The Daily Slop – 19 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
Blogging the Boys
5 Questions with Hogs Haven: Cowboys want a better defense, but the Commanders might have got one
Blogging The Boys: What were some of the best things that you saw from the Commanders in the first game versus Philadelphia that bode well for the season?
Hogs Haven: I think the first thing almost any Commanders fan would say is the performance of
the defense. Last year, the Commanders had one of the worst defenses in the NFL, so they completely overhauled it in the offseason, with a new DC in Daronte Jones (who brings an attacking Flores-like scheme) and replacing over half of the starters on defense. Early returns indicate the overhaul has paid off. The defense was living in the Eagles backfield last Sunday, generating a 48.48% pressure rate on Jalen Hurts and a 24% TFL rate, both notably higher than NFL average.
BTB: Give us a rundown on a few of the new players in Washington who could make a big impact this season.
On defense, as mentioned before, over half the defensive starters this year are new to the team. I won’t go through all of them, but the standouts are LB Sonny Styles, S Nick Cross, and EDGE Odafe Oweh.Styles was drafted 7th overall and has lived up to his billing. He was all over the field on Sunday making plays and even steamrolled Saquon Barkley to get a big hit on Jalen Hurts on a blitz. Nick Cross was a physical presence flying all over the field, showing well in coverage while also getting tackles and limiting yardage to the line of scrimmage. Odafe Oweh was the team’s biggest FA signing with a 4-year, $96 million contract. He didn’t have a huge impact in week 1 against the Eagles elite OTs, ending the game with 1 sack, 3 total tackles and a tackle for loss.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention standout gunner Tyler Owens, who was a maven on special teams and had an angry run that went viral after the game.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Athlon Sports
Commanders Rookie Power Rankings: Sonny Styles Proving First-Round Value
1. LB Sonny Styles
Whether he lined up on the line or in the box, Styles quickly proved why quarterbacks need to account for him on every play. Recording one sack and two tackles for loss, Styles’ elite physicality and dominance were on full display.
Will Campbell’s rookie pressure rate
Styles still has some work to do when dropping back into coverage. During Dallas Goedert’s 43-yard touchdown reception, Styles had some difficulty communicating during pre-snap movements, allowing for Goedert to slip by unmarked.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
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Sports Illustrated
Washington May Need Treylon Burks One Week After Making Him Inactive
Treylon Burks was among the five players on the 53-man active roster who did not dress against the Philadelphia Eagles, as the team dressed four tight ends and five wide receivers instead. What made the inactive status odd was that Burks was featured among the starters in the Week 1 depth chart. Now with TE Chig Okonkwo out this week, the roster math has shifted completely.
While he is not a tight end, Burks brings his 6-foot-2, 225-pound frame with him every snap, works well over the middle, and has a bigger catch radius than most of Washington’s receiving room. Quinn talked about those traits during camp: “But at the Z position, we really feel his impact, you know? Deep routes, in-breaking routes, he’s got a long catch radius, and so that’s the thing that you feel on a regular basis.” Ben Sinnott is another player the team would like to see step into a larger role with Okonkwo out.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders Roundtable
Commanders secondary faces a test against Cowboys wide receivers
The Cowboys are coming off a rough offensive showing after amassing just 244 yards of total offense against the New York Giants in the start of the John Harbaugh era. The Sunday night showing marked the fewest yards gained since week nine during the Cowboys’ 2024 season, giving Dallas fuel to turn the tide in their home opener.
Both Ceedee Lamb and George Pickens combined to register 43 catches of at least 20 yards in 2025 as the duo ranked among the top 14 across the NFL in the category last season. Yet they will also look to turn the page after combining for six drops and 72 yards while Lamb found the endzone for Dallas’ first touchdown of the season. Add in the fact that the Cowboys had just two possessions through the second half, how defensive coordinator Daronte Jones and the Commanders’ defense can extend the Cowboys’ slowly developing passing attack again may be the biggest question mark.
Both Pickens and Lamb recorded at least four receptions and 45 yards each in both of the meetings in 2025, and it’s a debate whether the unit is upgraded one season later. With Amos sidelined for at least another three weeks and uncertainty whether he’ll be available in week five, Rasul Douglas, who Daronte Jones called a “savvy vet,” has been able to step into an impact role with Amik Robertson and Mike Sainristil rounding out the top of the room. Though Douglas allowed a 31 yard completion on third down, the veteran showed why he can at least be a stopgap at the position. Yet the test goes beyond Douglas with Sainristil looking to bounceback as Jones pointed to “urgency” from his third year cornerback.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Hogs Haven
Washington Commanders at the Cowboys in Week 2: Inside the Matchup
Parker’s defense showed more finesse than physicality, and New York’s offense dominated the Cowboys D to the tune of 394 yards of total offense, converting 9-of-11 third downs, which let the Giants maintain a chokehold on time of possession. Dallas failed to get much pressure on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart and, unlike the Philadelphia Eagles, only generated two pressures on four-man rushes during the evening.
Blough should have plenty of opportunities to get his offense on the right track, as the Cowboys’ defense also lost safety Malik Hooker and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown to injuries this week.
