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Commanders cut Matt Gay after two more misses, sign Jake Moody
Washington signed Gay to a lucrative one-year deal in the offseason, hoping to solve what has been an ongoing issue. Instead, he is out and Moody, 25, is in.
Gay, 31, made just 13 of his 19 field goal attempts and particularly struggled from beyond 50 yards, from which he had missed more attempts (five) than he had made (four) through 10 games.
It will now be Moody’s turn.
The 25-year-old has spent the better part of the season in Chicago after being cut by the San Francisco
49ers on Sept. 9. He made 8 of 9 field goal attempts in two appearances with the Bears — including the 38-yard game-winner in their Oct. 13 win over Washington — but has struggled from distance. He has made just 6 of 12 field goals from 50-plus yards in 34 career games.
Moody has a prior relationship with Peters, who was the assistant general manager in San Francisco when the 49ers selected him in the third round of the 2023 draft. His draft position (99th overall) was high for a kicker, and he rewarded the team with a solid rookie season in which he converted 84 percent of his field goals. But his sophomore season was shaky, and two misses in the opener this year prompted his release.
Moody becomes the 10th kicker to sign in Washington with Quinn and Peters at the helm, continuing an absurdly high degree of turnover at one of the sport’s most pressure-packed positions. Some of the previous nine never played in a game, others succumbed to injuries, and some — such as Matthew Wright, who was signed after Gay got hurt — were temporary fill-ins.
Gay was supposed to stop that kicker carousel from spinning. When the Commanders signed him in March, they gave him a fully guaranteed $4.25 million contract.
Gay appeared visibly distraught while speaking with reporters after Sunday’s game. He said the snap and hold on the potential game-winner were perfect, the attempt was within his range, and the ball felt good leaving his foot. But “it only counts if it goes through,” he continued, and he instead was left to try to assume blame for the Commanders’ sixth consecutive loss.
Commanders Wire
Commanders new kicker has a history with WR Deebo Samuel
Samuel and Moody were teammates with the 49ers for two seasons (2023-24) and had a memorable sideline altercation last November. After Moody missed his third field goal, Samuel confronted him on the sideline. Long snapper Taybor Pepper intervened, and Samuel took a swipe at his neck, making contact with Moody’s facemask.
Here’s the incident.
The incident reflected poorly on Samuel at the time, but he spoke about it afterward, accepting responsibility.
“Normally I don’t even get like that, but just frustrated in the heat of battle, a close game, and I kind of got out of character a little bit,” Samuel said, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN. “But I’ll talk to Moody and we’ll get past it.”
Moody said there was no need for Samuel to apologize, and the two apparently moved past the incident quickly.
“It’s an emotional game, and stuff like that happens all the time,” Moody said, NFL.com. “You just move past it and we won, so that’s all that matters.”
“There doesn’t need to be (an apology)………I do (need) to make those kicks at the end of the day, that’s all I’m focused on. I’m not worried about anything like that.”
ESPN
Five plays that derailed the Commanders this season
No game typified that more than Sunday’s loss in Spain. In the final four minutes of the game, Washington had: a fourth-and-1 pass fail because of a slip; a fumbled punt, and an overtime interception leading to a game-winning field goal for Miami.
“One play doesn’t define a game, one play doesn’t define a season,” Washington tight end Zach Ertz said.
He’s right, of course. But there are multiple plays that can sum up a season. Here are five:
Moment of hope
Three weeks into the season, Washington finally saw what it needed: Daniels and Terry McLaurin connecting on a 56-yard pass vs. the Las Vegas Raiders late in the third quarter.
After missing all of training camp due to a hold-out/hold-in, a strong connection between the two formed in 2024 had re-emerged.
McLaurin and Daniels connected 70 times last season for 944 yards and 12 touchdowns. But McLaurin’s absence in camp impacted their chemistry.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said they needed to get “the feel, the timing, feel the depths of routes and things of that nature.”
But the same play that brought smiles delivered weeks of pain.
On the play, McLaurin injured his right quad, whether from diving for the end zone or a defensive back falling on it. He has played one game since that catch — and re-aggravated his quad on Oct. 27 at Kansas City. He hasn’t played since.
From Hail to fail
Daniels bobbled the exchange from center on a third-and-1 that Chicago recovered at its own 44-yard line. Had Washington picked up the first down it could have either run out the clock with another first down or, at the least, pinned the Bears deep with a punt and little time remaining.
