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The Athletic (paywall)
How a Washington Commanders team on the rise was knocked off track
It’s never just one thing. Never just one decision or one play. It’s never just one game, even. It’s always a collection of smaller things that decide an NFL season.
The 2024 Washington
Commanders seemed to find all the right things — on the field and off. They found their quarterback of the future in Jayden Daniels, found two other new starters in the draft, found veterans eager to lead and prove they still had it, and quickly found their identity from their play style and attention to detail.
Yet Washington clearly missed some of those same touchstones this season, and that helps explain why the team is now sitting at 3-6 with a difficult road ahead. The Commanders have just a 1 percent chance to make the postseason, according to The Athletic’s simulator — the lowest odds of any 2024 playoff team. The details matter, so much so that a few missteps can lead to a debacle by inches.
- Here are some of the smaller things that have led to the Commanders’ spiral this season.
- Roster gambles that didn’t pan out
- Injuries and more injuries
- Speaking of tight ends …
- Continued performance issues on defense
- Communication problems
- Slowed development
ESPN
NFL Week 10 predictions, fantasy sleepers, QB notes, bets
Detroit puts something extra on Washington
The No. 1 seed Lions suffered one of the most embarrassing upsets of the entire 2024 season against the Commanders, who beat them 45-31 in the divisional round at their home barn. Quarterback Jared Goff acknowledged this week that there’s “added motivation” heading to Washington. The Commanders’ defense is reeling, and the offense has lost all of its wind from last season. If the Lions are up 21 in the fourth quarter, I won’t be surprised if the entire starting offense is back out there to make it 28.
Will Washington’s offensive game plan shift at all under Marcus Mariota with Jayden Daniels sidelined?
Not a whole lot, considering they have similar styles. Both are comfortable running the ball and operating the run-pass option and quick game favored by offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. The problem for both quarterbacks is how defenses are taking away some of that by playing more man coverage lately.
But there are some differences. When Washington goes no-huddle and more up-tempo, Mariota typically likes to go at a faster pace. The problem this season, however, is having a defense that can’t afford quick three-and-outs by the offense. Still, if Washington wants to play faster, Mariota likes doing so. Also, Mariota is more apt to run on a designed playcall rather than scramble, which is what Daniels will do more often.
ESPN
Commanders’ injury concerns continue to mount
When Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels lay on the ground, a silence fell over Northwest Stadium. The No. 1 hope for the franchise was down, for a third time this season. Only the occasional fan yelling in frustration and, perhaps, anger, punctured the silence.
The players felt it too.
“It took all the air out of the ball,” Washington receiver Deebo Samuel said.
Washington (3-6) has lost four in a row heading into Sunday’s game vs. Detroit. Injuries have highlighted the Commanders’ season, though they’ve had other issues — such as the defense overall — that have contributed to the losing streak.
[I]f Daniels doesn’t play again then it’s possible that eight starters will have missed at least eight games this season. Terry McLaurin, who has missed five games and isn’t expected to play vs. Detroit or in Madrid vs. Miami, could add to that number.
“It’s like, jeez, we can’t catch a break,” Samuel said.
That’s in stark contrast to last season, when no starter missed more than seven games. Only four missed at least five — and one of them, corner Marshon Lattimore, was hurt when he was acquired in a trade, and the team knew he would miss several weeks.
But for Washington, it’s not just the number of injuries this season, it’s the positions.
“It’s hardest when there are multiple [players] at a position,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said.
The Commanders’ starting defensive ends, Deatrich Wise Jr. and Dorance Armstrong, are out for the season. Two of their top three receivers — McLaurin and Noah Brown — have missed a combined 12 games and counting. One of their other top targets in the pass game, Austin Ekeler, will end up missing 15 games.
Commanders.com
Despite injuries, Commanders still have ‘all the belief in the world’ they can turn their season around
With injuries piling up on all sides of the ball, Lane’s role within the offense has changed week-to-week depending on available personnel. The fourth-round pick now finds himself as the No. 2 wide reciever on the depth chart ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Lions.
“It’s always the next man up mentality, and I’m just trying to continue to elevate my play each and every week so there’s no drop-off from the top down,” Lane said.
Although the Commanders refute the idea that injuries are the main reason behind the team’s four-game skid, it’s certainly not easy seeing teammates go down week after week.
Despite the team’s 3-6 record, Samuel still has hope the Commanders can, and will, turn things around. Among other veterans such as linebacker Bobby Wagner and quarterback Marcus Mariota, Samuel has been on a team that has climbed back from similar deficits to make a late, strong run.
“I don’t like to revert back to the team I played with, but I’ve been on a team that started 3-5 and made the NFC Championship,” Samuel said of his 2021 season with the San Francisco 49ers. “I still have all the belief in the world in this team that we can turn it around and get going. We’ve got to continue to come out there with great energy, practice well, and just bring each other along. We’re still capable of winning. We’re still capable of doing the things that we set out to do.”
