The Daily Slop – 24 September 2026
Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles a collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy!
Commanders links
Articles
Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)
Commanders Film Review: Antonio Williams Impressive Start
[The play described in this excerpt is the same one shown in video on the tweet embedded below]
There were multiple strong reports on Williams throughout the offseason and in training camp, but you never really know how a rookie is
going to do until you see them in a game. So how has he fared in his first two games? Williams has totaled seven catches on seven targets for 88 yards and a touchdown. Five of his seven catches have picked up first downs. Those stats are the second best of any receiver on the team, behind only Stefon Diggs.
But stats only tell part of the story, so let’s dive into the film. We’ll start first with some plays from his NFL debut against the Eagles. We saw a lot of what Williams is about on his first career catch.
On this play, Williams lines up in a stacked set with Jaylin Lane to the left of the formation. The pair execute a switch release. Lane lines up outside of Williams, but he releases inside and works over the middle, while Williams releases outside and works vertical. Williams gets matched up against Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean and he beats him with a very nice route.
As he releases outside, Williams widens his route from his starting point in the seam out to the top of the numbers. By widening like this, he gives himself the ability to be a legitimate threat to cut in any direction with space both outside and inside available to him. He’s always cutting back inside due to the route, but DeJean doesn’t know that. So as he gets to the top of the route, Williams does a nice job squaring up and making DeJean believe he could legitimately be breaking either way.
Because of that threat, DeJean looks to get physical and tries to stay on top of the route, but Williams makes too sharp of a cut, stopping quickly on the 10 yard line and cutting back inside. He uses DeJean’s physical style against him, fighting through the contact and using a throw-by technique to push DeJean beyond him, creating more space to work with inside. DeJean takes a few extra steps to slow down, by which point Williams is already by him. Quarterback Jayden Daniels does a nice job progressing through his reads and getting all the way back to Williams, who he finds over the middle for a nice gain and nearly a touchdown.
But it wasn’t just one route that Wiliams ran well in that opener against the Eagles. Even when he wasn’t getting the ball, he was giving defenders trouble with his route running.
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ESPN
Commanders reject notion they abandoned Daniels: “Stuff is nonsense”
Daniels’ injury happened on the last play of the first half, which led to confusion by the players about what they could do or how long they could linger.
Though the camera showed them walking past Daniels, almost all waited on the sideline and watched from there. A number of them then returned to Daniels’ side after trainers had popped his dislocated elbow back into place.
But Washington coach Dan Quinn said, “When the half is over, the referees are saying, ‘Man, I can’t delay the half. They can’t stay on the field.’ The players were like, ‘No, we want to stay.’
“So it’s just the opposite of that. They were gutted. They love this guy. So halftime was hard and emotional in that space.”
“We stayed on the field and once they got it situated and did what they had to do we checked on him,” Coleman said. “Dan told most [players] to go into the locker room. But it’s tough to go in when you see something like that. You see the whole starting line out there, a bunch of receivers, some defensive guys.”
A number of players indeed were seen standing around Daniels — as Coleman said there were offensive linemen, defensive linemen, defensive backs, receivers and running backs. Linebackers were seen exiting as well as Daniels’ cart drove away. Coleman and fellow lineman Josh Conerly Jr., were among the last two to leave, along with Quinn and backup quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Athan Kaliakmanis.
“We know we had to get back in the locker room,” receiver Terry McLaurin said after the game, “but no one wanted to leave. That’s our brother.”
“All that stuff is ridiculous,” Sinnott said. “As far as the love and brotherhood we have for Jayden, it’s really strong.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
From The Athletic:
The clip shown on the Fox broadcast missed several aspects of what transpired, Washington players said Wednesday. For starters, Quinn followed the official’s instructions and told players to get back to the locker room.
In the locker room after the game at AT&T Stadium, players were clearly distraught.
