard line and threw incomplete and then took a loss on a run. Then Justin Herbert made a terrible mistake, throwing an interception right to Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil. 

That was practically it for the Chargers. After that, the Commanders just had to sit on the lead after that, which they did for a win that might change the trajectory of their season.