Believing, however, is easier said than done. Washington currently has 11 players on Injured Reserve, which doesn’t include McLaurin (quad) or quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow), who are both sidelined indefinitely.
Heavy.com
Robbie Chosen : Elevated for Week 10
The Commanders elevated Chosen from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday. With wide receivers Noah Brown (groin/knee) and Luke McCaffrey (collarbone) on injured reserve, and corps leader Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) also out, Chosen will provide some much-needed depth at the position for Sunday’s matchup with the Lions. The 32-year-old has participated in one game this year, the Commanders Week 7 loss to the Cowboys, where he caught all four of his targets for 36 yards.
Washington Post (paywall)
Trump Stadium, home of the Commanders? The president is not opposed.
There have been no formal conversations between the Commanders and the White House about naming the stadium after Trump, a person familiar with the team’s thinking, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, told The Washington Post, but the team anticipates there could be conversations when he attends Sunday’s game. The president is expected to watch a portion of the game from the suite of Commanders principal owner Josh Harris, the person added.
Spokespeople for the office of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), the Commanders and the NFL declined to comment Saturday. Several people with close ties to the team and the league said Saturday that they had heard nothing previously about any effort to have the stadium named for Trump.
Podcasts & videos
HC Dan Quinn Previews Detroit Lions vs. Washington Commanders | The Gameplan | NFL
NFC East links
Acme Packing Company
5 Questions With the Enemy: Eagles Preview
What does a Packers win look like?
The Packers could simply want this game more. They’re at home after a bad loss to the Panthers. They’re facing a team that beat them twice last year and ended their season.
In addition to potentially having that X-factor on their side, the Eagles’ offense cannot be implicitly trusted just yet. Too often have there been stretches of games this season where the offense struggles to merely move the ball forward. The Eagles have been too good at getting in their own way and the Packers could make it easier for them to do so since they have a strong defense. Green Bay’s defensive line could shut down the Eagles’ running game and force Philly’s offense to become one-dimensional. Hurts having to drop back 35-plus times against this pass rush probably isn’t ideal.
I know the Packers are banged up at wide receiver but that might not matter when it comes to taking advantage of the Eagles’ CB2 weakness. That spot has been a problem all season. It’s not even clear who will be starting in that role on Monday. Love and Matt LaFleur should be working together to target whoever that play is over and over and over. No need to test Quinyon Mitchell.
Big Blue View
6 roster moves for New York Giants before Week 10 game vs. Chicago Bears
With injuries necessitating juggling the roster before Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, the New York Giants on Saturday made a series of roster moves.
Placed on Injured Reserve:
WR Beaux Collins | Neck
LB Darius Muasau |Ankle
Free-agent signings from practice squad:
LB Zaire Barnes
OLB Tomon Fox
Standard elevations from practice squad:
PK Younghoe Koo
WR Ray-Ray McCloud III
Koo, in his eighth NFL season, will be making his Giants debut. He has been on the practice squad for the last six games. He will replace Graham Gano, out with a herniated disc in his neck. Earlier this season, the Giants chose to bring Jude McAtamney off the practice squad when Gano missed four games with a groin injury.
Windy City Gridiron
Bears vs Giants Preview: ‘We view us having the quarterback advantage here’
Taylor Doll gets ready for the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants game in her brand new Making Monsters podcast. First, she talks with Shaun Morash of New York’s WFAN, and they discuss each team’s defensive struggles, how the Giants can overcome the loss of Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, and how hot head coach Brian Daboll’s seat is.
They also talk quarterbacks, and Morash said of Sunday’s Caleb Williams vs Jaxson Dart matchup, “We view us having the quarterback advantage here.”
Okay.
Both quarterbacks will get to face a bottom-third passing defense on Sunday, so we’ll see who comes out on top.
Upcoming opponent
Pride of Detroit
Lions vs. Commanders Week 10 preview: 3 key stats
A data-driven look at the pivotal numbers heading into the playoff rematch between the Lions and Commanders
Second-and-long lost Lions
The Lions’ offense has been under the microscope for its recent struggles, with every imaginable situation dissected. One area that’s drawn particular scrutiny: their second-and-long (second-and-7+) inefficiency.
Detroit leads the NFL in run rate on those downs (44.7%), but the problem is their lack of effectiveness on the ground. On 42 rushing attempts in those situations, the Lions have managed just a 28.6% rushing success rate (29th)— steep drop from 50.5% (4th) last season.
The issues extend beyond the run game. Here’s how the Lions rank overall on second-and-long this season:
- 6.1 yards/play (10th)
- 40.4% success rate (22nd)
- 21.3% first down or touchdown rate (17th)
- +0.03 EPA/play (14th)
- 10.6% explosive play rate (20th)
- 15.0% run stuff rate (20th)
- 36.5% pressure rate (t-19th)
When Detroit fails on first down, drives often unravel before they start. Sustaining possessions and producing points becomes nearly impossible—as evidenced in Week 9 against Minnesota, when the Lions went three-and-out on four consecutive drives.
