Tag: 2024 Commanders

Commanders’ captains this week is no coincidence

Dan Quinn’s choice for captains were very deliberate.

Well, it was certainly no coincidence when Dan Quinn announced the Commanders’ captains for their game Sunday.

Quinn’s Commanders are playing host to the Cowboys on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Northwest Stadium. Consequently, Quinn named not one, not two, but all three captains to be former Dallas Cowboys, adding, “And all three of these guys have really had different ways they’ve made their impact with their teammates and on the team.”

Center Tyler Biadasz, DE Dante Fowler and CB Noah Igbinoghene were named the Commanders captains for the Week 12 contest against the Cowboys.

Biadasz spent his first four NFL seasons (2020-23) in Dallas, three of which were when Quinn served as defensive coordinator. Quinn brought Biadasz to Washington to add a veteran to the inside of the line and give rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels NFL experience. Biadasz has started all 11 games for the Commanders this season.

Fowler has been with Quinn while playing for the Florida Gators, Atlanta Falcons (2020), and the Cowboys (2022-23) and is now in Washington in 2024. Previously, Fowler was with the Rams (2018-2019) and played for the Jaguars (2016-18) after they drafted him third overall in the 2015 NFL draft.

This week’s captain representing the special team units is cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. Drated 30th overall in the 2020 NFL draft by the Dolphins, he played three seasons in Miami (2020-2022) before moving on to Dallas for the 2023 season. He followed Quinn to Washington, signing a one-year contract with the Commanders. Prior to coming to the Commanders, he had started only five games in his four seasons. But with Emmanuel Forbes struggling, Mike Sainristil often has to play outside corner, leaving the slot corner spot to Igbinoghene.

NFC playoff picture for Commanders through Week 11

The Commanders are in an excellent position, but there is plenty of work ahead.

Having gone through 11 weeks of the 2024 season, what is the NFC playoff picture look like for the Commanders?

  • Two division leaders are earning the respect of the rest of the NFC as Detroit (9-1) and Philadelphia (8-2) clearly are playing the best football in the conference.
  • One division is literally up for grabs. The NFC West could easily be won by any of the four teams. The Cardinals (6-4) lead, but the Seahawks, 49ers and Rams are all tied only one game back at 5-5.
  • The NFC South is a two-team race between the Falcons (6-5) and the Bucs (4-6).

So, the NFC division leaders and top current top-four seeds along with wildcard seeds are:

  1. Detroit 9-1  (NFC North)
  2. Philadelphia 8-2  (NFC East)
  3. Arizona 6-4  (NFC West)
  4. Atlanta 6-5  (NFC South)
  5. Minnesota 8-2  (NFC North)
  6. Green Bay 7-3 (NFC North)
  7. Washington (7-4) (NFC East)

With the Commanders having lost two consecutive games, they have fallen down to the last qualifying spot, the number 7 seed. What this means is that in the first round of the playoffs, if the regular season were to conclude with the teams in this order, Washington would travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles.

Consequently, as it stands today, the first round of the NFC playoffs would find these match ups:

(7) Washington at (2) Philadelphia

(6) Green Bay at (3) Arizona

(5) Minnesota at (4) Atlanta

(1) Detroit would have the first-round bye and play at home in the second round against the lowest seeded team to advance to the second round.

Commanders did not collapse in the final quarter……it was worse

Breaking down the Commanders’ Week 11 collapse.

How did the Commanders collapse like they did against the Eagles?

Washington entered the final quarter up 10-6 but was thoroughly outplayed in the final 15 minutes. The Eagles scored 20 consecutive points for a 26-10 clinching lead before Washington scored on their last possession, making the final margin 26-18.

However, did you realize the Eagles actually scored on five consecutive possessions? The problem was not merely the final quarter.

Some background reminds us that the Commanders led 7-0 and could have gone into the locker room up by seven. This is where the game changed, not the failed 4th & 2 in the final quarter.

When the Commanders could have made a statement, the Eagles rose up and drove 87 yards in 15 plays, settling for a field goal to close the half, down only 7-3.

On their first possession of the second half, the Eagles drove 74 yards before again settling for another Jake Elliott field goal, making it 10-6. After a Tress Way punt, it was another long drive, this one 76 yards in 11 plays, which gave the Eagles the lead for good at 12-10.

When the Commanders turned the ball over on downs, the Eagles exploded down the field 74 yards in only five plays for a 19-10 lead. At this point, the Commanders’ defense was absolutely gassed, worn down, and beaten up.

