Washington Commanders vs. Atlanta Falcons: 2023 Week 6 Recap

Game story

In Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season on 2023-10-15, the Washington Commanders took care of business against the Atlanta Falcons, pulling away with a 24–16 final that built a comfortable lead.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 20 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

D. Ridder (Atlanta Falcons) paced the passing game, with -2.11 total EPA, and -3.2% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, C. Samuel (Washington Commanders) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +4.88 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-17.1% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when Atlanta Falcons changed the game: (5:17) (Shotgun) 9-D.Ridder pass short right intended for 5-D.London INTERCEPTED by 25-B.St-Juste at WAS -5. Touchback.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 C. Samuel · Washington Commanders · Receiving · +4.88 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.22 EPA/play
2. 2 M. Hollins · Atlanta Falcons · Receiving · +4.21 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.05 EPA/play
3. 3 D. London · Atlanta Falcons · Receiving · +3.59 total EPA · 12 snaps · +0.30 EPA/play
4. 4 K. Pitts · Atlanta Falcons · Receiving · +2.53 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.42 EPA/play
5. 5 J. Smith · Atlanta Falcons · Receiving · +2.37 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.47 EPA/play
6. 6 S. Howell · Washington Commanders · Rushing · +2.21 total EPA · 3 snaps · +0.74 EPA/play
7. 7 B. Robinson · Washington Commanders · Receiving · +1.99 total EPA · 2 snaps · +0.99 EPA/play
8. 8 C. Patterson · Atlanta Falcons · Receiving · +0.75 total EPA · 1 snaps · +0.75 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Atlanta Falcons — K. Pitts (D. Ridder pass) (Q1 47:51)
• Washington Commanders — A. Gibson (S. Howell pass) (Q2 41:51)
• Washington Commanders — C. Samuel (S. Howell pass) (Q2 35:24)
• Washington Commanders — B. Robinson (S. Howell pass) (Q3 27:12)
• Atlanta Falcons — J. Smith (D. Ridder pass) (Q4 12:43)

Field goals

• Washington Commanders — J. Slye (Q1 53:48)
• Atlanta Falcons — Y. Koo (Q2 31:36)
• Atlanta Falcons — B. Pinion (Q2 31:31)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Atlanta Falcons won the period 7–3. Washington Commanders connected on a field goal from the ATL 19 (Q1 53:48) — (8:48) 6-J.Slye 37 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-54-C.Cheeseman, Holder-5-T.Way.; Atlanta Falcons found the end zone from the WAS 9 (Q1 47:51); Atlanta Falcons added 1 points from the WAS 15 (Q1 47:46) — 6-Y.Koo extra point is GOOD, Center-49-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion..

The second quarter: Washington Commanders won the period 14–6. Washington Commanders found the end zone from the ATL 1 (Q2 41:51) — (11:51) 14-S.Howell pass short right to 24-A.Gibson for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Washington Commanders added 1 points from the ATL 15 (Q2 41:47) — 6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-54-C.Cheeseman, Holder-5-T.Way.; Washington Commanders found the end zone from the ATL 7 (Q2 35:24) — (5:24) (Shotgun) 14-S.Howell pass short middle to 4-C.Samuel for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Washington Commanders added 1 points from the ATL 15 (Q2 35:18) — 6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-54-C.Cheeseman, Holder-5-T.Way.; Atlanta Falcons connected on a field goal from the WAS 29 (Q2 31:36) — (1:36) 6-Y.Koo 47 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.; Atlanta Falcons connected on a field goal from the ATL 35 (Q2 31:31) — 13-B.Pinion kicks 65 yards from ATL 35 to end zone, Touchback..

The third quarter: Washington Commanders won the period 7–0. Washington Commanders found the end zone from the ATL 24 (Q3 27:12) — (12:12) (Shotgun) 14-S.Howell pass short right to 8-B.Robinson for 24 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Washington Commanders added 1 points from the ATL 15 (Q3 27:03) — 6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-54-C.Cheeseman, Holder-5-T.Way..

