“Hey, save some of that champagne for the flight home,” might be the attitude of the Washington Commanders team this week as they head to London to meet the Indianapolis Colts in the third of nine 2026 National Football League International games.
Now, that is borrowing from a line David Letterman used in his Top Ten list the day after the Buffalo Bills lost their fourth straight Super Bowl … this one after leading at halftime. In what I hold as the funniest line from that long-running Letterman feature was when he asked what was said in the Bills locker room at halftime, “Hey, save some of that champagne for after the game.”
One can only surmise how giddy Dan Quinn’s team is today following last Sunday’s upset win over the defending Super Bowl Champions. Most saw the fact that Washington had to start their backup quarterback, Marcus Mariota, following the injury suffered by Jayden Daniels a detriment to the team. At the same time, the visiting Seattle Seahawks were getting back their Super Bowl winning starter, Sam Darnold, who was injured early in Seattle’s season opening victory over the New England Patriots.
Then they played the game.
The Seahawks thought their talent and the return of Darnold would be enough to carry the day. The Commanders saw the challenge of playing with their backup against the Super Bowl Champions. Talent favored the Seahawks, but the motivation heavily weighed in the home team’s favor and carried the day in Washington’s 33-31 win.
Now what?