Although the Washington Commanders dropped their seventh straight game to the Denver Broncos in a heartbreaking, 27-26 overtime loss Sunday night, wide receiver Treylon Burks' one-handed touchdown grab was an obvious bright spot.

Down 13-7 with a scoring opportunity looming at third-and-goal, Burks was matched up against Broncos cornerback Riley Moss on the outside. With quarterback Marcus Mariota in shotgun formation, Burks ran a route to the corner of the end zone once the ball was snapped, turning his head and extending his right arm up just in time to haul in the catch for the touchdown.

"I always expect myself to go out and play my best and do my best to help the team win," Burks said. "So, I just say it was me going out there, being a pro and trying to help the team win."

Even more remarkable is that Burks underwent surgery just 20 days earlier to repair a spiral fracture to his middle finger on that same hand, an injury that occurred in Week 10 against the Detroit Lions. Burks essentially caught the ball with four fingers, given his repaired middle and index finger were taped together in a splint to prevent further injury.

"If you saw the stitches when he came out, you'd think there's no way this guy's playing next week," Head coach Dan Quinn said. "And then all of a sudden, he's got a big splint on it. 'Yeah, I'm good, I'm playing.' And so, I like that because it shows this is important, man. Like he wants to be able to do that, and I just think there's always a space for that type of competitor here. I feel that from him."

Burks' catch was compared to Odell Beckham Jr.'s iconic one-handed touchdown grab as a New York Giant on Nov. 23, 2014. The wide receiver hauled in quarterback Eli Manning's deep ball for the score, fighting through defensive pass interference contact from Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr.

A self-proclaimed "low-key guy," Burks didn't reach out to Beckham personally after his catch. The Super Bowl LVI champion did, however, take to X (formerly known as Twitter) to show his recognition of and support for Burks with the message, "13 13" – a nod to their shared jersey numbers.

"I would say my phone was blowing up," Burks said after Wednesday's practice. "I'm a low-key guy, man, I try to stay low-key. But I appreciate everybody that reached out and said congrats and stuff like that. I'm just blessed."

Although it might have been the first time football fans saw a catch like that from Burks, it's something he had been working on in practice for a while. Making those types of catches behind closed doors built up Burks' confidence to be able to go out and make a play when his number is called in-game.

"I would say it starts in practice," Burks said. "Just doing that type of stuff in practice, it builds confidence. It gave me the confidence to do it in the game, so I just keep being the player I am for this team."

Not only did it boost Burks' confidence, but Mariota's belief in his receiver to make a play. That's why when Mariota saw that the Broncos were playing man coverage in the red zone, he knew throwing to Burks would be the best option to get the Commanders a much-needed touchdown.

"One-on-one, really, to be completely honest with you," Mariota said postgame of what he saw on the play. "He's shown up in practice doing stuff like that and wanted to give our guy an opportunity and he made an unbelievable play."

"I didn't honestly get a chance to see the catch yet, but he made one in practice the other day and he like came out of the ground to go catch it," Quinn added in his postgame press conference Sunday night. "He must have been, you know, three feet in the air on a two-minute drill against the defense so I'm not surprised."

The five-yard touchdown is just the second of Burks' four-year professional career. The former first-round pick out of Arkansas has dealt with a lot of adversity throughout his career and found his way to Washington after being waived by the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 7 following a fractured collarbone while, ironically, making a diving, one-handed catch at training camp in July.

Burks was signed to the Commanders' practice squad on Oct. 17 and was elevated to the active roster for the Commanders' Week 9 game versus the Seattle Seahawks before being added to the 53-man roster on Nov. 5.

"His hunger index is high," Quinn said of Burks. "This is a guy that is wanting to prove it, and there's always a space for that type of competitor here. Coming in, man, like this was a fresh space. And to see him express how important it is, how hard he wants to go compete, like it's been cool to see. Everybody's got a journey, you know, and sometimes they start one way and it doesn't have to stay that way. And coming here, I felt nothing but intensity from him to go."

Washington took a chance on Burks, and it's paying off for both sides. He'll be active once again for the Commanders in a must-win game Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. The Commanders will get a boost to their offense with the return of wide receiver Noah Brown and starting quarterback Jayden Daniels under center. Whatever his role may be come Sunday, Burks has already proven he is ready to make a play when called upon.