Following Jayden Daniels’s interception, the Eagles only needed two plays to go another 46 yards for their 26-10 lead.

So there it is: dating back to the second quarter, the Eagles drove 87, 74, 76, 74, and 46 yards in five consecutive possessions.

So, Commanders fans can stop talking about the fourth-quarter collapse. The Eagles manhandled the Commanders’ defense on five consecutive possessions, dominating them.

No wonder Dan Quinn decided to go for it on 4th-and-2. He could see what was going down and knew it was not good for the Commanders.

 

Quick facts from Commanders’ Week 11 loss to Eagles

Some quick numbers and facts from the Commanders’ loss to Eagles.

The Commanders led going into the final quarter and then were totally outplayed in the last 15 minutes, falling to the Philadelphia Eagles 26-18.

Here are some of the quick facts from the fourth loss of the Commanders’ season:

  • The most basic fact is that the Commanders were outscored 20-8 in the final quarter. What’s more, they have been outscored 39-11 in the final quarter in the last three games.
  • For the first time this season, the Commanders have lost two consecutive games.
  • When Jayden Daniels threw an interception in the fourth quarter, it was the first Commanders’ turnover in their last six games.
  • Speaking of six games, the Eagles have now won six straight.
  • The Commanders gave up 228 rushing yards on 40 carries by the Eagles, including 146 yards in 26 carries by Saquon Barkley.
  • The Commanders were out-gained by the Eagles 434 to 264, averaging 4.2 per play to 6.2 for the Eagles.
  • The Commanders were only 3-12 on third downs.
  • The Commanders’ ground game was beaten badly by the Eagles 228-93 yards.
  • Terry McLaurin was shut down tonight, not receiving his first target/reception until 10:27 in the final quarter, with one 10-yard reception.
  • The Commanders’ defense held the Eagles out of the end zone in the first half. This was only the second game this season in which the Eagles have not scored a first-half touchdown.
  • With tonight’s 146 rushing yards, Saquon Barkley now has six games this season where he has rushed for 100+ yards.
  • The Eagles entered the game with 19 sacks during their five-game winning streak, and they added three more tonight.
  • Dante Fowler came into the game with 8.5 sacks this season and eight in the last six games. He did not record a tackle or assist Thursday.
  • Austin Ekeler and Zach Ertz led the Commanders in receiving yards with 89 and 47 yards, respectively.
  • It was exactly two years ago tonight that the Commanders went to Lincoln Financial Field and upset the 8-0 Eagles 32-21 on Monday Night Football.
  • With his reception, Terry McLaurin became the sixth player in Washington NFL franchise history with 6,000 receiving yards, joining Art Monk, Charley Taylor, Gary Clark, Santana Moss, and Bobby Mitchell.
  • The Eagles entered the game as a 4.5-point favorite, and with the win tonight, they have now defeated Washington six of the last seven times the two teams have faced each other.
  • Tonight’s game was Zach Ertz’s first game in Philadelphia since being traded by the Eagles to the Cardinals in October 2021.

Commanders’ Dan Quinn not changing the process ahead of big game

Dan Quinn wants the Commanders to embrace this opportunity.

Dan Quinn knows this is his biggest game thus far this season.

Quinn took over a program hemorrhaging badly, finishing 4-13 in 2023, getting blown out often, and not being competitive.

His first-year Commanders are 7-3 and have been a big surprise in the NFL this season. Yet, he doesn’t want them to think this game Thursday night in Philadelphia is beyond them. He does want them to feel the weight of it and enjoy the opportunity.

“Yeah, I want us to feel comfortable in these environments. That’s the only reason. I want us to enjoy the buildup and knowing that the process of getting ready is like all the other ones.”

Once again, the end result is not doing what you can to win a game but rather working the process to do the best you can to improve yourself. Again, Quinn is correctly process-oriented.

“So, I wouldn’t say I’m treating it differently. I would say the process of us getting ready to play will be exactly the same going into this one, going into the next one, the following one.”

“I just want them to know in these big moments and big games, that’s where guys like Jayden is honestly at his very best. In these crucial moments and these big plays to go. And I want us to feel very comfortable in this spot.”

Quinn doesn’t want his teams to be overconfident, but he also doesn’t want them to back off from these opportunities.

“I’d rather embrace it than shy away from it, but it has no different process to it. I want to make sure I’m clear with you on that.”

Process, process, process.