Instead, Daniels tried to hand the ball off to rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt and lost control. The Bears recovered, the defense couldn’t prevent them from driving another 36 yards and, this time, Chicago won the game, 25-24, on a last second field goal-capping an eight-point fourth-quarter comeback.
The loss was not all on Daniels for sure, though he did throw a first-quarter interception in the red zone as well. The defense then allowed more big plays with sloppy tackling.
And Washington hasn’t won since.
The slip
[O]n a fourth-and-goal from the 1 vs. Miami on Sunday, Ertz started on that same route and cut inside. The play was there except this time Ertz stumbled and Marcus Mariota’s pass fell incomplete.
Washington could have taken a 20-13 lead with 6 minutes, 6 seconds left in the game. Perhaps the Commanders would have still lost in overtime. More disasters followed, however: a fumbled punt; a missed 56-yard field goal at the end of regulation; an overtime interception that led to Miami’s game-winning field goal.
Washington Post (paywall)
Five thoughts on the struggling Commanders entering their bye week
After the defense continually struggled, Quinn took over play-calling duties from coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. With him dialing things up against the Dolphins, the Commanders allowed just 311 yards, their lowest total since they held the New York Giants to 231 in Week 1.
Washington was stout in high-leverage moments, too. Miami converted just 3 of 9 third downs, failed to convert both of its fourth-down attempts and scored touchdowns on 1 of 4 red-zone possessions, which included three goal-to-go situations.
The Commanders’ defense still has room for improvement — especially against the run — but it played much better than in recent weeks. That’s something it can build on.
A to Z Sports
The Commanders’ defense finally showed up
The Commanders’ defense has been historically bad after four-straight losses by 21+ points, and Quinn made the difficult decision to demote his guy Joe Whitt Jr, and take over. We wanted to see if the change brought some juice to the player who looked defeated, and that’s exactly what we saw against the Dolphins. The defense looked drastically different than what we’ve seen since the season started.
The biggest difference we saw was the passing defense, as the Commanders held the Dolphins to only 142 net passing yards, which is the fewest since Week 8 of the 2024 season. Third and fourth downs were another key area they’ve struggled in all season, but they held the Dolphins to 3-9 on third down conversions, and had two huge plays on fourth down.
The Commanders have the Denver Broncos after the bye week and then face the Minnesota Vikings for two games featuring second-year quarterbacks (Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy). Then, the team concludes the season with a four-game NFC East stretch, during which we will see what it’s truly made of.
Commanders.com
5 takeaways from Commanders vs. Dolphins
The biggest question for the Commanders during the bye week is how they can compete and try to sneak into the playoffs with four division games left, including two matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles in the final two weeks. They expect to get healthier, particularly at receiver, in the next week, but there’s no clear timetable for impact players like Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown. Jayden Daniels could also return from his elbow injury at some point this season, although there’s no telling when, or if, that will happen.
The Commanders could get help at safety and defensive end between now and their Week 13 matchup against the Denver Broncos, as Will Harris and Drake Jackson are both in their 21-day windows to return to the active roster. Washington has struggled to rush the passer and cover receivers in the secondary, so both players would be welcomed additions for a thin defensive unit.
Heavy.com
Bobby Wagner : Leads team in tackles again Sunday
Wagner logged eight tackles (four solo) and a defensed pass Sunday in a Week 11 overtime loss to Miami. Wagner continues to provide steady output as a tackler, as he’s recorded at least seven stops in all 11 of Washington’s games so far this year. He has slowed down from a torrid season-opening pace, though — Wagner has finished with single-digit tackles in five of his past six contests after reaching the double-digit mark in each of the first five weeks of the campaign. That’s nitpicking his big-time production, though, as the veteran linebacker ranks second in the NFL with 107 stops through 11 weeks.
Riggo’s Rag
NFL is not going to flex Commanders out of prime time in Week 13
According to Nicki Jhabvala from The Athletic, there are no plans to flex out Washington’s clash with Denver in favor of a more enticing fixture. That came with dismay among sections of the fan base, who would be happier with the Commanders going back to the fringes until they become more competitive. Alas, they are still a big market team that draws ratings, and the Broncos are 9-2 with ambitions of reaching the Super Bowl growing with every passing week.
Unless several established figures return from injury, this encounter should be pretty one-sided. The Broncos’ defense is nothing short of sensational, and they could get reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year cornerback Patrick Surtain II back by this point. Although their offense hasn’t been firing on all cylinders, they’ve got more than enough to cause problems for the Commanders.
