The Daily Slop – 14 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
The Athletic (paywall)
That botched final play: What we know and still don’t know
Daniels could have thrown the ball over Sinnott’s head — or even heaved it downfield, well beyond Okonkwo or Burks — and the clock would have stopped with time remaining.
Instead, after he stumbled on his dropback and made the half-hearted fake
to White, Daniels — how should we put this — freaked out. He ran to his left, then fell back to his right, just getting back to the line of scrimmage — where he then sat for about four seconds.
“This is terrible situational awareness,” former fullback Michael Robinson said on NFL Network. “I don’t think Jayden Daniels knew whether he had timeouts or not. Look at the urgency. There was none.
“He was about to lay on the ground. And to me, a picture is worth 1,000 words. Right here, the Washington Commanders did not know what to do in the situation.”
Said Green Bay Packers pass rusher Micah Parsons of Daniels: “There’s no way I’m taking a sack with (12) seconds left and no timeouts. … This is your third year. … You’ve been to the NFC Championship Game. You’ve been in big moments before. And to me, even after a sack, you’re casually getting up.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Last Man Standig (paywall)
New focus puts the onus on the QB
The quarterback’s decision not to throw the ball away, followed by the offense’s lack of urgency as time expired, produced the lasting images of one of the more baffling endings in franchise history.
Daniels’ role can’t be absolved, regardless of what happened earlier in the chain of command. Quarterbacks are the extension of a coach on the field. The greats have the instincts to know when the information no longer applies to the question presented. As the clock ticked down, the situation demanded an adjustment from Daniels. It never came.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN
Seven things Solak thinks entering NFL Week 6
Daniels, independent of any call from the sideline, is the player holding the football. He knows the clock is running; he knows (or at least should know) he has no timeouts. He simply cannot be tackled in bounds. He has to throw the ball away.
Quinn should not lose his job because Daniels short-circuited on a play he didn’t fully understand. But you can’t really come back from this. It’s Quinn’s third season as the head coach in Washington, and all the magic of Daniels’ rookie year and that deep 2024 playoff run is forgotten. If Washington can’t beat this version of the Giants — up by 14, in the rain, facing a backup quarterback and with a hand-delivered victory at the end of overtime — it’s hard to imagine it’ll beat enough teams to justify keeping the staff. Remember, Quinn made two coordinator changes last offseason. He’s all out of cards to play to keep his seat for another year if things don’t change very quickly.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)
Why did the Commanders defense struggle so much in the second half vs Giants?
In the first half, they dominated, as they have done a few times this season. The Giants failed to get anything going on the ground and the passing game wasn’t much better. The Giants managed just three points in the first half, but things completely changed in the second half. The Giants scored on every possession in the second half, bar the kneel down on the final play before going to overtime.
Going from conceding just a field goal in the first half, to giving up scores on four consecutive possessions in the second half is quite the change. So what changed? To break that down, we have to start by looking at what went well in the first half. The Giants came out looking to establish the run game, but the Commanders were very stout against the run early on, as they have been most of the season.
To emphasize just how good the Commanders were against the run, after Daniels ran for his first touchdown, the TV broadcast put up a stat that Daniels had a 38-yard run for that touchdown, and at that point the Giants had 37 total rushing yards as a team. And that was midway through the third quarter. So the Giants had nothing going for them on the ground in the first half, which meant they were constantly in second and third and long situations.
So what changed? In the second half, the Giants opted to almost abandon the run game and instead went to plays they would call “extensions of the run game”.
Sports Illustrated
Tress Way Reached a Milestone No Washington Punter Had Before
One franchise milestone was overshadowed by the 27-27 tie this past weekend as punter Tress Way surpassed 40,000 career punting yards. Way became the first punter in franchise history and the 36th in NFL history to reach that mark. Officially, Way and Bryan Anger are the only two active punters above that threshold. Earlier this year, Way played in his 200th game for the Washington Football franchise (Commanders, Redskins, WFT), joining Washington Legends Darrell Green, Monte Coleman, Art Monk, and Dave Butz as the only players to reach that mark in the Burgundy & Gold.
