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Riggo’s Rag
Commanders need their injured wide receivers to get back quickly
While all the attention has been on the Commanders’ struggling defense, Kliff Kingsbury’s offense has averaged 14 points per game over its past four games. That [kind of thing] will happen when
Washington is without two-time Pro Bowler Terry McLaurin, as well as Noah Brown and Luke McCaffrey, for an extended period.
Additionally, midseason signing Treylon Burks missed the Commanders’ Week 11 matchup in Madrid, and rookie Jaylin Lane got banged up. By the end of the game, Marcus Mariota was depending upon Chris Moore and Jacoby Jones as key contributors.
The good news is that all of those wideouts, except for McCaffrey, should be returning soon. McLaurin has been week-to-week with a quad injury for the second time this year, but could be on track to play in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos. Brown has been on injured reserve with a groin issue for most of the campaign, but his setback has not been deemed season-ending.
The injuries to Burks and Lane seem to be short-term. Both should be back when the Commanders host Sunday Night Football.
Commanders Wire
Despite being one of the most expensive in the NFL, the Commanders defense has struggled
One graphic will tell you everything you need to know about the 2025 Washington Commanders. Washington’s defense is statistically among the worst in the NFL across all major categories.
- Total defense: 31st
- Yards per play: 31st
- Run defense: 27th
- Pass defense: 29th
- Scoring defense: 28th
- Turnovers: T-30th
- Defensive DVOA (per FTN): 22nd
Washington’s defense was so bad that head coach Dan Quinn finally took over defensive play-calling from defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. ahead of Week 11. While Whitt had his issues, he was far from Washington’s only problem on defense. Injuries have been an issue, but so has personnel. When you consider what the Commanders are paying out on the defensive side of the ball in 2025, it’s disappointing.
Only five teams are paying more on the defensive side of the ball this season than the Commanders. Yet, Washington is near the bottom of every statistical category.
Here are the top cap hits for Commanders’ defensive players in 2025:
- DT Daron Payne: $25.08 million
- CB Marshon Lattimore: $18 million
- LB Frankie Luvu: $12.5 million
- DE Dorance Armstrong: $10.1 million
- LB Bobby Wagner: $9 million
A to Z Sports
Jayden Daniels could likely get his wish this offseason as Commanders will be big favorites to land Brandon Aiyuk
The marriage between the 49ers and Aiyuk has actually been falling apart for a while now, but it seems like a real separation is in the near future for the two. He signed a four-year, $120 million extension just 15 months ago, but now Aiyuk is likely to be released after the season due to the fallout.
Aiyuk not disputing losing over $25 million means that he doesn’t care about the money right now, and he just wanted out of San Francisco. This means that the Commanders will be heavy favorites to land the wide receiver since they won’t need to trade for him, and he’s free to sign wherever he wants to. His top option will be going back to his best friend, and former Arizona State quarterback, as they talked about before.
Everyone remembers how Aiyuk posted a screenshot of Daniels at the Commanders’ practice, the two showing up on the show “The Pivot” together, and all of their social media posts together. Aiyuk’s holdout really heated up trade rumors to the Commanders, which ended up not happening, but it could now with an easy pathway.
Medicals on his knee and the price to sign him will certainly be major factors, but he was expected to come back in September and will have plenty of time to recover by next season. Daniels could help get the friendly discount for Aiyuk, who showed that missing out on money doesn’t matter much anymore if he can play where he wants to.
Riggo’s Rag
Commanders would be powerless to stop Bobby Engram from joining Penn State
According to college football analyst Landon Tengwall, Bobby Engram is going to interview for the vacant head coaching gig at Penn State. He’s one of the most prolific wide receivers in program history, so this would be a popular hire as the Nittany Lions look to replace James Franklin with a permanent hire.
Engram is the wide receivers coach in Washington. He was hired in 2023 and is highly respected in the building. Although things haven’t gone quite according to plan with the Commanders this season, the esteem in which he is held by everyone in Penn State warrants closer examination.
It’s not hard to see why this would be an intriguing job opportunity for Engram. It’s with his alma mater. They have deep pockets when it comes to recruitment. They have also flattered to deceive in recent years, especially in big games. Having someone leading the charge with strong roots to the college and a proven NFL pedigree could be a risk worth taking if he impresses enough during the interview process.