It’s not hard to see why this was chosen for the national stage before the campaign. The Commanders and Broncos were both expected to challenge. Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix were second-year quarterbacks who took the league by storm as rookies. But it would be a massive shock if the former LSU standout was able to feature after dislocating his elbow.
Riggo’s Rag
Seven Commanders players whose roster futures are falling apart at the bye week
Tyler Owens – Commanders S
Tyler Owens has all the athleticism in the world. He’s a physical force with the size, length, and athleticism typically associated with productive defensive backs in Dan Quinn’s defensive scheme. Injuries have stunted his development, but the Washington Commanders made no secret of their stance regarding the young safety in Week 11 against the Miami Dolphins.
Quinn took over defensive play-calling from Joe Whitt Jr., and there were improvements. It didn’t affect the overall outcome, but Owens not logging a single defensive snap was a damning indictment of how his progress is being perceived by the head coach.
This is a bitter blow for Owens. He was expected to play more, not less, as the Commanders aim to get younger. That wasn’t the case, and one has to wonder if the former Texas Tech standout will be on the 53-man roster when the 2026 campaign arrives.
Pro Football Focus (premium content)
NFL Week 11 Statistical Review
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Red Zone Collapse: Commanders’ #2 Unit Vanishes in Catastrophic OT Loss
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Big Blue View
New York Giants’ Abdul Carter disciplined for mid-week infraction
New York Giants rookie edge defender Abdul Carter did not start Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers due to what Carter said was an infraction that occurred during the week.
It was disclosed on Monday morning that Carter was reportedly asleep in the team’s facility at the time of a walk-through during the week.
Carter disputed some of the report, per Duggan’s story:
“Was not sleep, actually doing recovery,” Carter said on X. “Nonetheless that’s on ME!”
Being late to meetings has been a trend during Carter’s rookie season that former coach Brian Daboll let slide, a source said.
Giants’ interim head coach Mike Kafka said in the post-game that it was decision to sit Carter, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Coach’s decision. That was my decision,” Kafka said after the Giants fell to 2-9 with a 27-20 loss on Sunday. “We’ll just keep the rest of that in-house.”
“I made a mistake during the week that was detrimental to the team,” Carter said. “Had to live with it.”
The timing and the action by Kafka, in his first game, is interesting. Part of the narrative around why Brian Daboll was fired as Giants head coach on Monday was that Daboll was either unable or unwilling to hold players accountable.
This was clearly an effort by Kafka to establish that he would do that.
Bleeding Green Nation
Can the Eagles win the Super Bowl with a mediocre offense?
They are almost certain to win their second straight NFC East title (something no team in the division has done since 2004), and are in control of their own destiny for home field advantage throughout the postseason.
Those are all things to celebrate. The defense is playing on another level. To shut down a Lions team that put up 44 points, piled up 30 first downs and accumulated 546 yards of total offense last week against Washington was breathtaking to behold.
The offense, however, remains stuck in the mud. When playing within structure, Jalen Hurts had difficulty finding open receivers, the running game was largely ineffective, and the play calling once again appeared vanilla and predictable. Their biggest plays were made out of structure. A.J. Brown was targeted but mostly quiet, Saquon Barkley found few holes to run through and explosive plays were once again non-existent.
At this point, you have to wonder if this is all the Eagles are going to get from Kevin Patullo and Nick Sirianni’s offense. And, if it is, is it enough?
The reason Eagles fans are angsty is because most Super Bowl champions don’t have lackluster offenses. One analysis following the 2022 Super Bowl took a look at every Super Bowl winner going back to the 1970 Colts to see how often a champion featured one of the league’s best offenses, defenses and/or both. The numbers are particularly interesting to both the Eagles, the NFC’s top seed, and the Denver Broncos, who are currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Can the Eagles pull out of their offensive rut? One would think that, if they had the answers, they would have discovered them by now.
Should the Eagles’ and Broncos’ offensive numbers hold, the data shows only three Super Bowl winners finished with a worse PPG average offensively: the 2008 Steelers (20th), 2015 Broncos (19th) and 2002 Buccaneers (18th). Only five other Super Bowl winners finished outside the top-10 in offense: the 1982 Redskins and ‘03 Patriots (12th), 2000 Ravens and ‘07 Giants (14th) and the 1990 Giants (15th).
Of the eight teams above, six featured the No. 1 defense in football, based on PPG: the ‘82 Redskins, ‘90 Giants, ‘00 Ravens, ‘02 Bucs, ‘03 Patriots, and ‘08 Steelers.
