GREATER LANDOVER, Md. — The Washington Commanders closed out the preseason with a win at home against the New England Patriots on Sunday. While the preseason finale was somewhat expected — with 34 starters sitting out the contest — the end of the game did provide some excitement.
Hometown hero Trace McSorley threw a touchdown a pass to Martavis Bryant with just over three minutes left to seal the 20-10 victory. Both Bryant and McSorely are recent additions to the roster, joining the team just two weeks ago.
Bryant's last NFL game was six years ago with the Raiders. Sunday's catch was his first touchdown since 2017.
Meanwhile, McSorley signed with the team around the same time as Bryant. The Ashburn, Virginia native said he and Bryant have been working closely together during training camp.
"Me and him, we’ve been doing a lot of stuff after practice, walk-throughs on our own trying to get the offense down with these guys and I was happy for him to be able to kind of make some big plays, get some catches and, obviously, the exclamation point with the touchdown,” McSorley said after the game.
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Bryant said he was thankful for the opportunity to make an impact.
"It’s great to play football again and just got to take advantage of every opportunity,” he said
Sunday also marked the first preseason action for Washington kicker Cade York, who was acquired in a trade with Cleveland earlier in the week. York was 2 for 2, from 34 and 33 yards.
Head coach Dan Quinn said he deliberately passed up fourth-down attempts to give York some practice.
“In this one we were really wanted to make sure he had some chances to hit his kicks if those moments were there, so that’s what we did,” Quinn said.
The Commanders open the regular season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now that the preseason has wrapped up, the team's top brass looks toward cutting the roster down to 53 men.
Quinn spoke about the process he has been going through with general manager Adam Peters.
"Yeah, it's honestly one that's been ongoing for a long time. And Adam and I spent a lot of time together going through the roster, digging in and finding it. And in fact, he was watching a whole bunch of film today. And that's this time of year, what goes on for the initial 53, what does that look like? Who's there? It's a puzzle to put together, but we'll spend a bunch more time here over the next couple days and just make sure we can find the right fit for the team," Quinn said.
The Commanders will have tough decisions to make at defensive tackle, particularly after a pair of strong performances against the Patriots.
Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne will be the starters, and rookie Johnny Newton is assured of a spot. On Sunday night, Phidarian Mathis and John Ridgeway both made strong final statements in the push to make the 53-man roster.
“I really felt his energy,” Quinn said about Mathis. "The guys did, too. So it was really cool to see him. We’ve had good conversations with he and some of the other guys about specifically what we’re looking for.
Bryant is approaching Tuesday's deadline with gratitude.
“It’s all about leaving it out on the field you know. Control what you can control, and the guys came together tonight and pulled off a great win. It was a great job and a great two final drives to close out the game and I’m just happy and grateful to be here,” he said.