As the offense refocused after a shaky first half, so did Washington’s defense. Edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. played a significant role in righting the ship for the Commanders in the back half of the game.
With about five and a half minutes left in the third, Fowler broke through Atlanta’s offensive line and managed to get a hand out in the process, dislodging the ball from Penix’s hands. The play on third-and-5 forced Atlanta to punt.
It wouldn’t be the last time Fowler was right in Penix’s face. In the fourth quarter drive, just after Washington took the lead, the 30-year-old edge helped to snuff out the immediate response Atlanta was looking for. He charged through the line, threw in a spin move, and got both arms on top of Penix mid-throw, causing an incomplete pass.
With two tackles, one sack, one quarterback hit, one tackle for loss and one force fumble, the Sunday Night Football win was another very strong performance in a really impressive season for Fowler. He is now the first Washington player with 10-plus sacks in a single season since Daron Payne in 2022, and the first Washington edge rusher with 10-plus sacks in a single season since Ryan Kerrigan in 2018.