Week 3: Bobby Wagner, Washington Commanders

photo courtesy washington commanders

Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner has been named the DC Touchdown Club Pro Football Player of the Week after his stout play led the Commanders to a 41-24 win over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

A 14-year NFL veteran who spent nearly all of his career with the Seattle Seahawks, Wagner joined the Commanders prior to last season and immediately made an impact as an experienced leader. An 11-time All-Pro selection who has led the league in tackles in three seasons, Wagner has shown he has plenty of football left.

On Sunday, he made 11 tackles and had two sacks, leading the way for a defense that held the Raiders to just 10 points in the first three quarters as the Commanders built a comfortable lead.

“We wanted to be aggressive,” Wagner said. “We understood that we have really good, talented players. [Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.] did a good job of sending us and mixing up coverages. We had a good game plan.”

It was a welcome victory after having 10 days since the Commanders’ first loss of the season.

“It sucks to lose a game like that on Thursday, because you have so much time to sit and think about it,” Wagner said. “You go back to the drawing board. You know that’s not the team we want to be or the team that we are. And you try to correct those mistakes and be accountable of all those things that happened and try not to let them happen again.”

Washington limited Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty to 17 carries for 63 yards, totaled five sacks and held Las Vegas to 3 of 14 on third down conversions.

But it was a short few seconds in the locker room at halftime that made the game most memorable. Commanders Coach Dan Quinn went for a tumble after being run over on the sideline by quarterback Marcus Mariota. Quinn required medical attention at halftime, leaving players wondering about his availability for the second half. Wagner, as one of the team’s elder statesmen, was preparing to address the team before Quinn appeared out of nowhere.

“It was like a movie,” Wagner said. “That was such a cool moment. I’ll remember that forever, for sure.”