All posts in football

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.

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.

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.

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).

During its buildup, the highly anticipated matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders was unfairly boiled down to the two immensely talented Heisman trophy winners — Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels. Obviously, the NFL is a quarterback driven league and a game featuring a two-time league MVP and a dynamic rookie playing at a historic level is must-see television, but there were plenty of other talented playmakers involved in the weekend’s top game.

To that end, the high-powered Ravens held off the feel-good Commanders 30-23, thanks to a balanced offensive attack in which running back Derrick Henry rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and wideout Zay Flowers caught all nine passes thrown his way for 132 yards. With success on the ground and in the air, the Ravens scored on five consecutive possessions to seize control of the contest.

Washington’s top running back, Brian Robinson Jr., did not play due to a knee injury, which killed any hopes of establishing a ground game. Facing a one-dimensional attack, Baltimore was able to consistently pressure Daniels and the passing game. While the LSU product completed 24 of 35 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns and a QB rating of 110.3, the Ravens dominated two critical areas — total yards (484 to 305) and time of possession (36:08 to 23:52).

Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste, who has been one of the most targeted defenders in the league this season, had a rough day while predominantly covering Flowers. As previously noted, the second-year receiver caught all nine passes thrown his way Sunday. St-Juste was also penalized twice for pass interference. On a brighter note for the visting team, pass rusher Donte Fowler Jr., had a strong showing, with two sacks and three tackles for loss against the Ravens.

“We’re not where we want to be yet,” said head coach Dan Quinn. “I was honestly proud as hell with the fight we showed in the game, but I also think there’s definitely another gear and it’s a gear we need to get to.”

Heading into Week 5, the Washington Commanders sat alone atop the NFC East while riding a three-game winning streak. Just how good have the Commanders been during their three previous contests? Jayden Daniels and company averaged more than 33 points per game while punter Tress Way was asked to do his job just once. Not that long ago Way was likely the franchise’s best player (depressing, right?) Now, his image is on the side of milk cartons.

Speaking of Daniels, a month into his professional career, the electric rookie has been even better than advertised — completing an obscene 82.1 percent of his passes, with 897 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He’s also rushed for 218 yards and four touchdowns, with 18 of his 46 runs resulting in a first down. Oh, and through four games, Daniels had more scoring drives (23) than incomplete passes (19).

Against Cleveland, the Commanders’ offense got off to a slower start than usual — but still led by 24-3 at the half. That’s in large part to the defense, which finally had a game to remember. A Washington defense that had just eight sacks through four games exploded for seven sacks against the Browns. Deshaun Watson was limited to just 125 yards, as Cleveland converted just one of 13 third downs on the day.

Linebackers Frankie Luvu (2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery) and Bobby Wagner (1.5 sacks and forced fumble) were everywhere as they disrupted everything the Browns tried to throw at them. Defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis had his best game as a pro, causing mayhem in the backfield and looking completely rejuvenated in the process. With the defense playing well, it bought the offense enough time to get things rolling. By the fourth quarter, Daniels was removed from the blowout as Marcus Mariota and the backups ran down the clock.

Led by Daniels, Washington has won consecutive games by 20 or more points for the first time since 1997 and has the highest-scoring offense in the NFL, at 31 points per game. The Heisman trophy winner is also the first player in NFL history to put up 1,000 passing yards and 250 rushing yards through the first five games of his career. The Commanders are 4-1 for the first time since 2008 and head into a highly anticipated matchup with Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens.

Style points — not to mention extra points — were at a premium when the Washington Commanders and New York Giants squared off in an early-season NFC East matchup.

Commanders running back Austin Ekeler took the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown … only for the play to be nullified by a holding penalty. While the touchdown didn’t ultimately count, the sequence was hugely impactful because Giants kicker Graham Gano pulled his hamstring in pursuit of Ekeler and left New York without a kicker.

On the other sideline, many Commanders players were still learning their new kicker’s name. Fortunately for them, Austin Seibert set a franchise record with seven made field goals, giving him more converted field goals than days with the team (six). Seibert’s memorable debut lifted Washington to a 21-18 victory at the newly named Northwest Stadium, giving both head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels their first win in burgundy and gold.

Washington came into the game on a league-worst seven-game home losing streak and had lost their last nine games overall. Had the kicker situations for both franchises not been so extreme, the Commanders might still be searching for their first win of the 2024 season. But, as they say, an ugly win is still a win. The Giants now earn the distinction of becoming just the second team in NFL history to score three touchdowns, not allow a touchdown and still find a way to lose the game.

The Commanders finished the day with 425 yards of offense, but five false-start penalties in six red zone possessions forced the team to continually settle for field goal attempts instead of touchdowns. Daniels completed 23 of 29 attempts for 226 and picked up 44 yards on 10 carries. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. set a career high with 133 rushing yards on 17 carries. Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste created the game’s only turnover with a well-timed punch to dislodge the ball from Giants running back Devin Singletary. Aside from holding on field goal attempts, punter Tress Way had the day off — with zero punts on the day.