Dan Quinn wanted to see a positive response from his players after getting some time to reflect over the bye week. The Washington Commanders' season hasn't gone well, but the head coach urged his squad to display the resolve needed to gain some respectability from a lost campaign.
That wouldn't be easy against the in-form Denver Broncos, who were heading in the opposite direction. Sean Payton's men had an eight-game winning run to protect on Sunday Night Football. Not many gave the Commanders a chance of being competitive, but it didn't take long to realize this was going to be a lot closer than the experts initially envisaged.