While he’s not the only candidate, it’s still a noteworthy development. And although Quinn won’t like it, he’d be powerless to prevent Engram from taking the job.
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Bleeding Green Nation
Nick Sirianni’s conservative approach dooms Philly in loss to Dallas
The Philadelphia Eagles are 8-3 after losing to the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Sunday. Final score: 24 to 21.
Let’s no mince words here: the Eagles had NO BUSINESS losing this game.
They were up 21-0. And they had a chance to go up four possessions after Dak Prescott threw an interception in the end zone with just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter.
What happened instead?
The same thing that we’ve seen in almost every single game this year: the offense going hopelessly cold.
- 3 plays, -2 yards, punt
- 1 play, 1 yard, end of half (didn’t even try to get into field goal range)
- 3 plays, 3 yards, punt
- 6 plays, 18 yards, punt
- 3 plays, 7 yards, punt
- 7 plays, 30 yards, missed field goal (played for a 56-yard attempt instead of trying to get a first down)
- 6 plays, 33 yards, fumble
- 5 yards, 17 yards, punt
This is what you got from the most expensive offense in the NFL by a significant margin. Going up against one of the very worst defenses in the NFL this season!
There’s certainly blame to share. There were too many penalties and mistakes and miscues that ruined drives.
Ultimately, though, the biggest fault lies with the head coach: Nick Sirianni.
ESPN
Hurts: Meltdown needed to ‘light a fire’ in Eagles
The defense was doing its part as well, complete with an interception of Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott by safety Reed Blankenship in the end zone with 5:07 left in the second quarter to preserve the shutout.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Eagles had a 96% chance to win the game after that pick.
But their offense went cold. Five possessions ended on punts, one on a 56-yard missed field goal by Jake Elliott and another on a Saquon Barkley fumble midway through the fourth quarter. Xavier Gipson had a giveaway on a punt return moments later.
Penalties were a major factor. The Eagles’ 14 infractions tied for their most in a game under coach Nick Sirianni. The last time they had that many penalties was Week 1 in 2021 against the Atlanta Falcons in Sirianni’s debut.
Barkley ended with 22 rushing yards on 10 carries and had seven catches for 52 yards. The 22 yards rushing were his fewest since joining the Eagles.
Sirianni said he knew the Eagles were in for a “s—ty plane ride home” but they have little time to dwell on what happened in Dallas, as they have a short week before hosting the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears on Friday.
Blogging the Boys
Dallas completes epic comeback for 24-21 win
THE COWBOYS BEAT THE EAGLES!
The Dallas Cowboys pulled off an all-time win on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
It was a total team effort as the Cowboys defense led the way, the offense did their part, and the special teams came up with clutch moments to tie it all together. It all came on the day that Dak Prescott became the franchise’s all-time passing leader which added to the lore that the day will hold.
The Cowboys officially went undefeated at home in 2025 against division rivals and got back to .500 on the season with a 5-5-1 record. Playoff hopes remain faint, but they exist which is the point. A loss would have been devastating in that capacity and now our hearts can keep on fluttering while we dream.
Serious kudos and credit to the entire Cowboys organization for fighting through, rallying, and never giving up.
They all earned this one. Every single bit of it.
NFL.com
Dak Prescott moves past Tony Romo as Cowboys’ all-time leading passer in win over Eagles
Prescott broke Romo’s record (34,183) for most career passing yards in Cowboys history on Sunday with a 9-yard completion to George Pickens in the third quarter that was part of a 354-yard effort against the archrival Philadelphia Eagles in a wild 24-21 comeback win. Following Sunday, Prescott now has 34,378 career passing yards.
Entering the game, Prescott needed 160 yards to pass Romo on the all-time list. He got it and has written his name atop the record books of one of North America’s most storied and popular sports franchises.
Amid his 10th season — all with Dallas — Prescott has now eclipsed 2,500 yards passing eight times, including a 4,902-yard showing in 2019 that saw him finish just a yard shy of Romo’s single-season club record (4,903; 2012).
[C]ritics often point to the team’s lack of success during Prescott’s tenure (four division titles, five playoff berths without a trip beyond the Divisional Round).
Big Blue View
NY Giants’ blown leads, injuries have made a mess of 2025 NFL season
A lot of good things have happened for the Giants this season — they have still managed to stumble to a 2-10 record.