Commanders to distribute burgundy towels to Washington fans

The Commanders have a plan for the “terrible towels.”

Former Washington Redskins head coach Otto Graham was credited with saying, “Don’t throw in the towel, use it for wiping the sweat off of your face.”

Sunday’s battle between the 6-2 Steelers and the home team Commanders (7-2) looks to be a tough contest. The Commanders have yet to face a defense as good as the Steelers, and the Steelers’ defense has yet to face an offense as efficient as Washington’s.

Speaking of towels, the Steelers have been known for some years to have their fans show up in attendance with their gold towels to wave during the game, exhibiting their support for the Steelers (black and gold).

Meanwhile, the burgundy and gold commanders have apparently determined that they will distribute a burgundy towel to the Commanders’ fans.

Former Redskins running back Brian Mitchell (1990-99), now an employee of 106.7 The Fan in Washington, evidently was the originator of the idea, calling upon the organization to supply burgundy towels to create some more home-team atmosphere at Northwest Stadium, Sunday.

“I need whoever the powers that be — I need you all to get burgundy towels to every fan coming into the stadium,” Mitchell said, underscoring the need to keep the Commanders’ presence strong. “We know the Steelers are going to come with their yellow, so we’re going to mix them together. It’s going to be burgundy and gold all through the stadium.”

On Wednesday, the Commanders emailed fans announcing the towel giveaway with an exciting message: “These giveaways steel the show! We’ll be handing out limited-edition rally towels and Salute to Service hats presented by Verizon this Sunday for our game against the Steelers. Let’s Command Our House and create a home-field advantage by packing Northwest Stadium with burgundy.” (Fox 5 D.C.).

Watch: Rich Eisen reacts as Commanders trade news broke

Eisen loves this move for the Commanders.

“Oh my goodness!”

That was Rich Eisen’s immediate reaction on the “Rich Eisen Show” when the news of an NFL trade broke on Tuesday.

Eisen continued reading as the details were provided, “Saints get a third, a fourth, a sixth, and the Commanders get Marshon Lattimore and a fifth? Wow, that is a big-time move to add to this team! Good Lo__.”

Knowing how the fan base is already so excited that the team has turned things around so quickly, Eisen then suggested, “The Commanders fans have got to be out of their minds… they are loading up for it (the NFC East).”

Aware of the Eagles being the Commanders’ competition this season in the division, Eisen pointed to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith as two capable receivers that the Commanders saw they didn’t match up well with and that this move for Lattimore certainly helps Washington.

Suzy Schuster (Eisen’s wife) and a sportscaster herself then declared, “I defy you to tell me a more exciting team right now to watch than the Commanders.”

“They are incredibly exciting to watch,” responded Eisen. “Because they have that kid (Jayden Daniels), And I think it is awesome that they are saying the Saints are down and out. We have an opportunity to get better with a premium player on the back end.”

Eisen then reminded his viewers that the Commanders have “my guy” Mike Sainristil and that the deal was done before they play the Steelers and Eagles.

The longtime host then lauded the organization because they are not satisfied that Jayden Daniels and the offense have been surprisingly good, but that they now go get a better corner as well, saying it sends a message to the NFC that the Commanders are really going to try to win it.

“I mean, what a holy heck of a dumpster fire mess this franchise was for such a long time, and Commanders fans never thought they would get rid of Dan Snyder in their wildest dreams.”

Eisen concluded that it was as if when Snyder sold, they walked out of the house, and there was the yellow brick road, and they said, “Let’s follow it.”

“Follow the burgundy and yellow (ok, it’s gold) brick road; that is what is happening right now.”

Quick facts from Commanders’ Week 9 win over the Giants

Several numbers that stood out from the Commanders’ win over the Giants.

The Commanders were not dominant, yet they did win a NFC East divisional road game, defeating the New York Giants 27-22.

Here are some of the quick facts from the seventh win of the Commanders’ season:

  • Today’s win was Dan Quinn’s 50th NFL win as an NFL head coach.

  • With two fourth-down conversions in the first half, the Commanders are now 11 for 11 on fourth down this season. Per @EliasSports, this is the first time since at least 1980 (when the stat began being tracked) that Washington has started a season 11-for-11 on fourth down.

