The New Orleans Saints were lined up at the 2-yard line with thousands of fans backing their decision to keep their offense on the field to win the game after Spencer Rattler had thrown a one-yard touchdown to Foster Moreau at the end of regulation.

Rattler, who came in for Jake Haener in the second half, rolled to his right and saw tight end Juwan Johnson near the goal line. He fired his shot, but thanks in part to cover from cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, the ball was just out of reach. As Rattler jogged off the field in dejection, the Commanders defense celebrated holding strong at the last possible moment.

Of course, Washington does have plenty to be happy about, and not just because Rattler's errant pass secured a 20-19 victory at the Superdome -- a notoriously difficult venue for visitors. Head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters have helped the franchise secure their first winning record since 2016, providing even more confidence for the team's long-term future under their guidance.

But in terms of the short-term importance, the Commanders also tightened their hold on the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. It was a game they needed to win to hold off teams like the Los Angeles Rams still in the hunt. It wasn't a perfect day from either side of the ball, but it was enough to provide some momentum for the final three matchups, two of which will be at home.

As good of a moment as the failed two-point conversion was for the Commanders, there's an argument it didn't need to come down to that.

Both versions of the Commanders were present against the Saints. In the first half, Jayden Daniels led an offense that looked more like what they put on display against the Tennessee Titans two weeks ago. Daniels was nearly perfect through two quarters, completing 17-of-19 passes and fueling a 165-yard effort. McLaurin had another two-touchdown performance, and the defense gave Haener fits with three sacks. The Saints' ground game, which was ranked 10th heading into Sunday, was limited to just 18 yards.

Then the second half rolled around, and the Commanders started running into problems. Although players like Daniels, who picked up a third-and-14 with a 24-yard run, provided plays that led to two field goals, they were held to a punt and a missed field goal on their final two drives when they could have closed out the game. That gave Rattler and the Saints time to climb back from a 14-0 hole and set up the final play at the end of regulation.

To start the afternoon, though, the Commanders were in full control. Daron Payne brought Haener down for an 11-yard sack on third down, and the offense responded by going on a 12-play drive that was kept alive thanks to an unnecessary roughness penalty by the Saints on a 45-yard field goal from Greg Joseph. The flag moved the Commanders up to the Saints' 13-yard line, and after a mixture of penalties and fumbles that moved the ball back to the 16, McLaurin finished things off with his first score of the day.

Washington's defensive line wasn't the only thing making Haener's first start a difficult one for the 2023 draft pick. With less than 12 minutes left in the first half, he tried to force a pass to Alvin Kamara, who left the game in the second half with a groin injury and got picked off by Mike Sainristil. Daniels and the offense made him pay for the error even further with a 10-yard drive. Zach Ertz made a one-handed grab that set the unit up at the Saints' 3-yard line, and Daniels connected with McLaurin in the end zone one play later.

As pesky as Rattler and the Saints were in the second half, there were moments where the Commanders could have put the game away. Daniels was sacked -- one of eight times on the afternoon -- at the Saints' 1-yard line to start the third quarter, forcing the Commanders to settle for a 23-yard field goal. McLaurin was wide open on three different occasions but couldn't haul in Daniels' passes. An offensive holding call -- one of nine penalties called on Washington -- erased a 23-yard pick up by Dyami Brown, leading to the Commanders missing a 51-yard field goal attempt.

The miss from Joseph set the Saints up at their own 44-yard line, and healthy doses of Rattler, who completed four of his first five passes on the drive, and running back Kendre Miller had them in scoring position. A pass from Rattler to Moreau on fourth-and-3 moved the Saints to the 1-yard line, and the two connected again to make the score 20-19.

The Saints chose to try winning the game on that drive rather than force overtime, though, and that was when Rattler's luck finally ran out.