The Daily Slop – 12 October 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
ESPN
NFL Week 5: Big takeaways, questions and fantasy spin from Sunday’s games
How devastating was this collapse? This was the worst collapse under coach Dan Quinn. The Commanders are now 1-3-1 and 0-2-1 in a bad NFC East. They could blame other losses on being short-handed or without their starting QB. But not Sunday. They held a two-touchdown
lead in the fourth quarter, and quarterback Jayden Daniels showed his dynamic ability. But it all fell apart. Now, life could get awfully tough with their next games against the 49ers, Eagles and Rams. Washington badly needed a win, especially against an NFC East rival. Having Daniels back will always provide hope, but the defense again struggled to defend the pass.
Trend to watch: Washington’s second-half defense continues to struggle. The Commanders allowed a combined 85 points in the past four games combined. That included 17 to the Giants on Sunday, wiping out a two-touchdown lead. The pass rush simply did not bother quarterback Jameis Winston enough, as he threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns after halftime. — John Keim
Next game: at 49ers (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET)
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
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ESPN
Judging overreactions to NFL Week 5
This might be disrespectful to the 3-1-1 Giants, and I apologize if it is. But not having quarterback Jaxson Dart or star edge rusher Brian Burns for the rest of the season is going to be tough to overcome. Their schedule still includes trips to Houston, Philly, Seattle and Detroit, along with home games against the Jaguars and the 49ers.
The Cowboys’ defense looks no better than it did last season. Dallas has December road games against the Seahawks and the Rams and home games against the Jaguars and the 49ers. The Eagles are without their top three running backs and are also missing four of their Week 1 starting offensive linemen, and their final four games of the season include a home contest versus Seattle and a game at San Francisco. The Commanders — well, after Sunday, I think we can just say we aren’t going to give them much of a shot.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
The Ringer
The Winners and Losers of the NFL Week 5
It was the worst decision of Daniels’s young career, and what followed was one of the most embarrassing end-of-game sequences in recent NFL history.
Daniels went to the ground with eight seconds left, then lounged on the grass for roughly five seconds, seemingly oblivious to the situation he had just created. His teammates scrambled to pull him upright and get the offense lined up for a spike, but by then, it was too late. The clock hit zero before the Commanders could take another snap, and the game ended in a 27-27 tie.
A made field goal would have put Washington at 2-3, even with the flailing Eagles and Cowboys and one game behind the Giants.
Daniels deserves the largest share of the blame for the final play. A starting quarterback has to know that he cannot go down in bounds there. But Quinn doesn’t get to separate himself from the embarrassment either. Quinn entered 2026 with his seat already warm, and this is the kind of failure that can erode whatever confidence remains in his leadership. Coaches can explain injuries and personnel deficiencies away, but an error of this magnitude is much harder to excuse. And it could end up being the point of no return.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
The Athletic (paywall)
Bad decisions come in threes?
If you thought Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles’ curious choice not to kick a chip-shot field goal that would have given his team a three-possession lead in Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys would be the most scrutinized move of the week — well, it may go down only as the bronze medalist of baffling, thanks to a couple of not-so-smooth moves by men in headsets on Sunday.
First came Nicki Sirianni’s decision to pass late in the Eagles’ game against the Jags, with the ensuing incompletion ensuring that Jake Elliott’s eventual go-ahead field goal would leave eight seconds on the clock, rather than zero. Then Sirianni chose to have Elliott kick the ball into the landing zone, setting up Ameer Abdullah’s 53-yard return and Cam Little’s 57-yard walk-off field goal.
“I didn’t make the right decision and I lost us that game,” Sirianni said, after Philly (2-3) dropped its third straight. He wasn’t wrong, but given that he came into the game with an NFL-best record of 35-15 in one-score games, we’ll give him a little grace.
Besides, embattled Washington coach Dan Quinn later accepted responsibility for an even more egregious collapse: With 12 seconds left, no timeouts and the ball at the Giants’ 24-yard-line, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels inexplicably scrambled and went down inbounds, leaving no time for a field goal attempt. Though Daniels clearly goofed, Quinn, who threw his headset to the ground in disgust, shouldered the blame for taking the risk of running another play, saying, “It falls on me.”
Will something else soon fall on Quinn? With a Monday night road game against the undefeated 49ers coming up for the Commanders (1-3-1), followed by a bye week, he has ample reason to be concerned.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
The Athletic (paywall)
The undefeated NFL teams are exactly as nobody predicted
Coach Dan Quinn took the blame, and he’s ultimately responsible for the operation. But the game management coach said this looked like a case of quarterback error.
“Decisions made in real time are seldom perfect, but I can assure you of one thing: Dan Quinn and his staff told the quarterback no sack or scramble,” the coach said. “You can’t do that. You throw it away, and if you have eight seconds, throw it away again, get it to four seconds. There are three errors by the quarterback: scrambling, taking the sack and not getting up fast.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Front Office Sports
It’s time for NFL Networks to hire ‘clock management’ specialists
It was so laughable that ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio called it a “firing offense.” No wonder, since Washington minority owner Magic Johnson sounded off about the blunder on X/Twitter. “I’m in total disbelief my Commanders had such poor clock management in today’s overtime game against the Giants,” tweeted Johnson. “All we had to do was kick the field goal and we would have won the game!”
The Magic Man wasn’t alone. Fox play-by-play announcer Chris Myers and color commentator Jonathan Vilma couldn’t believe what they were seeing as the Commanders QB Jayden Daniels danced around with no timeouts instead of clocking the ball and attempting a game-winning field goal inside of 40 yards.
