Bo Nix’s hands flew to his head as soon as his pass hit Bobby Wagner’s hands, the Commanders linebacker standing in no-man’s-land in the middle of a zone. Nix didn’t see him. Or didn’t register him. A double-pump throw intended for rookie wideout Pat Bryant zipped instead directly to Wagner, and Nix came off the field patting his chest in apology for a baffling pick.
At that point Sunday night, conventional wisdom might have suggested a couple of handoffs to calm things down. Denver held a three-point lead over the Commanders. Time ticked in the fourth quarter. They could’ve elected to turn to the ground, and control the clock.