Way was highly active and effective Sunday, punting six times for 312 yards, for a 52-yard gross average and a 43.3-yard net average. His longest punt traveled 59 yards from Washington’s own seven-yard line in the first quarter.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders Roundtable
Niners will be missing at least 2 key players on Monday night
The Commanders will not face one notable 49ers defender after linebacker Dre Greenlaw was suspended without pay for the week six matchup. Greenlaw’s suspension was then upheld on Tuesday after attempting to appeal his punishment following Monday’s news.
Greenlaw was disciplined after headbutting Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones on the sideline following a late hit on quarterback Sam Darnold midway through the second quarter. The call to eject Greenlaw came from New York in addition to Greenlaw drawing a flag on the play.
[W]ide receiver Deebo Samuel, who led the Commanders in receiving yards during his lone season with the organization in 2025, [is] also expected to miss the matchup due to a hamstring injury suffered in the week five win. Whether defensive end Nick Bosa returns is a question mark heading into the rest of the week after head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed optimism on his status against the Commanders.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders Roundtable
Washington Commanders have add running back to practice squad
Devin Neal is joining the Commanders’ practice squad.
Neal began his career with the New Orleans Saints as a sixth round pick in the 2025 Draft. Neal played sparingly through the first two months of the season before stepping into an elevated role over the final month where he drew at least seven carries in four consecutive games. Neal’s best performance came in the week 14 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he totaled 70 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. Neal also recorded touchdowns in each of his final two appearances in 2025.
Neal’s rookie season ended after he totaled 206 yards and two touchdowns on 57 carries, equating to 3.6 yards per carry, while adding 104 receiving yards on 17 catches and 19 targets. Yet his stint in New Orleans was cut short after suffering a hamstring injury during preseason ahead of the 2026 regular season. Neal then joined the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad after a workout before being waived days later, leading him to now head to Washington exactly one week later in hopes of jumpstarting his NFL career in year two.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Riggo’s Rag
6 Commanders players whose standout efforts are getting lost in the mess
Rasul Douglas – Commanders CB
When the Commanders signed Rasul Douglas this offseason, fans approached the move with cautious optimism. He was experienced and physical enough to perform well in Daronte Jones’ scheme, but there’s no telling when age will catch up to veteran cornerbacks.
Thankfully, Douglas has taken on the challenge superbly. He’s now starting opposite Amik Robertson, and he is making a considerable impression. His last two games have been particularly notable, which will only serve him well in pursuit of another deal beyond 2026.
Even with the return of 2025 second-round pick Trey Amos, Douglas still has a role to play. Jones’ defense starts games well but drops off significantly in the second half. That’s a problem, but the Virginia Tech product has quickly emerged as a real positive through the opening five games.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Injury notes from Commanders Roundtable:
As for Washington, who returns from injury remains a question heading into the rest of the week. Head coach Dan Quinn pointed to Thursday’s practice as when the team expects to get a better picture regarding availability in week six with questions around cornerback Trey Amos, wide receiver Stefon Diggs and safety Nick Cross heading into the rest of the week. Quinn also noted that defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste suffered a pectoral injury with his status unclear for the rest of the week. Jean-Baptiste was also limited to just three games in 2025 for the same injury, adding concern for the former seventh round pick in his third season with the organization.
Commanders [also] await an update on the status of Jeremy McNichols, who was one of three players that had their 21 day practice window opened ahead of week five after starting the regular season on injured reserve.
ESPN
Biggest defensive issue for each team
Biggest issue on defense: Performing in the second half
The Commanders are last in second-half points allowed per game (19) and 28th in second-half yards allowed per game (151.2). They have given up 20 or more points after halftime in each of the past four games, which includes a blown two-touchdown lead Sunday. One big issue has been a lack of pressure. Washington ranks 28th in sacks per dropback in the second half. Their secondary has played better, but it lacks playmakers. That issue, combined with little pressure, is why the Commanders are allowing a 53.1 third-down conversion rate after halftime.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Podcasts & videos
The District Film Room
Week 5: What happened defensively in the second half?
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
Christian Parker seems to be getting Sean Desai’d by the Cowboys
Here’s how the Cowboys’ defense ranks in a number of metrics exiting Week 5:
- 31st in yards allowed per game (395.4)
- 26th in offensive points allowed per game (27.2)
- 32nd in EPA per play
- 32nd in success rate
Yikes.
the Cowboys are reportedly hiring a more experienced assistant to pair with Parker as a first-time play-caller: Mike Pettine.