Conversely, Washington’s defense looked vastly improved under Daronte Jones’ direction, but failed to limit the Philadelphia’s explosive playmaking ability, giving up 171 of the Eagles’ 318 total yards on just four plays. The secondary in particular struggled. Dallas’ two big wide receivers George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb will be going against last week’s starters, Amik Robertson and Mike Sainristil, making this a matchup to watch.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders.com
Three keys | Commanders vs. Cowboys, Week 2
Attack the perimeter on the ground.
Week 1 results in the NFL can vary wildly, but they can contain moments of truth for future opponents to exploit. One of these areas for the Cowboys could be on the ground, particularly on outside runs to the defensive perimeter. The Giants rushed for 165 yards on 37 carries, and whether it was a handoff to Cam Skattebo or a scramble from Jaxon Dart, they had open grass in front of them outside the tackles.
The Commanders had similar success against the Eagles, rushing for 132 yards with an average of 4.1 yards per carry, but like everything associated with Washington’s offense, it took time for the ground game to find traction. They also had to settle for smaller gains, as their longest run was just 14 yards.
The Cowboys ranked 20th in run stop win rate against the Giants, so there should be opportunities for the Commanders to establish a stronger ground presence. The Cowboys have Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark manning their interior, so it might make sense to run away from them rather than plowing into them. They will need to rely on Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who led the Commanders with 63 yards last week, and his quickness to escape outside, but offensive tackles Brandon Coleman and Josh Conerly, both known for their athleticism, will need to win their matchups as well.
It circles back to Washington’s need to get started earlier in the game. If the offense can establish the run quicker, it’ll keep the Cowboys off the field, tire out the Dallas defense and hopefully lead to more scoring opportunities.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Washington Post (paywall)
His father led Washington to a Super Bowl; now, he coaches the Commanders’ star QB
[QB coach] D.J. [Williams] and Daniels don’t always see eye-to-eye, but they’re both okay with that. D.J.’s job isn’t to be Daniels’s friend; it’s to make him the best quarterback possible.
“It’s like a big brother, little brother type of thing,” Daniels said last month. “So, you can only imagine what that’s like. We butt heads and stuff like that, but he knows it’s all out of love. I know he wants the best for me, and he wants the best for everybody in that room.”
As a coach, D.J.’s mantra is consistency. He set three non-negotiables for the quarterback room: accuracy, playing on time and protecting the football. But he’s flexible in other aspects.
“You don’t want to put guys in a box,” D.J. said. “When you talk about footwork and all these things, it’s a million different ways to skin a cat.”
Looking ahead to the Commanders’ matchup at the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, there’s still room for Daniels to improve. He had an average time to throw of 3.41 seconds, according to Next Gen Stats, which was the longest among all quarterbacks in Week 1. He also completed just 52.9 percent of his passes.
Those areas will surely be points of emphasis with Williams.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Photos
Podcasts & videos
Jayden Daniels Vs CJ Stroud According To Laremy Tunsil
“You Gotta Be Ready to Compete” – Nick Cross + Josh Wilson’s PG County Pride | Washington Commanders
Inside the Command Center ft Bram Weinstein
Week 2 Preview and Picks! | The Mina Kimes Show Featuring Lenny
NFC East links
Big Blue View
NY Giants place struggling, highly-paid CB on IR with knee injury
Adebo, in the second year of a three-year, $54 million contract, struggled this spring and summer and did not start in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. Greg Newsome and Deonte Banks did. Adebo played only 10 snaps in that game.
Adebo also missed five games last season with a knee injury. Expected to be the Giants’ No. 1 cornerback when he signed in free agency, Adebo has not played up to that expectation.
The Giants reportedly signed cornerback Nikko Reed off the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad on Monday, meaning he w[ill] take Adebo’s roster spot.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Big Blue View
NY Giants-Rams matchup: Los Angeles offense will provide stern test
The Rams have a physical and big offensive line that can command the point of attack. Alaric Jackson (LT) and Steve Avila (LG) are a quality tandem on the left side, with Warren McClendon Jr. (RT) and Kevin Dotson (RG) on the right. Coleman Shelton centers the line. One of the biggest matchups in the game, quite possibly, is D.J. Reader against the interior offensive line.
Reader was outstanding in Week 1 for the Giants, and he’ll have to be again against a team that will try to run DUO and displace, while marrying its run game to its dynamic passing attack. Overall, the Giants must be on their P’s and Q’s up front. The Rams’ receivers block their back side off, and I expect to see a heavy dose of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.
The Giants’ pass rush can certainly take advantage of the pair of tackles, and the speed of Carter and Burns could look to win against the more power-based line that the Rams possess, but the strength of players like Dotson and Avila could easily give the edge to Los Angeles.