As Medium noted two years ago, since the merger, the average Super Bowl winner is ranked 5.7th on offense and 6.0 on defense.
In other words, if you’re going to have a middling offense, your defense better be out of this world.
Blogging the Boys
Defense dominates as Cowboys cruise to 33-16 win over Raiders
The Cowboys got the ball to start, and everyone quickly noticed that neither CeeDee Lamb nor George Pickens were on the field at all. Dallas quickly went three-and-out, and sideline reporter Lisa Salters confirmed it was a coach’s decision and nothing to do with an injury.
That brought up the first look at this new Dallas defense, featuring newly-minted Cowboys Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson, on top of three players – DeMarvion Overshown, Shavon Revel, and Malik Hooker – returning from injury. Caelen Carson also got the start at outside cornerback in place of Kaiir Elam.
The changes seemed to work. The Raiders punted after just four plays. Then, when the Dallas defense came back onto the field in the shadow of their own goal post following a strip sack of Dak Prescott, they held the Raiders to -2 yards and a field goal.
In fact, the Cowboys wouldn’t give up a single touchdown until the fourth quarter, and even then it came on a drive that took 14 plays and two fourth-down conversions. By that point, the Cowboys also held a dominant 31-9 lead and were content to milk the clock by giving up dink-and-dunk passes to Las Vegas.
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ESPN
Bengals’ Chase suspended one game for spitting on Steelers’ Ramsey
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has been suspended one game without pay for spitting on Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey, the league announced Monday.
Chase is appealing the suspension, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The appeal will be heard and ruled upon by either Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster or Jordy Nelson, the hearing officers jointly appointed by the NFL and NFL Players Association.
If the suspension is upheld, he would miss his team’s upcoming game against the New England Patriots in Week 12. The incident occurred in Cincinnati’s 34-12 loss to the Steelers on Sunday. Video from Cincinnati’s WXIX-TV showed Chase clearly spitting in Ramsey’s direction, which prompted Ramsey to throw a punch at Chase.
The suspension would cost Chase his weekly paycheck of $448,333 along with a $58,823 per game active bonus he would be forfeiting.
In announcing the suspension, the league cited the section of the rule book that applies to “any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship.”
This is the second time this season that a player has been suspended for spitting on an opponent. In Week 1, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter spit on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before the first play from scrimmage, prompting Carter’s ejection. The NFL viewed that as a single-game suspension.
However, Chase finished the game against the Steelers. At the time, officials did not spot Chase’s actions before ejecting Ramsey for the thrown punch.
Chase also denied spitting on Ramsey.
“I ain’t ever opened my mouth to that guy,” said Chase, who said that words exchanged between the two is what prompted Ramsey’s reaction.
But the league sided with Ramsey. Bengals coach Zac Taylor admonished Chase’s actions Monday.
“Obviously what happened is crossing the line, and we can’t have that,” Taylor said. “I know he’ll own up to that.
When approached by ESPN on Monday, Chase declined to speak to reporters.
ESPN
Source: Shedeur Sanders’ home broken into during NFL debut
According to multiple reports, it wasn’t clear whether anything was stolen from Sanders’ residence and no suspects have been identified.
In the past year or so, burglaries have taken place at the homes of multiple high-profile athletes, including the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow, and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
In Sunday’s 23-16 loss, Sanders completed 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards and threw an interception. He was also sacked twice. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game that Sanders will start next Sunday’s game against the Raiders in Las Vegas if Gabriel cannot clear protocol.
ESPN
Sources: Falcons’ Penix (knee) expected to miss rest of season
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is not expected to play again this season as a result of the knee injury he suffered during Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The belief is that Penix has some damage to his ACL, but he is going through further test testing to get more clarity, sources told Schefter.
The Falcons said in a statement that Penix will be put on injured reserve, sidelining him for at least the next four games, however, the team is “working through the medical process to determine the severity of the injury.”
Veteran Kirk Cousins replaced Penix on Sunday in the eventual 30-27 overtime loss at home and will take over as the Falcons’ starting quarterback with Penix sidelined. The loss dropped the Falcons to 3-7.
Cousins was the starter last season before a five-game stretch in which he threw nine interceptions. Penix took over in Week 16, and the Falcons said he would start moving forward. The expectation was that the Falcons would trade or release Cousins, but the organization was comfortable with him as the backup despite the hefty price tag.
