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02Dec

Commanders dismantle Titans to snap three-game losing streak

Angst was readily apparent in the nation’s capital after consecutive losses to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Dallas derailed an improbable 7-2 start by the Washington Commanders.

Had the franchise quarterback hit the rookie wall? Had the offensive coordinator become too predictable? Could the head coach turns things around before it’s too late or is the fanbase destined for yet another winter of sadness?

While it’s too early to know how the rest of the season will unfold, Washington scored touchdowns on its first four drives in a 42-19 rout over the Tennessee Titans for the franchise’s first December home victory since 2017.

Coming into the game, Tennessee excelled at shutting down the run and had the best third-down defense in the NFL. Amazingly, Washington dominated the Titans in both facets of the game — rushing for 267 yards while also converted nine of 14 third-down attempts.

On his first carry of the day, running back Brian Robinson Jr. broke free for a career-long 40-yard touchdown that set the tone for the afternoon. After leaving the Dallas game early due to injury, Robinson bounced back with 16 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 25 of 30 passes for 206 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. The rookie also rushed for a touchdown that gave Washington an early 14-0 lead. And when Daniels went to the air, he looked for receiver Terry McLaurin, who was targeted eight times. Scary Terry caught all eight passes thrown his way for 73 yards and two touchdowns.

By the time the Titans ran their 10th offensive play, they already trailed 28-0 early in the second quarter. While Tennessee looked better in the second half, the game was far from ever becoming competitive. Washington outgained the visitors 463 to 245 and dominated time of possession. Backup running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., who has been a forgotten man for most of the season, even racked up 94 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Bobby Wagner reached a significant milestone on Sunday, when he joined fellow Washington linebacker London Fletcher as the only players to reach 100 tackles in 13 consecutive seasons. The 34-year-old future Hall of Famer continues to be worth his weight in gold for a Commanders franchise that desperately needed veteran leadership and consistent production from the heart of the defense.

25Nov

Special teams blunders doom Commanders in loss to Cowboys

For roughly 55 minutes, the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys played in an ugly and fairly forgettable affair. And then, the final five minutes of the contest devolved into utter madness as the two franchises traded haymakers (and self-inflicted errors) with reckless abandon.

A 41-point fourth quarter featured a backbreaking 99-yard kickoff return Cowboys returner KaVontae Turpin and an improbable 86-yard touchdown catch-and-run by Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin.

The Commanders came into the matchup heavy favorites — with Vegas odds makers believing Washington would be 11 points better than the visiting Cowboys. But Jayden Daniels and the Commanders offense struggled to get going throughout the first half and allowed a bad Cowboys squad to stick around long enough to become invested. The Dallas offense, which consistently struggles to create explosive plays, was able to protect backup quarterback Cooper Rush with a patchwork offensive line and put points on the board when needed.

Ultimately, the game was decided when the Commanders missed two extra point attempts and allowed two kickoffs to be returned for a touchdown in a crushing 34-26 loss to the Cowboys. Austin Seibert, who was sidelined the previous two games with a hip injury, did not resemble the reliable kicker that Commanders fans have come to expect this season — missing one field goal attempt, two extra points and failing on two less-than-stellar onside kicks which never really had a chance of being successful.

With the win, Dallas snapped a five-game losing streak while extending Washington’s losing streak to three games. The Commanders have one more game, at home next week against Tennessee, before their much-needed bye week.

30Oct

Ovechkin scores twice as Capitals drop Rangers

In many ways, the Washington Capitals overachieved during the 2023-24 season. A team built around an aging core of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie and John Carlson was no longer able to compete with the league’s elite because most of those key players were injured, unavailable or no longer productive.

The Capitals finished the season with 91 points and clinched a postseason berth in their final game against Philadelphia, but finished the regular season with a goal differential of -37. By the time the Capitals snuck into the final playoff spot, there were definitely “just happy to be there” vibes. Well, they weren’t “there” for long — as the New York Rangers, fresh off earning the Presidents’ Trophy, swept the Caps out of the playoffs in the first round.

Washington isn’t even 10 games into the new season, but nearly everything about the team appears to be transformed from a year ago. And, as fate would have it, Washington had an early-season matchup with those same Rangers to see how this year’s team stacks up against a Stanley Cup contender.