“It’s bulls— what people are saying,” Coleman said. “Jay’s our guy. He’s been our guy. There was no malice behind that. My thought process was, ‘(The medical staff has) got to go.’ I saw the injury happen. I saw what happened, and I just wanted to give them space to do what they have to do. It’s no good for 30 guys to stand right there looking over when they’re trying to get an elbow back in.”
To read more of this article from The Athletic, CLICK HERE
Sports Illustrated
Washington Spent All Offseason Preaching Takeaways. Two Games In, That Message Hasn’t Paid Off
As of this past Sunday, Washington has not forced a single turnover through two regular-season games. This was a major offseason focus and remains a constant practice focus because the team was near the bottom of the league in takeaways a season ago and entered this year looking to correct that.
Edge rusher Odafe Oweh believes it’s just a matter of time: “It’s going to get loose soon. It’s bound to stop. If we keep forcing the issue, keep punching the ball out, it’s going to get loose.” Oweh’s point rests on the reasoning that the Commanders haven’t abandoned the mindset because the results haven’t followed. The defense believes continuing to attack the ball will eventually produce the much-needed takeaways. Of course, forcing turnovers contains an element of randomness, but creating repeated opportunities to force them does not.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders Roundtable
Defensive secondary gut punch: Safety Nick Cross ruled out vs Seattle after injury in Dallas
Safety Nick Cross has been ruled out for Sunday’s matchup in what marks as a notable absence for the defense.
Cross has been one of the standouts through the first two weeks of the regular season after becoming a mainstay around the ball, while he entered week three ranked tied for third with cornerback Amik Robertson with 11 total tackles in 2026. The starting strong safety also leads the team with three tackles for loss through two weeks, an impressive feat given the entire defense has amassed 13 to begin the regular season.
Tyler Owens, who went viral for his week one performance on special teams, is listed as the primary backup on the depth chart as the secondary looks to overcome his production against a Seahawks’ offense battling their own injuries ahead of week three.
Quinn revealed on Monday that Cross flew back to Washington DC that day after suffering an internal injury during the week two loss against the Dallas Cowboys. Cross was hospitalized in Dallas and underwent surgery following Sunday’s game before being discharged the following day.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Last Man Standig
The Commanders have plenty of problems; backup QB isn’t one of them
Of all the conversations we need to have about the Washington Commanders right about now, we absolutely don’t need one about Marcus Mariota.
They start with a defense that has zero takeaways through two games.
More specifically, they start with a secondary that keeps allowing explosive plays and too many easy opportunities downfield. Certain defensive backs are getting picked on more than George McFly, and there is no time machine capable of providing a personnel or staffing do-over.
Then there is the short- and long-term discussion that towers over everything else: the health of Jayden Daniels. His latest dislocation of the left elbow, suffered at the end of the first half of Sunday’s 37-20 loss at Dallas, threatens far more than Washington’s chances against Seattle.
Obviously, playing without Daniels lowers Washington’s ceiling. That’s true for a drive, a half, a game, a month or even a season- the latter a potential reality if Daniels chooses a surgical path.
For more from Ben Standig, click here
Commanders.com
Practice notes | Commanders have ‘calm confidence’ in Mariota
The Commanders have not yet had any discussions about bringing in another veteran quarterback to mitigate Daniels’ absence. Part of that comes from a desire to get as much information as possible on Daniels’ injury before making a decision, but it also speaks to how much the Commanders trust their current options. They are confident they can still win and be competitive with Mariota as their starter. He’s kept the offense afloat before, and they believe he can do it again.
“Him running the system gives everybody…a calmness about them knowing that, ‘All right, eight will take care of it.'”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN
Ranking eight winless NFL teams
In an era with 17 games and 14 playoff teams, it’s possible to dig out of an 0-2 hole and make it to the postseason, something three teams managed to do in 2025. Two of them — the Bears and Panthers — even managed to win their divisions at the end of the year.