The fourth quarter: Atlanta Falcons won the period 6–0. Atlanta Falcons found the end zone from the WAS 2 (Q4 12:43) — (12:43) 9-D.Ridder pass short left to 81-J.Smith for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Atlanta Falcons (Q4 5:17) — (5:17) (Shotgun) 9-D.Ridder pass short right intended for 5-D.London INTERCEPTED by 25-B.St-Juste at WAS -5. Touchback. [WPA -17.1% · EPA -4.87]
• Washington Commanders (Q1 56:15) — (11:15) (Shotgun) 14-S.Howell pass deep right to 17-T.McLaurin ran ob at ATL 23 for 22 yards. Penalty on ATL-97-G.Jarrett, Defensive Offside, declined. [WPA +13.1% · EPA +3.06]
• Atlanta Falcons (Q2 43:35) — (13:35) 13-B.Pinion punts 43 yards to WAS 28, Center-49-L.McCullough. 83-J.Crowder to ATL 11 for 61 yards (33-T.Flowers). [WPA -11.4% · EPA -4.21]
• Atlanta Falcons (Q2 38:23) — (8:23) (Shotgun) 9-D.Ridder pass incomplete short right to 7-B.Robinson. [WPA -10.9% · EPA -2.96]
• Atlanta Falcons (Q3 28:03) — (13:03) (Shotgun) 9-D.Ridder pass short left intended for 15-V.Jefferson INTERCEPTED by 29-K.Fuller at 50. 29-K.Fuller ran ob at ATL 27 for 23 yards (67-D.Dalman; 63-C.Lindstrom). [WPA -10.9% · EPA -5.87]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Atlanta Falcons (Q3 28:03) — (13:03) (Shotgun) 9-D.Ridder pass short left intended for 15-V.Jefferson INTERCEPTED by 29-K.Fuller at 50. 29-K.Fuller ran ob at ATL 27 for 23 yards (67-D.Dalman; 63-C.Lindstrom). [WPA -10.9% · EPA -5.87]
• Atlanta Falcons (Q4 5:17) — (5:17) (Shotgun) 9-D.Ridder pass short right intended for 5-D.London INTERCEPTED by 25-B.St-Juste at WAS -5. Touchback. [WPA -17.1% · EPA -4.87]
• Atlanta Falcons (Q2 43:35) — (13:35) 13-B.Pinion punts 43 yards to WAS 28, Center-49-L.McCullough. 83-J.Crowder to ATL 11 for 61 yards (33-T.Flowers). [WPA -11.4% · EPA -4.21]
• Washington Commanders (Q1 56:15) — (11:15) (Shotgun) 14-S.Howell pass deep right to 17-T.McLaurin ran ob at ATL 23 for 22 yards. Penalty on ATL-97-G.Jarrett, Defensive Offside, declined. [WPA +13.1% · EPA +3.06]

Quarterback report card

D.Ridder led all passers in efficiency for Atlanta Falcons, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• D.Ridder (Atlanta Falcons) · 54 dropbacks · 51.9% completion · -3.2% CPOE · -0.04 EPA/play · -2.11 total EPA
• S.Howell (Washington Commanders) · 30 dropbacks · 46.7% completion · +1.9% CPOE · -0.03 EPA/play · -0.86 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, Washington Commanders generated the better offensive EPA per play (-0.04 vs -0.13), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• Atlanta Falcons: 11 drives, -13.15 total EPA, 3 scoring drives
• Washington Commanders: 12 drives, -2.41 total EPA, 4 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Washington Commanders leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• C. Samuel (Washington Commanders) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• D. Ridder (ATL) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Washington Commanders FG (+3) — Q1 53:48 · ATL 19 · Score 3-0
   (8:48) 6-J.Slye 37 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-54-C.Cheeseman, Holder-5-T.Way.
2. Atlanta Falcons TD (+6) — Q1 47:51 · WAS 9 · Score 3-6
   (2:51) (Shotgun) 9-D.Ridder pass short right to 8-K.Pitts for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on WAS-25-B.St-Juste, Defensive Holding, declined.
3. Atlanta Falcons XP (+1) — Q1 47:46 · WAS 15 · Score 3-7
   6-Y.Koo extra point is GOOD, Center-49-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.
4. Washington Commanders TD (+6) — Q2 41:51 · ATL 1 · Score 9-7
   (11:51) 14-S.Howell pass short right to 24-A.Gibson for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
5. Washington Commanders XP (+1) — Q2 41:47 · ATL 15 · Score 10-7
   6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-54-C.Cheeseman, Holder-5-T.Way.
6. Washington Commanders TD (+6) — Q2 35:24 · ATL 7 · Score 16-7
   (5:24) (Shotgun) 14-S.Howell pass short middle to 4-C.Samuel for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
7. Washington Commanders XP (+1) — Q2 35:18 · ATL 15 · Score 17-7
   6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-54-C.Cheeseman, Holder-5-T.Way.
8. Atlanta Falcons FG (+3) — Q2 31:36 · WAS 29 · Score 17-10
   (1:36) 6-Y.Koo 47 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-L.McCullough, Holder-13-B.Pinion.
9. Atlanta Falcons FG (+3) — Q2 31:31 · ATL 35 · Score 17-10
   13-B.Pinion kicks 65 yards from ATL 35 to end zone, Touchback.
10. Washington Commanders TD (+6) — Q3 27:12 · ATL 24 · Score 23-10
    (12:12) (Shotgun) 14-S.Howell pass short right to 8-B.Robinson for 24 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
11. Washington Commanders XP (+1) — Q3 27:03 · ATL 15 · Score 24-10
    6-J.Slye extra point is GOOD, Center-54-C.Cheeseman, Holder-5-T.Way.
12. Atlanta Falcons TD (+6) — Q4 12:43 · WAS 2 · Score 24-16
    (12:43) 9-D.Ridder pass short left to 81-J.Smith for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.