“They don’t have a timeout. What are they doing?” asked Myers. “They’ve got to get up and spike this. They’re not going to be able to get this done in time! It’s gonna run out on them! The clock ran out as Daniels ran the ball!…Unbelievable. A comedy of errors late.”
Vilma agreed. “Chris, that’s inexcusable!” he said. “It was just supposed to be, you go, you take a knee, set up, clock, and then get out of there.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Podcasts & videos
Commanders postgame: Clock runs out on Washington in OT for inexplicable tie with Giants
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
Nick Sirianni: “I lost us that game”
The Eagles struggled throughout Sunday’s game against the Jaguars, but it was their end-of-game management that drew the most criticism. During his post-game press conference, head coach Nick Sirianni took full accountability for the decision-making that led to the loss, and also talked about the team’s continued second-half struggles.
“It’s gonna hurt for a while. But I’m gonna put my chest out, stick my head up, and get better from it. I’m gonna own it, and move forward.”
Here’s what else the head coach had to say:
On the late-game decision making
“I didn’t make the right decision, and I lost us that game. And that’s what I said to our guys. What hurts there is that the guys fought so hard, and then I don’t make the decision that I should make at the end of the game and I cost us the game. I put that fully on me.”
He didn’t want to get too much into whether the kickoff decision was pre-established and doubled down saying that he is to blame for the bad decision, and that it’s going to stick with him for a long time.
“I’m not going to go too much into that. I don’t really want to get into exactly what that is. At the end of the day I didn’t make the right decision, and it cost us the game. There’s no other way around it. There’s nothing really else to say about that. It’s just I didn’t do my job good enough in that situation.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles vs. Panthers odds: Opening lines for Week 6 matchup
After losing in London on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles must shift their focus to hosting the Carolina Panthers in Week 6.
The Birds are 1.5-point home favorites, according to FanDuel.
Home teams are normally listed as 2.5-point or three-point favorites in a game between two evenly matched teams. So, while the Eagles are favored in this matchup, it’s the Panthers who are drawing more respect.
And understandably so. The Eagles have lost three straight. Their defense has played better over the past two weeks but their undermanned offense is abysmal.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Blogging the Boys
The Cowboys have to earn trust back at this point
[W]e just watched the paper-based Dallas Cowboys drop a game at home, as 9.5-point favorites, against a UDFA quarterback making his first road start on a short week. It is impossible that they lost. It is worse when you remember that they weren’t really close for most of the game.
When you drop the easiest of possible gimmes, you forfeit the right to have that benefit of the doubt applied to you. The Cowboys are “fortunate” to play in an NFC East this year that seems gettable, and maybe they will turn the tide after this mini bye and go on a little run. I know you laughed.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Big Blue View
NY Giants news: A tie is, well, good enough
Good morning, New York Giants fans! The Giants did not win Sunday. They didn’t lose to the Washington Commanders, either. Sunday’s hard-to-comprehend 27-27 tie leaves the Giants alone in first place in the NFC East, and leaves the Commanders searching for answers.
NFC East standings
Giants 3-1-1
Philadelphia Eagles 2-3
Dallas Cowboys 2-3
Commanders 1-3-1
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Big Blue View
NY Giants vs. New Orleans Saints odds: Opening lines for Week 6 matchup
The New York Giants will enter their Week 6 matchup against the New Orleans Saints as 1.5-point underdogs despite being home at MetLife Stadium, per FanDuel.
The Giants emerged from Week 5 with a 3-1-1 record and extended their lead in the NFC East after a 27-27 tie with the Washington Commanders
The Saints, meanwhile, are 1-4 following a 23-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Upcoming opponent – 49ers
Commanders next game is on the road on Monday Night Football vs the San Francisco 49ers
Niners Nation
49ers beat the Seahawks on the road to be undefeated through five weeks and 3-0 in the NFC West; today was a good day
So the 49ers are now 5-0 and return to Santa Clara to host the Washington Commanders. The Seahawks suffered their first loss to the Commanders, so the 49ers could help in a tiebreaker scenario by taking a win there.
But we can look at the bigger picture here: The 49ers are 3-0 in the NFC West, taking victories from each of their opponents. They are set up perfectly for their divisional rematches. Overall, they have a two game lead over the Seahawks. Provided things don’t completely fall off, they are in a great position to take the division—and possibly the first seed.
Oh, and there’s one more thing: They. Aren’t. HEALTHY.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Niners Nation
3 quick takeaways from the 49ers win over the Seahawks
It was a turnover-laden day for both teams, and the 49ers had their fair share with a Brock Purdy interception, Jacob Cowing punt muff, and a Deebo Samuel fumble.
But San Francisco was also the beneficiary of four takeaways, and they were able to make the most of those opportunities, which directly led to the win. The 49ers had 21 points off turnovers in the first half alone. While they weren’t able to capitalize on Sam Darnold’s interception to start the second half, those three easy touchdowns off turnovers were a big factor on a day that offense was going to be hard to come by.
Seattle also did well off turnovers with 17 points, but that difference between a field goal and a touchdown was a big one. Also of note, the 49ers scored touchdowns on all three of their red zone drives, while the Seahawks went just two of three.
Those two slight advantages (21 to 17 on points off turnovers, 3 red zone touchdowns vs. 2) ended up being huge for the 49ers in a big battle.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