[From Bill-in-Bangkok: I would have put the Commanders 3rd on this list; 6 is way too low]
6. Washington Commanders
Chances of advancing to the postseason, via ESPN’s FPI: 7.4% (25th)
I already shared my thoughts on the Jayden Daniels situation in Monday’s column, so I won’t dwell too much on the quarterback situation for the Commanders. Marcus Mariota has proven himself to be a very competent backup quarterback in years past, but he has also typically operated out of the shotgun or pistol as a pro.
The appointment of David Blough and the suggestion that the Commanders would shift their offense under center as a result hasn’t really taken through two weeks. The Commanders have been under center only 31.3% of the time, and while that’s more than double what was a league-low 13.0% rate in 2025, it’s also still the fourth-lowest rate of any offense in the NFL [BiB note: media didn’t pay attention to details; Commanders said they would be under center “more”, not all the time or even a majority of the time]. What they’re doing under center also hasn’t been particularly productive, as the Commanders have averaged minus-0.07 EPA per snap under center and plus-0.08 EPA per play in shotgun or pistol [BiB: which might explain why they’ve been working more out of shotgun/pisto…duh].
One or more of a few things could be true. The Commanders could have quarterbacks who aren’t effective operating under center. They might have abandoned or limited their shift toward getting under center because they weren’t happy with what they saw in the preseason. The shift from Daniels to Mariota, presumably for an extended period of time, might force Blough to push toward more familiar concepts for his new QB to try to make life easier. The Commanders might also just lean further into going under center as the season goes along. This is one we’ll have to evaluate down the road.
The first-time coordinator might believe his offense is closer to clicking than it seems, too. The Commanders nearly had two long touchdowns in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys. Daniels (operating from under center) narrowly missed Treylon Burks on what should have been a 56-yard touchdown pass, and rookie wideout Antonio Williams couldn’t connect with Terry McLaurin on a [BiB: otherwise successful] trick play in the second half.
And yet, so much of what worked for the Commanders in that game was Daniels creating with his legs, something that was often a product of nothing being open in the passing game. Take scrambles out of the equation for every team and the Commanders are averaging 4.7 yards per play, which would be 27th. They’re 28th in explosive play rate, which this new offense was explicitly supposed to create. It’ll be unfair to evaluate them by what Mariota does, but even before Daniels was injured, the offense wasn’t living up to the offseason hopes.
Starting the year without offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil has sapped Washington in pass protection, and the Commanders might be without guard Sam Cosmi, who is in concussion protocol after taking a hit from his own teammate Sunday. Brandon Coleman, who took over for Tunsil at left tackle, also left the game because of a finger injury, although he’s likely to return against the Seahawks in Week 3.
The Commanders did a solid job against the Eagles in Week 1, a game that turned on a couple of big plays by Philadelphia, but the Cowboys picked Daronte Jones’ unit apart in Week 2. Dak Prescott threw nearly as many touchdowns (four) as incompletions (five). The Commanders slowed down Dallas’ run game, which produced only 40 yards on 17 designed rush attempts, but they were open for business downfield. That’s not a recipe for success.
The 2024 draft class is being scrutinized amid a critical season on offense, where Daniels is hurt and the likes of Coleman, Ben Sinnott and Luke McCaffrey haven’t lived up to expectations. It’s also an issue on defense. Second-round pick Jer’Zhan Newton is on injured reserve. Cornerback Mike Sainristil, who was impressive as a rookie, slipped badly in his second year and has been a target this season. He got lost in coverage on a 61-yard completion to Dontayvion Wicks in the opener, then allowed 24- and 35-yard completions to CeeDee Lamb in the fourth quarter last week.
Lamb picked up another 61 yards on blown coverages, including a 38-yard completion on a play in which both he and KaVontae Turpin were left open for big gains. It’s not uncommon for blown coverages to happen early in the season with a new defensive coordinator, but the Commanders have been their own worst enemy on defense at times this season.
