As the offense refocused after a shaky first half, so did Washington’s defense. Edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. played a key role in righting the ship for the Commanders in the back half of the game.

About five and a half minutes before the end of the third period, Fowler broke through the Atlanta offensive line and in the process managed to get a hand out and release the ball from Penix’s hands. The third-and-5 play forced Atlanta to punt.

It wouldn’t be the last time Fowler looked Penix straight in the face. In the fourth quarter, just after Washington took the lead, the 30-year-old helped snuff out the immediate response Atlanta was expecting. He rushed through the line, threw a spin move and landed on Penix with both arms mid-throw, resulting in an incomplete pass.

With two tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble, the Sunday Night Football victory was another very strong performance in a truly impressive season for Fowler. He is now the first Washington player with more than 10 sacks in a single season since Daron Payne in 2022 and the first Washington edge rusher with more than 10 sacks in a single season since Ryan Kerrigan in 2018.