Washington Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough had everyone talking on Sunday. In his third game as offensive coordinator, Blough had a tough job. The Commanders faced the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, whose top-ranked defense was led by one of the NFL’s top defensive masterminds, head coach Mike Macdonald.
Making life even harder for Blough, he’d have to do without quarterback Jayden Daniels, tight end Chig Okonkwo, and his top two offensive linemen.
How’d he do? The Commanders shocked the Seahawks 33-31. Quarterback Marcus Mariota threw for three touchdowns and didn’t turn the ball over. While Washington didn’t put up gaudy offensive stats, the offense moved the ball when it needed to, including on the game-clinching
drive.
Seattle defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence praised the Commanders, saying they were expecting more RPOs in the offense with Mariota. Blough saved those RPOs for the final drive, and Mariota made it all work.
While Washington struggled to run the ball, Blough stayed committed to it. That commitment helped keep the Seahawks off balance. After the game, Blough earned praise across the NFL, with some saying he outcoached Macdonald in the critical moments.
So, what did head coach Dan Quinn think of Blough’s performance?
“I thought one thing that was consistent, that was good, I thought he really stuck with the run,” Quinn said. “And if we’re gonna be a complementary team, that’s not an easy group to do it against, especially with the interior of their group. So, staying in that, I thought it was a big deal. And then at the end, I thought that was when David and Marcus really had their space to go. Here’s a two-minute that, they really managed it well in terms of how we use the clock, get to the third downs, and then converting those two third downs, that was it. But in that space, I felt like that’s when, like, David and Marcus, you knew kind of what calls to expect almost based on where they’re at.”
It sounds like Quinn was pleased with Blough. He should be. Quinn took a lot of heat this offseason for promoting Blough to offensive coordinator despite only two years of coaching experience.
It’s early, but both of Quinn's coordinator hires, including defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, look promising.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: What did Dan Quinn think of David Blough's performance vs Seahawks?