The tough reality the Commanders are facing with Daniels extends to the rest of the roster. General [M]anager Adam Peters jump-started the organization’s path to contention by drafting Daniels and surrounding him with competent veterans in 2024, but Daniels has been injured for long stretches since the start of the 2025 season, and short-term solutions who made an impact during that run to the NFC title game — like Austin Ekeler, Zach Ertz and Bobby Wagner — are no longer in the building.
Peters has spent heavily in free agency and traded for players from other organizations to paper over the holes on a roster that didn’t have much young talent. The hope was naturally that Peters would be able to draft well and build that young core while the veterans kept things competent. But it was telling that the Commanders went even more heavily into free agency this offseason, which was a product of wanting to maximize Daniels’ rookie deal and the fact that Peters’ first two drafts haven’t exactly been wild successes outside of the quarterback.
With the Seahawks traveling to face the Commanders in Washington’s home opener this week, Daniels sidelined indefinitely and a stretch against the 49ers, Eagles and Rams on the way before we hit mid-November, the Commanders might transition from a team that hopes to contend to one looking toward 2027 if things don’t turn around quickly.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
From The Athletic:
It is absolutely time to panic if you’re a Commanders fan. But they know that.
To be fair, I was already panicking after left tackle Laremy Tunsil went down with a triceps injury, and reports out of training camp said the offensive line couldn’t block anyone. That proved true, as for the better part of two weeks QB Jayden Daniels found himself freelancing to extend plays to keep Washington in games. And now that Daniels is going to miss time, Marcus Mariota doesn’t have the same ability to make magic with his legs. I like Mariota, but behind a poor offensive line, he shouldn’t be expected to excel.
And to make matters worse, the Commanders have the ninth-toughest remaining schedule, including a pretty rough stretch through Week 11. They face the Seattle Seahawks, Colts, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams and Bengals at home, while also having to travel to San Francisco and later New York to face the Giants. Sure, Jaxson Dart being out for the year helps their case, but the Commanders are now projected as favorites in just one game during that stretch and only three the rest of the year. Maybe Daniels comes back and saves the day, but even with him, this schedule is too tough to overcome.
To read more of this article from The Athletic, CLICK HERE
Podcasts & videos
It’s ALL About Us! Marcus Mariota Can Make MAGIC Happen For Washington ✨ | Film Breakdown | NFL
The District Film Room – Week 2: Offensive Line
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
For the Eagles, first down has been the worst down
It’s bad. Real bad.
The new look Eagles offense hasn’t been much fun. There are multiple reasons, but one of them is that on 1st down, they’re terrible.
The offense is 28th in EPA/play and 31st in both yards per play and success rate; and have gained a 1st down on 1st down just twice, the fewest in the league. Oddly, neither were on 1st and 10, Darius Cooper’s 23 yard reception in the 4th quarter against the Titans was on 1st and 17 , and then his TD on 1st and goal was from the 3.
On 1st down, the Eagles have as many negative plays as they do plays that gained 7+ yards, 9 each. On their 48 1st downs, they have failed to gain yardage on 18 of them. Their average 2nd down needs 8.7 yards to gain a first down, 26th so far this season.
They’re bad at everything.
Though the Eagles run 65% of the time on 1st down. They stink there.
- 24th in EPA/play
- 27th in success rate
- 28th in yards per carry
When the Eagles do throw on 1st down, they’re woefully short.
- CPOE: 19th
- EPA per play: 26th
- Success rate: 31st
- Air yards per attempt: 31st
- Yards per attempt: 32nd
This is not a Jalen Hurts issue. He had the 5th highest air yards per attempt on 1st down in 2025, and 14th in 2024.
Nor is this a lack of AJ Brown issue, he was 48th in air yards per target last season, nor is this a Dontayvion Wicks as his replacement issue, he was 56th.
And though it has only been two games, this isn’t a situation where one bad game, the team’s failure to gain a single 1st down on 1st down against the Commanders, is bogging down the numbers. The Eagles converted a 1st down on just 2 of 28 1st downs against the Titans, 7.1%. Given the same rate against the Commanders, the Eagles would still be dead last in 1st conversion rate on 1st down. The next worst team, the Steelers, have converted at 7.4%.
