LANDOVER, Md. — The Broncos have taken over the No. 1 seed for the AFC playoff race.

At least for a day.

With a wild 27-26 overtime win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday night at Northwest Stadium, the Broncos moved to 10-2, the same record as New England, but the Broncos hold a tiebreaker over the Patriots. However, New England plays Monday night at home against the New York Giants before having its bye week.

In winning their ninth straight game, the Broncos took a 27-20 lead in overtime on a 5-yard touchdown run by RJ Harvey with 6:59 left. Washington’s Marcus Mariota then threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with 2:47 left in overtime to cut the deficit to 27-26. But outside linebacker Nik Bonitto batted down Mariota’s 2-point conversion pass attempt.

“It was a great play for sure, and I’m happy we found a way,’’ Bonitto said.

There were a lot of happy guys in Denver’s locker room. Even though the Broncos barely beat the now 3-9 Commanders, head coach Sean Payton didn’t look at it that way.

“No escape,’’ he said. “We won a close game in overtime. It was smoky (in the locker room). We have a smoke machine. It was loud. We have a sound machine.”

During their nine-game streak, the Broncos have won seven times by four points or less.

“We’ve been in these close games and pressure and guys just answer the bell,’’ said Broncos tight end Evan Engram.

Engram answered it in overtime. He caught a 41-yard pass from Bo Nix to the Washington 11 to set up Harvey’s go-ahead touchdown.

“It was a big play,’’ said Engram, who had a team-high six catches for 79 yards. “Bo did a good job of seeing the defense.”

Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram (1) runs with the ball after catching a pass against Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) during overtime of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Landover, Md.. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

Nix completed 29 of 45 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown.

“Bo was fantastic in that final drive (in overtime),’’ Payton said. “Evan made a great play and a lot of guys stepped up.”

Then Denver’s defense stepped up. Payton said on the 2-point attempt that the Commanders left Bonitto open as a free rusher.

“(Mariota) kind of drifted back kind of far, too, so I knew he was just kind of buyng time, so at that point he was just trying to make a hard run and throw the ball,” Bonitto said. “And I ended up knocking it down and ended up winning the game.”

Bonitto was wearing a club due to a wrist injury. But he had a sack earlier in the game, giving him 10.5 on the season, and then made the big play on Mariota.

“”Should out to Nik Bonitto.” said safety Talanoa Hufanga, who played and had a team-high 13 tackles after being listed as questionable earlier in the day with an illness. “They had a play drawn up, and Washington (had) executed all the way down the field. They were poised. Nik made a play, because if he didn’t, they score, and they win the game.”

Trailing 20-17, Washington had tied the score 20-20 on a 32-yard field goal by Jake Moody on the final play of regulation. The Commanders drove 71 yards in 18 plays, which included converting a fourth-and-1 and a fourth-and-6.

On their overtime touchdown drive, the Commanders converted two fourth-down plays. On fourth-and-6 at the Broncos 41, a pass interference call on Hufanga nullified a Brandon Jones interception. And the touchdown pass to McLaurin came on fourth down.

“They’re a tough out,” Payton said.

The Broncos trailed 14-13 before taking a 20-14 lead on Harvey’s 1-yard touchdown run with 3:59 left in the third quarter. The Commanders cut the deficit to 20-17 on Moody’s 38-yard field goal with 12:37 left in regulation.

The Broncos drove twice into the red zone in the first half and both times settled for 33-yard field goals by Wil Lutz for a 6-0 lead.

Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey (12) scores a touchdown during an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)

The Commanders finally put together a scoring drive in which Chris Rodriguez scored on an 8-yard run to put them up 7-6 with 2:21 left in the half. On the play before, with Washington facing first-and-15 at the Denver 16, Bonitto was called for a personal foul for unnecessary roughness, giving the Commanders a first down at the 8.

But the Broncos stormed back to take the 13-7 lead at halftime on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Nix to Courtland Sutton with we seconds left in the first half. He was under pressure and his right knee almost hit the ground.

“That was an amazing throw,’’ Payton said. “We were worried he was down.”

The Commanders regained the lead 14-13 when Mariota hit Treylon Burks for a spectacular, leaping one-handed 5-yard touchdown catch on the first drive of the third quarter. Burks had a tryout with Denver in October before signing with the Commanders.

The Broncos, though, came back to take the 20-14 lead on Harvey’s first touchdown. He now has a team-high eight touchdowns this season.

There was an anxious moment for the Broncos early in the fourth quarter when Nix threw an interception right into the hands of Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner, who returned it 6 yards to the Denver 36. But the Broncos held Washington to the 38-yard field goal by Moody.

Despite Harvey’s touchdowns, Denver’s running game was nothing impressive for the second straight game after J.K. Dobbins was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury. Broncos running backs Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin combined for 59 yards on 19 carries.

The game marked the return to the lineup of cornerback Pat Surtain II, who had missed three games with a pectoral strain, and of linebacker Alex Singleton, who had missed one game following testicular cancer surgery on Nov. 7. Singleton had a breakup on a long throw to Washington tight end Zach Ertz late in regulation.