In college, Penix had four season-ending injuries, including torn ACLs in 2018 and 2020.
ESPN
49ers search for kicker again with Eddy Piñeiro hurt
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan announced Monday that veteran kicker Eddy Piñeiro suffered a Grade 1 strain in his right (kicking) hamstring in Sunday’s win against the Arizona Cardinals. Piñeiro, according to Shanahan, will be week-to-week and is likely to miss some time.
That means the 49ers will once again have to go to the free agent market this week in search of help at a position that Piñeiro had finally stabilized after signing in Week 2.
“We’re going to bring in some guys for a workout,” Shanahan said. “They’re working on that now. They’re going to do it either tomorrow or Wednesday.”
Piñeiro is one of two kickers who has tried at least 10 field goals without a miss this year, and he set a franchise record for most consecutive makes to start his season. He does, however, have four misses (two of which were blocked) on 22 extra point attempts, including one that was blocked and one that was missed in Arizona.
Still, the Niners will undoubtedly miss Piñeiro, who settled their kicking situation after incumbent Jake Moody was waived following a shaky run of two-plus years in that position.
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ESPN
NFL players react to league’s grievance over team report cards
“It’s a great way to be transparent and a great way to keep everybody accountable.”
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, one of 10 NFLPA vice presidents, [said], “I think to stop it, it just kind of feels like you’re hiding something.”
The NFL filed a grievance against the players association claiming the report cards violate a collective bargaining agreement clause that states NFL owners and the union must “use reasonable efforts to curtail public comments by club personnel or players which express criticism of any club, its coach, or its operation and policy,” according to an August letter from the league’s management council to the NFLPA, obtained by ESPN. For the latest report card published in February, 1,695 players leaguewide responded to the surveys, which were administered from Aug. 26 to Nov. 20, 2024, and include grades on everything from head coach to team travel to the locker room. According to the NFLPA, answers were collected anonymously.
“The fact that there’s pushback shows it’s working,” one 10-year veteran, who asked for anonymity, told ESPN.
“We have responded to the grievance with our intention to fight against this action and continue what’s clearly become an effective tool for comparing workplace standards across the league and equipping you to make informed career decisions,” the NFLPA wrote in its email to its players.
In a graphic included in the email, the NFLPA illustrated some of the grade improvements made by teams since the surveys began.
The Los Angeles Chargers jumped from 30th to fifth after building a new training facility.
The Washington Commanders jumped to 11th from last place in large part because of improvements to travel, food, family and childcare.
“That goes to [team owner] Josh [Harris], honestly, and [general manager] Adam [Peters],” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said of Washington’s improved grades at the NFL combine in March. “There’s no gap in between what [Harris] says and what he does. And so, to have that type of reflection in a year is really big. We told him how important this was to us. He heard that from the players and then took action on that.”
Harris, who bought the Commanders in July 2023, received an A and ranked eighth out of 32 teams in the ownership category of the 2025 report card. Though players gave their locker room an F when the survey was conducted during the 2024 season, Harris’ average rating for perceived willingness to invest in the facilities was 9.24 out of 10. In July, the Commanders unveiled renovations to the locker room that had been ongoing since the end of the 2024 season.
Players, though, say they appreciate the visibility that comes with publicly publishing the report card grades and believe it creates accountability and also gives players a better picture of league happenings.
“The public pressure is the best part about our survey,” said Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joel Bitonio, a 12-year veteran and alternate player representative.
As one of just three teams that didn’t provide childcare during games in the 2024 season, the Bengals received an F-minus for treatment of families in the February report card. This season, though, families of Bengals players can drop their children off prior to the game, receive updates from childcare providers throughout and pick them up either in the fourth quarter or after the game.
“I feel like it’s been something that we had to figure out logistically from an ownership standpoint, but it’s a big benefit for us,” said Burks, who has a 16-month-old daughter. “I know that my wife is really enjoying the game instead of running around with the little ones.”
The Bengals did not return requests for comment on whether the improvements for treatment of families were directly linked to poor feedback in the NFLPA report cards.
To the players whom ESPN spoke to, administering the surveys and publishing the results is similar to the evaluation process applied to them by their own team officials.
“They grade us all the time,” Lake said. “We get graded every single day, whether it’s at practice or during the game. It’s just interesting that now they don’t want report cards to come out about their organization and stuff like that. That’s like, to me, it’s a little disappointing because as players, our job is to get graded, but then when they ask us to grade something, they’re like, ‘Mmm, no.'”