In an alternate reality, the New York Giants could be in the midst of an amazing, unexpected, fun season.
Think of the possibilities.
- If they had not blown a game in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys they led by 10 points. But, clinging to a three-point lead with :25 left they played soft and let the Cowboys get into position for the best placekicker in the world to kick a game-tying 64-yard field goal. They lost in overtime.
- If they had not blown a 14-3 to the New Orleans Saints, the one team on their schedule clearly worse than the Giants, by committing turnovers on five straight possessions.
- If they had not blown a Week 7 game to the Denver Broncos they led 19-0 after three quarters, becoming the first team in more than 1,600 NFL games to lead by 18 points with less than six minutes to play and lose.
- If they hadn’t frittered away a 10-point lead against the Chicago Bears in the final 10 minutes.
- If they had been able to make one play on defense in the final seven minutes against the Green Bay Packers rather than watching another game they were winning turn into a defeat.
- If they had not lost Malik Nabers to a season-ending injury after four games. Or, Cam Skattebo after six games.
- If Jaxson Dart hadn’t suffered that concussion in Week 10, a contributing factor in that meltdown.
- Shoot, the Giants even scored first in what turned into a 34-24 Week 9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Think of it. If the Giants win the games they were in position to win, they could be 7-5 right now and in position to have a chance at a playoff berth. Instead, they have lost six straight games and might be en route to earning the No. 1 pick in the draft.
ESPN
Nabers questions Giants’ playcalls in since-deleted post
Nabers, who was not with the Giants as he rehabs a torn right ACL he suffered earlier this season, second-guessed some of the team’s decisions in a since-deleted tweet.
“Sometimes I think they b makin us lose on purpose,” he wrote. “Cause it’s no way, bro you throw the ball instead of running it to make em burn 2 timeouts?? then you dnt kick the field goal?? Then they have to go down and score!!! Football common sense!!!! Am I missing something?”
Nabers was talking about a series of playcalls and decisions late in regulation with the Giants up 27-24. Interim coach Mike Kafka called a running play for Tyrone Tracy Jr. that got the Giants down to the Lions’ 2-yard line with 3:11 remaining. Quarterback Jameis Winston then threw an incompletion on second down to tight end Theo Johnson, and the Giants lost 4 yards on a third-down run.
Kafka, who has preached aggressiveness since taking over and called two trick plays that resulted in touchdowns in Sunday’s loss, elected to go for the TD and the two-score lead with a tick under three minutes remaining. The Lions forced an incompletion and took over from their own 6-yard line, needing only a field goal to send the game to overtime.
Jake Bates eventually hit a 59-yarder to even the score after the fourth-down fail.
Detroit (7-4) won the contest after Jahmyr Gibbs ran for a 69-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime. The Giants (2-10) had a chance to match or win but were stopped on the ensuing drive. The game ended on an Aidan Hutchinson fourth-down sack.
It was the Giants’ 12th straight away loss dating to last season, extending a franchise record. All five of this campaign’s blown double-digit leads have been on the road.
The Giants also became the first team eliminated from playoff contention.
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The Athletic (paywall)
Raiders fire offensive coordinator Chip Kelly after just 11 games
The Las Vegas Raiders fired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly on Sunday night, hours after the team fell to 2-9 with a 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, the team announced.
“I spoke with Chip Kelly earlier this evening and informed him of his release as offensive coordinator of the Raiders,” coach Pete Carroll said in a statement released by the team. “I would like to thank Chip for his service and wish him all the best in the future.”
The Raiders made Kelly the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league this season, but the Raiders have been dismal on that side of the ball. The loss to the Browns was their fifth straight and clinched their fourth straight losing season and 18th losing season since 2002.
The writing was on the wall for Kelly with how much Carroll has criticized play calling publicly. It’s unfair to pin all of the offensive issues on Kelly, but his scheme was poorly constructed, and the team didn’t look prepared week in and week out.
Through 11 games, the Raiders rank 30th in the NFL in total offense at 269 yards per game and 31st in scoring at 15.5 points per game. In Kelly’s final game calling plays for the Raiders, quarterback Geno Smith was sacked 10 times for a net loss of 77 yards and the Raiders averaged just 3.6 yards per play.
