In a back-and-forth battle in Atlanta, the Washington Football Team pulled out a last-minute victory in a game that had looked lost.
The victory came when Taylor Heinicke hit J.D. McKissic with a short pass that McKissic turned into a spectacular 30-yard touchdown, with a dive into the end zone at the end. That gave Washington a 34-30 lead, and although Atlanta did manage to get into position for a Hail Mary as time expired, the pass fell incomplete in the end zone.
Heinicke had another strong game, completing 23 of 33 passes for 290 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
For the Falcons, Cordarrelle Patterson did a little of everything, leading the team in rushing yards, receiving yards and kick return yards, and scoring three receiving touchdowns. But it wasn’t enough.
In one of the most controversial plays of the day, Chase Young appeared to have sacked Matt Ryan on fourth down, only to have the Falcons get an automatic first down when the officials ruled that Young illegally delivered a blow to Ryan’s helmet.
That game will generate plenty of discussions about the officiating, but in the end Washington found a way to win to improve to 2-2. Atlanta falls to 1-3.