Washington traveled to Detroit for a preseason clash against the Lions at noon on Saturday. While the game was a snooze-fest, it did give fans a chance to see some of the starters in a bit more action.
The Commanders first-team defense made a big play where they scored a touchdown, while the first offense looked COMPLETELY out of sync. Overall, the team was able to head home after a 17-13 loss without any significant injuries – so in that respect, this was a win.
Below are my Studs and Duds of the
game, followed by some notes.
Studs
QB Athan Kaliakmanis
Athan Kaliakmanis was under immense pressure during his time under center, but I thought he did a nice job moving around in the pocket and made some really nice throws. He finished 11-for-14 for 162 yards and did not get sacked. In my opinion he has VERY CLEARLY outplayed Sam Hartman over these first two games of the preseason.
WR Antonio Williams
Playing primarily with the second team, Antonio Williams hauled in three passes, including the BEAUTIFUL snag below, for 41 receiving yards. His routes looked crisp, he catches everything with his hands and his body control is exceptional.
WR Jaden Bradley
Jaden Bradley made one HECK of a one-handed grab for a 30-yard gain in the third quarter. He also blocked really well and contributed on special teams. He’s making a solid case to somehow be included on the 53-man roster.
CB Amik Robertson
Mik didn’t get too many snaps, but he made the play of the game for Washington with his sack-fumble of Lions quarterback Joshua Dobbs (which was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by Joshua Josephs) early in the first quarter on a picture-perfect hit. There was great pressure on the play by Josephs and Javontae Jean-Baptiste.
Maurice Hurst II
The former Michigan Wolverine was wreaking havoc against the Lions’ backup offensive linemen. The recent, in-camp signing tied for second on the team with five combined tackles and notched two sacks.
Duds
Washington’s interior offensive line
The run blocking by the group was pretty non-existent, and there were WAY too many missed blocks and mistakes, mainly by the backups. I didn’t think rookie Matt Gulbin played well at right guard, and I though Julian Good-Jones struggled at center. Foster Sarell and Nicholas Petit-Frere weren’t good either, but the interior play was a lot worse.
S Will Harris
By all accounts, Will Harris has not had a good camp. He looked slow to react to some passes Saturday and had a bad whiff on a screen early in the second quarter. I don’t know how many safeties Washington will keep, but Harris is no longer a roster lock.
RB Robert Henry Jr.
Someone fighting to make the team will need to prove they have special teams value. Robert Henry fumbling the kickoff in the fourth quarter was not a good look for the undrafted rookie. He had four carries for minus-three yards and missed a few blocks in pass protection.
Notes
- Leo Chenal has not looked particularly good mixing in with the first- and second-team defense. He did have a nice stuff but also missed a tackle that went for a big gain. Hopefully, this is just a case of him working out the kinks early on.
- Quan Martin grabbed his second interception of the preseason on an overthrow in the middle of the field by Dobbs. So far, he’s looked a lot better than Harris at safety.
- John Bates is one of the best blocking tight ends in the league, however, this was not his best effort.
- Ricky Barber is continuing his strong preseason. He gets quick penetration into the opposing backfield and had made some really nice plays. He was credited with five combined tackles, including one for a loss, and a quarterback hit against Detroit.
- We continue to see Tyler Owens be deployed all over this defense. He came off the edge on a blitz and totally DESTROYED running back Jacob Saylors on a play in the first quarter. He did have a blitz later in the game off the same edge where he needed to throttle down a bit and didn’t — leaving a big running lane.
- I thought both Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Joshua Josephs looked good for the most part. Both men got some pressures and JJB earned a sack. Josephs did have the play on the read-option where Dobbs scored on the long run, but that will be a teaching moment for the rookie.
- T.J. Maguranyanga and Byron Cowart may not make the 53-man roster, but each have flashed enough to warrant consideration on the practice squad. The same can be said for receiver Jacoby Jones.
- I can see why the coaches like Van Jefferson. He’s reliable and seems to run good routes. He just really doesn’t do anything special.
- Nicholas Petit-Frere plays petite!
- Kicker Drew Stevens was 2-for-2 on the day with a long of 32.