This is an offensive line and coaching issue.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys report card: Grading Week 2 vs. the Commanders
Kenny Clark & Quinnen Williams (C):
The truth is, through two weeks, the Cowboys’ star defensive tackles have been average. They aren’t liabilities on the field, but they certainly haven’t flashed the way they did at times last season.
Williams not being the same player as last year would be a bit more alarming, considering the Cowboys handed him a hefty contract extension in the offseason. He’s supposed to be a core piece of the defense for years to come. Parker and Williams aren’t set to go anywhere anytime soon, so the defensive coordinator needs to find a way to maximize the best defensive tackle duo the Cowboys have had in a very long time.
The Cowboys pass rush (D):
Another game, another week with the Cowboys’ defensive line earning a D grade. Along with Donovan Ezeiruaku, Kenny Clark, and Quinnen Williams, the entire defensive front and rotation of players aren’t getting the sacks they need.
The Cowboys have just two sacks through two games, tied with the Los Angeles Rams, who are without Myles Garrett, and just above the New York Giants (1) and Miami Dolphins (0). One of the offseason’s unsung hires was Dallas going after pass-rush specialist BT Jordan, who helped the Denver Broncos set records for quarterback sacks.
Dallas has a long flight to Rio this weekend, so it may give them extra time to plan how to exploit the Ravens’ offensive line. It’s not a five-alarm fire, but it’s becoming a concern.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Big Blue View
Jaxson Dart injury changes the story of 2026, and perhaps beyond, for the Giants
The upward trajectory of the franchise has been halted, and the Giants will be trying to survive the next 15 games
This was supposed to be the year that things changed for the Giants.
To bring him to New York, the organization put a full-court press on Harbaugh, a coach with a Super Bowl title and 194 career victories, the 13th most of all time. With 15 winning seasons and 12 playoff berths in 18 seasons as a head coach, Harbaugh was — and is — supposed to change the trajectory of a franchise that has been heading in the wrong direction.
In Dart, they had the quarterback they figured they could build around and go forward with for the foreseeable future.
Realistically, 2026 was not expected to produce a team that would win 12 or 13 games and make a run to the NFC Championship Game or beyond. It was, though, supposed to make clear that the three- and four-win seasons that have become too commonplace in the Meadowlands were a thing of the past.
Now? That bright future is on hold. A miserable season is certainly a possibility.
As of today, the Giants really aren’t building for the future or trying to be one of the feel-good stories of the 2026 NFL season. They are trying to survive. They are trying, simply, not to have this season turn into a train wreck.
Can Harbaugh guide this team, this organization, that has become so used to failure, and keep it on the track?
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
From ESPN:
The problem with Winston — or any backup, really — is that while he can probably get you through two or three games, his deficiencies are likely to show up the longer he plays. The Giants will need to bring in someone else, even if it’s just for depth. Jake Haener is on their practice squad, so he’s obviously a candidate to be elevated. But there’s no magic solution here.
To read more of this ESPN article, CLICK HERE
Upcoming opponent – Seahawks
Commanders next game is at home vs Seattle at 1pm
Field Gulls
Seahawks place starting guard Anthony Bradford on injured reserve
The Seahawks’ starting right guard won’t be returning to action any time soon
The Seattle Seahawks will be without their starting right guard for at least the next four games.
On Wednesday, the team placed Anthony Bradford on injured reserve, paving the way for safety Rodney Thomas II to go from the practice squad to the active roster. Bradford will not be eligible to return to the field until Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 25.