  • Today, Dante Fowler’s two sacks gave him his 10th multi-sack game.
  • The Giants came into Sunday’s game, leading the NFL with 35 quarterback sacks. Today, against the Commanders, they had zero.
  • Jayden Daniels numbers: 15/22,  209 yards, two touchdowns, 128.8 passer rating, 0 interceptions, 0 sacks.
  • By beating the Giants today, Washington completed a season sweep of the NY Giants for the first time since the 2021 season.
  • The Giants had the ball exactly four minutes longer today, 32:00 to 28:00. The Giants also gained 164 yards rushing to the Commanders’ 149. But Washington did force one Giants turnover without committing a turnover. The Commanders also sacked Jones twice, while Jayden Daniels was not sacked.
  • With the win, the Commanders are now 7-2. This is the first time Washington is 7-2 since the 1996 season, when that team collapsed, finishing 9-7 and missing the playoffs.
  • With two receiving touchdowns today, Terry McLaurin now has four career games in which he has scored two touchdowns.
  • Today, Dante Fowler reached the 50-sack plateau and forced a 14th career fumble.
  • Jayden Daniels is the first Washington rookie quarterback to sweep the New York Giants.
  • With six receiving touchdowns in 2024, Terry McLaurin has had the most receiving touchdowns since his 2019 rookie season.
  • Terry McLaurin, with his two touchdowns today, now has 31 in his career, becoming the tenth in franchise history with 30 touchdowns.

 

Commanders are NFC’s No. 2 seed, but…

The Commanders may be the NFC’s No. 2 seed at the moment, but…..

Hey, Commanders fans, how closely have you looked at the NFL standings?

Yes, all of us in the DMV realize that the Commanders (6-2) have a one-half-game lead over the Eagles (5-2). In addition, we all realize this lead is only because Washington has played one more game thus far than Philadelphia.

Better, however, is looking at the NFC standings. There, you see Washington only behind the Detroit Lions (6-1). The Lions have not only been winning; they have been impressive in winning.

Seeing the top seven teams in both the AFC and NFC qualify for the playoffs, the four division winners will be seeded 1-4, with the three wild-card teams following in seeds 5-7.

Washington is currently the second-seeded NFC team. The other division leaders are the Falcons (third seed) and Cardinals (fourth seed). The three wild cards are currently the Packers (5 seed), Vikings (6 seed), and Eagles (7 seed).

Yes, that means, if the season concludes this way, the Commanders would host a playoff game at Northwest Stadium on the first weekend, and their opponent would be the Eagles.

Of course, Washington still must play five of its six divisional games. Haven’t the Eagles been really strong the last two weeks? Also, they must play the Steelers and Falcons, who are currently playoff teams.

The last two months of the season will be full of events as Washington plays nine more regular-season games. What should be the focus now?

The New York Giants.

Nothing else. The team cannot get ahead of themselves and think they will be the number two seed.

Nor can they bask in the ‘Hail Mary.’ They have had Sunday night, Monday and Tuesday to celebrate it. They must move on and be intense about their focus on each opponent, or they will find themselves losing more games than they should down the stretch.

Who knew we would be talking about such things after eight games?

Commanders’ Quinn reflects on crazy win vs. Bears

Dan Quinn reflects on Sunday’s win.

Dan Quinn knows he may never again experience what he saw and felt Sunday against the Bears.

Daniels’ final heave from his own 35-yard line found Noah Brown for the winning touchdown Sunday against the Bears. Dan Quinn spoke Monday to the press about his team playing until the final whistle.

“But as I was writing my notes, I stopped myself,” Quinn said. “First, to talk, not about the first 59 minutes and 58 seconds, but the last 12 seconds. And it was really cool, and I thought it was a really badass example of who this team is.”

The Commanders had indeed dominated thoughout the first half, yet managed only to lead 9-0. The Bears got a 56-yard touchdown run from D’Andre Swift and then two long drives by the Bears, taking the lead 18-15.

So, Quinn talked about the people on this team:

“And the locker room is really full of people, no matter the situation, that refused to tap out. And they fight individually and collectively for one another. And that’s really the secret sauce and the beauty of it all, is this is a room full of fighters that absolutely battle for one another.”

Indeed, Washington worked together, doing their assignments even on a “Hail Mary” attempt, accepting their assigned roles on the play for the good of the team. Jayden Daniels extended the play, the offensive line kept moving their feet blocking, and the receivers joined together to leap, hoping for a tip to Noah Brown.

“So, that’s one of the things that I thought about driving home last night, concluded Quinn. “I wanted to acknowledge again just how cool last night was to be in that arena and to hear our crowd and be a part of it. I don’t do that often enough, and I thought today felt like a good place to start.”