The Giants are 7.5-point road underdogs with an Over/Under of 48ish (depending on the book). I feel a lot better about this matchup for the Giants after Week 1, but the Rams are a true test. If the Giants pull off this upset, they will vault themselves into the true contender conversation in the NFC.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Upcoming opponent
Blogging the Boys
Commanders have been ‘get right’ opponent for Cowboys before
The Cowboys will know what they’re seeing in the Dan Quinn defense, one that remained aggressive but had it’s struggles in week one against the Eagles. [Note from Bill-in-Bangkok: Sean Martin, who wrote this ‘analysis’ apparently missed several memos about the hiring of Davonte Jones and the installation of an entirely new defensive scheme. Either he didn’t watch the Week 1 game against the Eagles, or Mr. Martin has total amnesia about the defensive scheme that Dan Quinn ran for over a decade.] After failing to establish Ferguson as a threat against the Giants defense, the Cowboys should be encouraged by Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert leading Philly in catches and yards with two touchdowns last Sunday. Both touchdowns came from distance too, one of 17 yards and the other 43.
In the Commanders secondary that will look to be the second straight to keep George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb in check, Nick Cross, Amik Robertson, and Mike Sainristill were all at the top of the Commanders box score for tackles against the Eagles. This is normally not a good sign of how well a defense won at the point of attack, and also points to something else that will be familiar for Cowboys fans and coaches alike for this matchup against Quinn, which is defensive backs on an island. [BiB: Again, there is a total lack of understanding of the defense employed by the Commanders in Week 1, which, per Ben Standig, was in zone coverage 85% of the time. Per ESPN, Nick cross made 5 tackles on running plays; he made 4 tackles on passing plays for a combined 9 yards. Per Pro Football Reference, Robertson’s 4 tackles on pass receptions went for 26 yards (6.5 yds per reception) with only 8 yards on 2 completions charged against him in coverage. It is widely understood that Mike Sainristil had a terrible game in Week 1.]
In an eight point loss in week one, the Cowboys lost an expected 8.3 points to three costly drops. All of the ingredients are in place for the Cowboys to get all of their skill players involved in the game plan this week, calm down the fan base by getting push in the run game, spreading it around through the air, and flipping the script the Giants used on them by having their own offense control a home game. [BiB: Another blogger who sees his team fixing all of last week’s mistakes while assuming the opponent will do all the same things the same way without improvement. Jeez…]
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Blogging the Boys
DeMarvion Overshown, Malik Hooker ruled out vs Commanders
DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring) was ruled out. This was pretty much known after he sustained the injury against New York. That means someone else will be relaying the coaches’ signals to the defense this week. Malik Hooker (forearm) is also not playing this week as he recovers from a fractured forearm.
The Commanders will be without two key players this weekend. Frankie Luvu (groin) and Chig Okonkwo (hamstring) were ruled out after not practicing this week. Javon Kinlaw (back) was limited today after sitting out yesterday, and is questionable.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys vs Commanders: 3 causes for concern in Week 2
Washington’s ability to stop the run
One positive to come out of the Commanders’ Week 1 loss was how well they kept Philadelphia’s impressive run game in check. While the Eagles did record 136 total rushing yards on the day, 64 of those yards came on two runs by Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts.
If you take away Barkley’s big run of 42 yards, Washington held the talented running back to just 41 yards on 14 carries, an average of 2.9 Y/A. On the day, the Commanders’ defense ranked 10th in the league in defensive Rush EPA(-01.67) and third in defensive Rush SR (26.3%).
To avoid letting Dallas open things up in the play-action game, Washington will likely follow their Week 1 game plan against Philly and put heavy emphasis on slowing Dallas down on the ground. The Cowboys will need to execute better in the run game than they did in Week 1, when, as a team, they averaged just 3.8 Y/A.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Blogging the Boys
Advanced stats show Cowboys strengths and weaknesses
-49.4 Passer Rating Differential (PRD): That’s the difference in passer rating between the Giants (134.2) and the Cowboys (84.8). We know that passer rating differential (PRD) is one of the stats most closely linked to winning in the NFL. And one of the interesting things about PRD is that it can be plugged into a very simple formula to predict win totals in the NFL. The PRD formula (Projected Wins = PRD * 0.16 + 8.5) has shown a fairly close correlation with the Cowboys’ actual wins over the last few years, as the table below illustrates.
Defensive EPA
Unfortunately, the defense ranked 32nd with an EPA/play of 0.363 and 31st in success rate with 59.1%
The defensive problems weren’t limited to third downs. In fact, the second-down numbers may be even more revealing. John Owning summarizes:
Drops
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
NFL league links
Articles
Pro Football Talk
Jerry Jones: The Giants were better than we thought they were
“Now, things have changed, and you can come in with less experience than you could in those days. But having said that, it’s a challenge now to put it together and get it ready to go. We didn’t play well last week. I said — what I meant to say was, New York had really more to do with it than I thought they would. Than I thought they would. And so that’s a factor. But Washington could have a lot to do with it here Sunday, too, so we’ve got to be ready to step up the level of play. There’s no question.”
It’s a sensible explanation. But it cuts against the vibe that had been created before the season, when season tickets were being renewed and hype was being generated and fans were being persuaded that things would be different this year.
What should the real expectations be? With Jerry suggesting that the Cowboys undergone an overhaul they haven’t experienced since the year Jones bought the team, they perhaps should be a lot lower than they were a week ago.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