And not only are they bringing the Bucks County, Pennsylvania native into the fold. But the Cowboys are also moving Parker from his normal role on the sideline to the booth.
It’s hard to look at this setup and not think back to when the Eagles bizarrely decided to put Matt Patricia in charge of their defense mid-stream during the 2023 season, effectively demoting Sean Desai in the process without actually formally doing so.
That setup ended up being an abject disaster for the Eagles, who historically collapsed at the end of that season.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Philly Voice
The Eagles should punt on the 2026 season, trade still-valuable players for future assets
[I]f you’re a Birds fan, this season sucks. And, spoiler, it is only going to continue to suck.
However, Howie Roseman and the Eagles are in a position to choose their suckage path the rest of the season.
The Eagles suck in a way that isn’t likely fixable
The 2026 Eagles O-line, as currently constructed, is one of the worst in the NFL. Of course, the biggest domino to fall in the deconstruction of the line was the unexpected retirement of Lane Johnson last week.
LG Landon Dickerson did not have a good training camp, and he had his worst game as a pro Week 1 against the Commanders. He subsequently went on injured reserve. The Eagles then moved starting C Cam Jurgens to LG, and Drew Kendall filled in at C.
Jurgens then proceeded to play poorly at LG for three games before he reported concussion symptoms and was traded to the Baltimore Ravens. Meanwhile, Kendall sustained a knee injury and did not play Week 5 in London against the Jaguars.
In the Eagles’ loss in London, Tyler Steen suffered a shoulder injury, but did return to the game.
This is not 2024.
Through five games during the 2024 season, the offense had gained 1,834 yards. They were averaging 366.8 yards per game. This season through five games… 1,311 yards, or 262.2 per game. That would be 104.6 fewer yards per game.
The 2024 offensive line was intact and playing well, and the Eagles had a run game that they could hang their hat on. They at least had an identity to lean into.
Following the Eagles’ Week 4 loss to the Rams, Sirianni acknowledged that the team “obviously” did not yet have an identity.
But more troubling is that it’s hard to figure out anything the offense does well. There’s no identity now, and no identity on the horizon.
The Eagles are unquestionably the most successful team in the NFC the last decade. They should be hunting for Lombardi trophies, not division title banners. Since they are not capable of winning a Super Bowl this season, based on all of the above, they should let the other three loser teams in the division compete for the right to get knocked out of the playoffs in the wildcard round.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
From NFL.com:
left tackle Jordan Mailata wasn’t thinking about moral victories.
“I don’t even know what that means now,” Mailata said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I don’t even know. My brain hurts. This week has been a week from hell for me. I don’t even know the concept of a moral victory right now. I’m just trying to look internally to see how I contributed to this loss so I can correct it. We weren’t good enough. We know that.”
To read more of this NFL.com article, CLICK HERE
Big Blue View
The Giants need to open up their offense and become less predictable
The Giants need to be realistic about the world in which they now live. They desperately want a power running game to be the foundation of their offense. The problem is that the Giants’ running game has just been bad since the loss of Dart. The Giants’ running backs have averaged just 3.49 yards per carry over the last three games, with zero touchdowns and three fumbles.
That is simply not winning football, to the point where the failure to produce combined with the philosophic focus on the run game is actively harming the team.
The problem is that despite having the fourth-highest run rate on neutral downs, the Giants’ -0.2.18 EPA per play on neutral-down runs is among the worst in the NFL.
The Giants’ EPA on dropbacks, meanwhile, is 12th in the NFL at 0.141 per play — just between the Bengals and Packers.
[F]ullback Patrick Ricard was on the field for 22 plays against the Commanders, two of which were penalties. Of the remaining 20 plays, 12 of them were runs and 10 of those were between the tackles.
The Giants had a strong tendency to play out of condensed sets, and then run between the tackles into the teeth of the defense.
[Against Washington], Cam Skattebo ran the ball 13 times and Najee Harris carried the ball 5 times. In each case, most of their carries came in heavy, condensed formations. However, their best carries came when the Giants spread their formation out. In fact, Skattebo’s 19-yard run and 9-yard run both came when the Giants used 11-personnel and wider formations to lighten the box an force Washington to defend more field.