A mere two minutes and 37 seconds into the night, Caps defenseman Dylan McIlrath and Rangers goon Matt Rempe dropped the gloves in a heavyweight bout that did not disappoint, with both big men landing significant blows. McIlrath emerged victorious though over the bigger combatant, sending a pulse of energy throughout Capital One Arena as fans roared their approval.

Just 46 seconds later, Ovechkin scored the game’s opening goal. Rangers left wing Will Cuylle tied the game a minute later, so Ovechkin went back out and scored his second goal of the game a few moments later. The Great 8 now has four goals in eight games this season, which translates to 41 goals during an 82-game season. With 857 career goals, he remains 38 away from passing Wayne Gretzky on the all-time scoring list.

By the time the opening period ended, Washington led 3-1 while outshooting New York 19 to 5. While the Rangers kept things relatively competitive, goalie Logan Thompson made 16 saves and Aliaksei Protas and Pierre-Luc Dubois each recorded three points in the win for the home team.

“What a hockey game,” said coach Spencer Carbery. “That had everything. I’m glad that was on national television, because that helps our sport a lot. That was a great hockey game. I thought our guys played outstanding, start to finish.”

One possible area of concern for the Caps: defenseman Jakob Chychrun left the game with an upper-body injury. Defensive depth has already taken a hit with Matt Roy out since the season opener with a lower-body injury, so any lengthy absence could pose a problem for the backline.

28Oct

In desperate need of a Hail Mary, Jayden Daniels once again delivers

The Washington Commanders stunned the Chicago Bears 18-15 courtesy of a last-second 52-yard, walk-off touchdown. As insane as the ending was, it was a fitting conclusion for the highly-anticipated matchup between the top two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Amazingly, after trailing the entire game, Chicago held a 15-12 lead with 25 seconds remaining and heartbreak looked inevitable for the burgundy and gold. A 56-yard touchdown run by running back D’Andre Swift woke a previously dormant Bears offense while the defense kept Washington’s offense out of the endzone all afternoon.

On the final snap of the game, Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson had his back to the play — too consumed with taunting and trash-talking fans to realize he was missing in action. Eventually Stevenson turned around, saw the ongoing play and scrambled to get involved at the edge of the endzone. Stevenson all-out sprinted to the scrum, arriving just in time … to deflect the ball into the waiting hands of Commanders receiver Noah Brown for an improbable 52-yard game-winner.

Bedlam ensued. The home team’s sideline exploded onto the field. The packed stadium roared at a volume previously unthinkable. Players wandered around aimlessly amid the hysteria, not sure how to react to what they’d just witnessed. The latest chapter for the NFL’s feel-good team of the 2024 season delivered an absurd twist.

Daniels, who was a gametime decision after a rib injury knocked him out of the Carolina game one week earlier, finished with 326 yards in the air and another 52 yards on the ground. Oh, and one miracle touchdown completion to snap Chicago’s three-game winning streak.

“I thought we had a chance if we could get up the field some,” said head coach Dan Quinn. “Then it turns into Hail Mary time.”

In order to give the Commanders that chance, Daniels knew he needed to buy his pass catchers time to get into a position downfield to secure his desperate pass attempt. So what did he do? The athletic 23-year-old held onto the ball for an eternity (12.79 seconds) while scrambling for an insane 40.7 yards before launching the ball from his own 35-yard line. The rest is literally history.

The rookie on the other sideline was less stellar, completing just 10 of 24 passes for 131 yards and a 59.5 quarterback rating. Surprisingly, 95 of Williams’ 131 passing yards came during Chicago’s final two drives of the game. With roughly 10 minutes remaining, the USC product had completed just four of 16 passes for 36 yards — a jaw-dropping lack of production for the Heisman Trophy winner.

A once-beleaguered Commanders defense appears to be showing some signs of life, holding an opponent scoreless in the first half of consecutive games for the first time since 1997. With the win, Washington improves to 4-0 at home, which hasn’t been done since 2005. The victory also puts the franchise potentially on pace to win 11 games for the first time since 1991, a highly-memorable season that ended with a Super Bowl victory.

24Oct

Fast start fuels streaky Capitals to victory over Flyers

The Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-3, to sweep a home-and-home set against their longtime rival and improve to 5-1 on the season. The victory was Washington’s fifth straight, while Philadelphia has now lost six consecutive games.

