Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough made a bold proclamation back in the spring, that Terry McLaurin should get 10 targets per game.
That was in a pre-Stefon-Diggs-world, when the Commanders clear No. 1 receiver was even more front-and-center.
Blough’s intent was clear in that early statement and again in real time, with McLaurin a focal point in the early going.
I can already hear you combating that, with McLaurin getting two catches on four targets in the season opener. That was due in large
part to Philadelphia taking him away. He’s had nine targets in each game since.
The Week 2 affair was inefficient. Per Sharp Football Analysis, an NFL-worst 45% of his targets through two weeks were catchable.
The Week 3 contest versus Seattle, however, was an example of both how dominant McLaurin can be and why he’s vital to Commanders success.
All that was summed up in one play, a 30-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Mariota completely built on trust.
It’s hard to say McLaurin was categorically open. Mariota liked the matchup and believed his No. 1 receiver would make a play.
“It kind of changed on the fly,” Mariota said after the 33-31 victory. “He beat (cornerback) Josh (Jobe) really well, or really bad off the line. It was one of those, like, he kind of mail boxed it. Me, if it’s one –on-one, I’m gonna take my shot with Terry every time, and he made an unbelievable catch.”
Let’s reiterate part of that quote one more time.
“If it’s one –on-one, I’m gonna take my shot with Terry every time.”
That’s the mindset required with a player like this. That was a key component in McLaurin being a force and a factor, recording six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.
When he’s covering his face with his hands and then opening them wide, Scary Terry is in full effect.
“We don’t try to make a habit of going off key, but at the end of the day, we speak about being ball players out there,” McLaurin said. “When you get a clean release like that, and you have a chance to make a big play, you want to capitalize, and we did that. It definitely worked out in our favor. I actually kind of got a little bit of a one -on-one; they were probably quarters, so I got a little bit of one -on-one coverage with him, and put the ball up, and I just wanted to come down with it.
“That was euphoric. Everybody has been waiting for the mask to get dropped and the celebration, so to see all my teammates doing it, that just means something different to me because they really support and love what you do out there.”
The Commanders need effervescence that no matter who’s at quarterback. It was sorely missing in 2025. While the full house of card collapsed last season, not having McLaurin consistently was as big a factor as any in that campaign’s downfall.
McLaurin, as one might assume, was humble about his impact on the Commanders’ first victory.
“This is the opportunity that was just seized.”
McLaurin spent all offseason getting in sync with Jayden Daniels after barely playing with him the year before. Then he pivoted with JD5 became unavailable and used a previously established trust with Mariota to help the Commanders pull out a win.
“I think, just being a part of this team where they trust me to be a leader and the playmaker,” McLaurin said, “I just wanted to kinda put that on display.”
So, you know, what comes next?
It’s clear that McLaurin is integral to Commanders success. They need him to be a top 10-15 receiver in this league, who gets open and targeted regardless of coverage or opposition. Part of that is the offensive coordinator – David Blough was pretty darn good on Sunday – find ways to get him involved.
Part of that is on teammates consistently making plays and forcing defenses to be honest. Part of that is McLaurin being McLaurin, someone dominating contested catches as well as anyone in the league.
Don’t believe what your eyes see? Here are the numbers. Against Seattle, McLaurin had a plus-12% catch rate over expectation. He had a plus-5.2 EPA overall. He earned 2.6 yards per route run.
Finding a way to keep McLaurin active is vital moving forward, as Washington tries to stack wins and reach the light following a rough start.
“He’s going to get his opportunity,” Mariota said. “He’s going to make the most of it. I thought the first couple of games he did a good job of kind of trying to find ways to allow him to create separation. That’s part of it. Like I said, you’re gonna go against good defenses, you’re gonna go against teams that game plan well. And I just thought we had a great opportunity for him this week, and he really delivered for us.”