What to do now?
Quite simply, the Giants need to open their offense up, they need to lean into the pass, and they need to help their players.
I want to make it clear that I don’t think the Giants need to turn into the Cowboys and throw 40 times per game.
However, it’s clear that despite Jameis Winston’s history of turnovers and the Giants having a razor-thin depth chart at wide receiver, passing is their better option right now.
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 news: We’re on to Washington
The Commanders are a fascinating team. The same guys that beat Seattle also just tied the New York Giants. At 1-3-1, they’ll be desperate to save their spiraling season. A win on national TV against the hottest team in the league would be exactly what the doctor ordered for them.
With Sonny Styles leading the way, their front seven will be a problem. He’s been really really good… maybe one of the few linebackers that can keep up with George Kittle or Christian McCaffrey. Their secondary looks much more exploitable.
On the other side of the ball, their interior offensive line seemed like their biggest vulnerability before the season started. They’ve stabilized by signing Lucas Patrick to play center and getting starting guard Sam Cosmi back from injury. The x-factor, which I’m sure will be talked about ad nauseam, is none other than Jayden Daniels.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Niners Nation
What is the 49ers plan at receiver without Deebo Samuel?
The 49ers have now lost Ricky Pearsall, De’Zhaun Stribling, Christian Kirk, Demarcus Robinson, Samuel, and Khadarel Hodge all to injuries for some period of time.
The 49ers trotted out Brandin Cooks for the first time, while Jacob Cowing played a heavy number of snaps behind Mike Evans. Additionally, we saw Jordan Watkins get 22 snaps as well. Right now, those three are the team’s top depth after Evans, who is still recovering in his own right from a painful rib injury.
What is the 49ers plan at receiver without Samuel?
“Well, yeah, with Deebo out, we have five guys on the roster and Deebo being out, that would be four,“ head coach Kyle Shanahan said about his receivers. So the next guys up to get activated would be one of the three guys on practice squad. Because also in that game Jake went down with an ankle. He ended up being all right, but the numbers got low real quick. That’s why we always like to get five up for game day. We’ve got four guys on our roster, so we’ll most likely decide on one of those guys throughout the week.”
Currently, the 49ers have three receivers on their practice squad: Wesley Grimes, Will Pauling, and Xavier Smith. So will they look for more reinforcements during the week? Shanahan doesn’t believe so, at least for now.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
NFL league links
Articles
Pro Football Talk
Joe Brady wishes he’d taken two knees before Monday night’s game-winning field goal
Brady expressed regret for attempting the game-winning 45-yard field goal on second down, with two minutes left in overtime.
“I didn’t want to run two QB sneaks with the fall process of, again, getting — putting the ball in harm’s way, taking some shots on Josh, just to get — we knew we were already in line,” Brady said. “So it’s like, hey, do I just, hey, center the ball and just take two knees? You know, you go back two yards, but you don’t give them, you know, they end up worse if you miss. They get 45 seconds to, you know, to go 20 yards for the field goal. Big difference in two-minute, and, you know, the 45-yard field goal and a 47-yard field goal percentages, you should still be good to go, right?
“And, you know, so if I had that opportunity again — look, I was convicted about it. You know, [Tyler Bass] was good to go. The conversation we had in the huddle and upstairs was like, ‘Let’s just go win the game right now.’ But, you know, to not give them that shot again, if we do miss, the best thing would be is to take two knees and say, ‘Hey, the 45 and the 47 is not of big difference.’ Be a completely different story if the ball was a little further back. I’d be no indecision on taking knees if we were a little closer. We were just in that. It is a long field goal. We had just missed an extra point, but had the confidence in [Bass], but that’s when I do wish I probably took two knees, and then we kicked the game winner. And if anything, they’d have 45 seconds and not two minutes.”
Plenty of Bills fans would surely prefer a 45-yard field goal try to a 47-yard field goal attempt. For obvious reasons. Regardless, the thought process is another example of the decisions coaches need to make in real time, with the clock ticking.
If the kick had missed from 47, the Rams would have had less than 40 seconds to gain enough ground to try another potential game-winner. A miss from 45 would have given the Rams triple that amount of time.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