Taylor Raddysh provided the only goal during the opening period before Nic Dowd and Connor McMichael (twice) stretched the lead to 4-0 for the Caps. Frustratingly for coach Spencer Carbery, the Capitals let off the proverbial gas and allowed a wounded opponent back into the contest. Three straight goals by Philly made for a hectic final 14 minutes of regulation. Empty-net goals by Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alex Ovechkin ensured the Capitals didn’t suffer a monumental collapse.

Goaltender Logan Thompson remained a perfect 3-0 so far this season, stopping 26 of 29 shots he faced, while Flyers netminder Ivan Fedotov stopped 20 of 24 shots in the loss. The Capitals have outscored opponents 23 to 13 during their current five-game winning streak.

“There was a lot of dicey situations there protecting that lead,” Carbery said. “But we dug in and did enough to get two points against a team that was pretty desperate tonight.”

21Oct

Jayden Daniels suffers rib injury as Commanders blowout Panthers

The Washington Commanders have become the talk of the NFL this season, thanks to transcendent play by a record-breaking rookie quarterback. When Jayden Daniels was knocked out of the game after suffering a rib injury on Washington’s first offensive series, it would not have been unreasonable for fans to feel a tad quesy.

Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota was thrust into action … and missed on his first three pass attempts. Fortunately for all involved, the veteran settled into a groove and led the Commanders on six scoring drives in an emphatic 40-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

On the day, Mariota completed 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards, two touchdown passes and a QB rating of 132.8. Tight ends Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott each collected their first touchdown reception of the season and Brian Robinson Jr. added a rushing touchdown as Washington defeated an opponent by 21 points or more for the third time this season.

Carolina quarterback Andy Dalton was picked off on the opening drive, when his errant screen pass ended up in the hands of defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., who returned it 67 yards for the first pick six of his career. A week after Fowler sacked Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson twice in a 30-23 loss to the Ravens, the 30-year-old had his best game in burgundy and gold — with a sack, a run stuff on 4th-and-2 and the defensive touchdown.

Things didn’t get any better for Dalton, who finished the day with a meager 93 yards passing, two interceptions and a QB rating of 44.0. The second interception came courtesy of cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr., who was inactive one week ago and desperately needs to string together a series of strong showings if he’s going to stick around beyond this season.

The Commanders dominated the Panthers in every way imagineable — including total yards (421 to 180), first downs (26 to 10) and time of possession (35:05 to 24:55). The day started with the face of the franchise being knocked out of the game, and yet, ended with a “business as usual” domination of the lowly Panthers. Mariota summed up the team’s performance best, saying: “When you have a brotherhood like this, you’ll find ways to win.”

The franchise also honored Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green by retiring his jersey number during a touching halftime ceremony. For 20 years, Green was a staple of the secondary, helping the Redskins win two of their three Super Bowls. If anyone from the Joe Gibbs era is worthy of such an honor, it’s Green (and fellow Hall of Famer Art Monk).

18Oct

Capitals earn rare home win over previously unbeaten Stars

While the thought of hockey in Texas might be unusual to some, the truth is the Dallas Stars have been one of the league’s best and most consistent franchises in recent memory. They’ve featured in the Western Conference finals three of the past five seasons, and made it to the finals in 2020. While the Stanley Cup remains ellusive, they are consistently in a position to compete for hockey’s top prize.

From a local perspective, the Stars might be the difficult opponents the Capitals face each year. Coming into their early-season contest, Washington had only three wins in their last 19 home games against Dallas, with the Stars outscoring the Capitals 70-44. In fact, the franchise’s last win over Dallas at Capital One Arena was back in 2018. On this night, Spencer Carbery’s men were able to overcome Dallas’ dominance thanks to goals by forwards Tom Wilson, Dylan Strome and Taylor Raddysh.

While Strome was the team’s most consistent player last season, Wilson has earned that distinction thus far this young season — netting his third goal in three games. Raddysh’s first goal with the organization turned out to be the eventual game winner.

For the Stars, Colin Blackwell netted a shorthanded goal in the first period and Jason Robertson added a goal in the second period. Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren had a solid showing in net for the home team, with 10 of his 22 saves made during a difficult third period.

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