Christian Haynes and fifth-round rookie Beau Stephens split snaps in Bradford’s absence, with Haynes getting 43 snaps to Stephens’ 27. We’ll see if the rotation continues while Bradford is out, or if Haynes will finally be entrusted to start and play an entire game for the first time in his career.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN
Sam Darnold is practicing, but no one knows if he will play this week
Sam Darnold is working to split the difference in his rehab timeline. The Seahawks originally braced for roughly a four-week absence from his Sept. 9 glute injury but hoped he could beat that. Well, Darnold started to move around “a lot better” last week, I’m told, setting the stage for him to practice in some capacity Wednesday. While Week 3 isn’t a slam dunk, he appears to be on the positive end of things. But anyone I asked about Darnold brought up, unprompted, the development of Drew Lock, and that was before his clean performance in Arizona (16-of-26, 235 yards, three touchdowns).
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Unless you believe Ian Rapaport
NFL league links
Articles
NFL.com
NFL Network: Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks to undergo surgery, miss at least six weeks
Brooks is expected to undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair a core muscle injury, which is expected to keep him out at least six weeks, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources.
The Carolina ball-carrier was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday, knocking him out for at least four games. Panthers coach Dave Canales said Brooks is expected to miss six to eight weeks.
It’s the latest blow for the 2024 second-round pick, who has dealt with a litany of injuries dating back to college. After missing the start of his rookie season while rehabbing a torn ACL, Brooks took just nine carries over three games before tearing the knee ligament again. He missed all of 2025.
Brooks returned this offseason with renewed optimism that he could be the player the Panthers envisioned when they selected him with a second-round pick. In his first two games of the 2026 season, he touched the ball 11 times for 73 yards.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Front Office Sports
NFL Viewership Bounces Back in Week 2
The NFL had an expected return to form in viewership following a surprising Week 1 retreat
Fox Sports said that it averaged 27.2 million viewers for last Sunday’s late afternoon national broadcast of the Cowboys’ 37-20 win over the Commanders. That represents the most-watched game telecast so far in this season on any network, beating the 25.7 million viewership average that NBC Sports had for its Sunday Night Football season opener on Sept. 13 between the Cowboys and Giants.
Aftera surprising 13% drop in the NFL’s Week 1audience, the latest increases show an expected return to form for the league, still by far the most popular programming in all of U.S. television. The most recent figures are also in line with higher viewership anticipated in the wake of another series of measurement changes recently implemented by Nielsen.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Discussion topics
The Athletic (paywall)
Bad optics, snap judgments and viral memes? That’s just life in the NFL
First came the tumble. Then came the scream.
Then came the towel-covered face. Then came the raised fist for the team.
And then — once the world learned that Caleb Williams’ injury wasn’t as dire as it seemed — came the memes.
For all the euphoric relief the Chicago Bears and their fans experienced after learning their star quarterback had not suffered a season-ending injury in Sunday’s defeat to the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field, legions of self-appointed social media comedians and their audiences were equally giddy. They were gifted material, and they had at it.
The casting of Williams as the NFL’s Paul Pierce, who famously returned to the 2008 NBA Finals minutes after leaving the floor in a wheelchair, was among the recent instances of NFL-hot-take hysteria masquerading as thoughtful analysis.
From Jayden Daniels’ offensive teammates walking off the field and into the AT&T Stadium locker room after the Washington Commanders quarterback got hurt on the final play of Sunday’s first half, to Indianapolis Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon pacing the Arrowhead Stadium sideline later that night with a headset and notebook, some high-profile snapshots have morphed into snap judgments.
None of this is necessarily fair, but it’s also part of the game — which, in this case, happens to be far and away America’s most popular spectator sport. While winning is the most important thing in NFL circles, optics matter.
Dan Campbell, in his introductory news conference as the Detroit Lions’ coach, talked about biting kneecaps and kicking opponents in the teeth — then proceeded to win just four of his first 24 games. In his third season Campbell took Detroit to the NFC Championship Game, and onetime critics like a certain Athletic columnisteventually came around.
Then there’s Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, who despite owning one of the highest winning percentages in modern NFL history is still consistently clowned for his emotional outbursts.
One thing Sirianni and Campbell have in common is that no one has ever accused them of not caring enough. Sincerity and investment are ultimately the best defenses against the mob, and those qualities are central to each of our most timely topics of interest.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
