John Keim Sep 19, 2026, 06:00 AM ET Close John Keim covers the Washington Commanders for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2013 after a stint with the Washington Post. He started covering the team in 1994 for the Journal Newspapers and later for the Washington Examiner. He has authored/co-authored four books. You can also listen to him on 'The John Keim Report', which airs on ESPN Richmond radio. ASHBURN, Va. -- The play, viewed more than 18 million times on one social media platform, went like this: Washington Commanders special-teamer Tyler Owens, ready to cover a punt, stepped outside then cut back inside and ripped through a double-team at the line of scrimmage. He flung one blocker to the side then stiff-armed the other as he raced downfield. When the other blocker caught back up to Owens, he shoved him to the ground then did the same to the second one. Owens looked like a man chasing someone stealing his car. And then Owens reached the returner, who decided to leap. Bad decision. Owens corralled him and body-slammed him to the ground. Owens then got up and casually walked to the sideline, as if he had just clocked out of work for the day.

"It was just a good rep," he said.— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026 Others begged to differ. Former Pro Bowl defensive end J.J. Watt called it "legitimately one of the greatest football plays I've ever seen." It has been viewed more than 11.6 million times on the NFL's X feed and another 6.9 million times on the NFLmemes feed. More than 40,000 people liked it on the NFL's Instagram page."I was just out there playing football," Owens said. "It never really stood out to me until after."And though it introduced Owens to the sporting world, his teammates needed no introductions. They already knew what he could do -- and has done. They might have been impressed by the play, but they were not surprised. There's a reason Owens made the Commanders as an undrafted free agent in 2024; he made two plays that summer to stand out. Those plays also prompted coach Dan Quinn to make an unusual announcement in a team meeting about Owens. His special teams coach at Texas Tech, Kenny Perry, could point to plays in college that prompted him to tell Owens he would make a long living in the NFL.

"That's what he's been doing," said Washington safety Jeremy Reaves, a special teams Pro Bowler after the 2022 season. "He's done that over and over and over again. That's who he is."Commanders punter Tress Way, who has been in the league since 2014, said he gets the same question from coordinators or assistant coaches on other teams."Just about every team we play, they're like, 'What do you guys feed 18?'" Way said. "I tell them punt returners."Three days after the play, after he had become a teaching tool for special teams coaches at every level and after seeing the reaction and appearing on "The Pat Mc Afee Show," Owens knows it was more than "just a good rep."And though other plays stand out in his mind, this one vs. the Eagles vaulted to the top."I would say this is my favorite," Owens said. "Just because of the physicality. ... It's just rewarding. You put in all this work, finally get to see something come out of it."What he saw was a viral reaction."Just all the GOATS retweeting it and stuff like that. It's pretty dope," Owens said. "I like it."But he admitted that he ran downfield angry, perturbed, because he said the Eagles' jammers had been holding him during the first three punts, grabbing his jersey and even his hair. Owens made it tougher on him on the fourth one by taking an outside release after going inside on the previous punts. It created a space to turn back inside and split the double-team. One of the players he shoved to the ground was Jonathan Jones -- a teammate in 2025. Jones wasn't shocked by the play either: He knows Owens has size (6-foot-2, 213 pounds) and speed (he ran the 100-meter dash in 10.35 seconds in high school). Owens' broad jump of 12 feet 2 inches at the NFL combine in 2024 fell 1 inch short of...