The Commanders have had another brutal, draining week in a season full of them. The news that defensive tackle Daron Payne suffered a season-ending foot injury on Friday was a hard to take, especially after so many injuries to big-time players.
Washington’s dealing with that, formally putting Terry McLaurin on injured reserve, a little dustup with Odafe Oweh talking about coaching and a season essentially on the line heading into Sunday night’s clash with the Philadelphia Eagles.
I mean, come on.
The
Commanders must find a way to rally and go get a win over Philly that Amik Robertson essentially guaranteed.
That means the Commanders must look to some key players to raise their game or assume bigger roles and lead Washington to victory. Here are five Commanders (not named Jayden Daniels) to watch in this Week 8 clash.
WR Antonio Williams
This one probably falls in the “Well, duh” category. Head coach Dan Quinn made it clear that Antonio Wiliams would see more snaps with McLaurin unavailable. That will be the case, largely working from the slot. They’ll need a big night from the third-round rookie, especially if Treylon Burks – he’s questionable – can’t go.
Williams showed out against the Eagles in Week 1, with some of his best plays as a pro. Washington needs Williams to be efficient with his targets and create the separation required to get chunk yardage after the catch.
DL Charles Omenihu
The Commanders defensive line will play without Payne for the rest of the year. They’re also working without Javon Kinlaw, who was ruled out with a knee injury. A position group that was super deep and impactful against the run especially is now being test.
Johnny Newton’s working to return off injured reserve, but he was formally ruled out of this game on Saturday afternoon. That puts a lot on Charles Omenihu’s shoulders despite the fact he, too, has been dealing with injury. He has been a solid pass rusher and a good player overall this season, but will probably see tons of snaps on Sunday night. They’ll need to be good ones considering how many defensive linemen are currently out.
LB Sonny Styles
The Eagles are using Tanner McKee at quarterback with Jalen Hurts out for the season. The backup has, well, not been great. He could also prove vulnerable to making a game-changing mistake, whether it’s a bad decision or an errant throw.
Styles is the type of athlete who can capitalize on those types of things. He has been impactful creating turnovers by punching the ball free or picking off a pass, with solid coverage and sure tackling, even if there’s room to grow as a blitzer.
Styles has been on fire lately, with 26 tackles in his last two games. He’s a true sideline-to-sideline guy, and the Commanders will need him to be a force all over the field on Sunday.
RG Sam Cosmi
Putting an offensive lineman on this list isn’t always made for a fun read, but Sam Cosmi is going to be huge in this one. While the Eagles are in shambles, the still feature Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo.
Cosmi must lead a strong effort from the interior line overall to keep presser off of Daniels and to create some interior rushing lanes to get the ground game going. Cosmi’s one of the best in the business and can control his matchups well. He has been solid working with Josh Conerly on the right side, which should be where most of the designed runs go.
RB Rachaad White
White was on this list last time, as the Commanders tried to keep the run game going with Bill Croskey-Merritt on injured reserve. He responded with 27 yards on seven carries, plus four catches for 30 yards and a key touchdown against the 49ers.
The Commanders need more of a steady rushing presence than that, with the carry total significantly higher even with a by-committee approach involving Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols. White must earn the rock with a solid start to the game as the Commanders try to assert dominance on the ground. If the Eagles pack the middle, then White’s work as a receiver can help keep the Commanders on schedule and into more managable third downs than they normally create.
Who else should be on this list of Commanders key to victory? Let us know in the comments below:
