Tag: 2024 nfl season

What Micah Parsons said about Jayden Daniels and Commanders’ offense

Micah Parsons believes Jayden Daniels and the Commanders are going to be good for a long time.

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons discusses everything on his podcast, “The Edge.” Nothing is off-limits with Parsons, from what’s going on with his team to discussing other teams, players, and coaches.

Earlier this season, on his podcast, he discussed his former coach, Dan Quinn, who is now the head coach of the Washington Commanders. On Sunday, Parsons played against his former coach for the first time, shocking Washington with a 34-26 in one of the NFL’s wildest games of the season.

Parsons discussed the game, calling it one of the “craziest games” he’s ever been a part of, full of “highs and lows.”

The wildest part of Sunday’s game occurred with under 30 seconds remaining. Dallas led 27-20, and Washington had the ball at the 14-yard line with no timeouts remaining. While nothing is impossible, especially with the Commanders, considering their “Hail Mary” win over the Bears four weeks earlier, things looked bleak for Washington.

Then, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels found a weak spot in the Cowboys defense, dropping a dime to wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who outraced the Dallas secondary to the end zone for an 86-yard touchdown. All the Commanders needed to do was make the point-after attempt.

They didn’t, preserving a Cowboys’ victory.

After the game, Parsons showed his respect for Daniels and the Commanders.

During his podcast, he had more to say about Daniels.

“I knew he was good, but I didn’t know he was that good,” Parsons said of Daniels.

“And I said this to him during the game, I said, ‘Yo, J, if y’all would’ve played like how y’all played in that fourth quarter, all game, I think you could be unstoppable.’ I think he’s the caliber where you can have a complex system and you can say, ‘Just let him loose.’ It’ll be very interesting to see how they use him in the back half of the season, especially with December football right here and obviously their playoff hopes; I think the hype is real about him. That is a really talented team and they have the ability to be really, really good for a long time with Jayden Daniels at quarterback.”

That’s major praise coming from Parsons, who clearly expects a big-time rivalry between the Cowboys and the Commanders over the next several years.

The two longtime rivals meet again in Week 18, this time in Dallas.

Is Trevor Lawrence playing against Texans? Injury update on Jacksonville Jaguars QB’s shoulder

Trevor Lawrence is dealing with a left shoulder injury heading into Week 13’s matchup against the Houston Texans.

The Houston Texans will be down a vital member of their defense after defensive back Jalen Pitre suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Sunday’s 32-27 loss against the Tennessee Titans.

Will the Jacksonville Jaguars have the upper hand? It depends on the status of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who’s missed the last two games with a shoulder injury.

Lawrence, a former No. 1 overall pick, injured his left shoulder two weeks ago against the Philadelphia Eagles. He never exited the game, finishing 16 of 31 for 169 yards with two interceptions and running for two touchdowns.

For the past two weeks, the former Clemson has been held out in games vs. the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, giving backup QB Mac Jones the start.

Will Sunday mark the third consecutive game he’s out? Here’s the latest surrounding Lawrence’s status against the Texans.

Trevor Lawrence injury update

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson told reporters Monday that Lawrence would return to the practice field after missing the last two games due to a non-throwing shoulder injury.

“Trevor’s going to practice today, and then we’ll see where he’s at from there,” Pederson said.

The fourth-year coach did not commit to Lawrence playing in Sunday’s matchup against the AFC South favorites, stating that he would only practice that day. Lawrence could be limited on Thursday and Friday, thus signaling that Jones could be the starter once more.

“We’ll see where Trevor’s at today, then he’s got tomorrow off. Come in and get treatment and see where he is at on Wednesday how he feels. He’s feeling better today, so that’s positive,” Pederson said.

Monday was a step forward for the franchise signal-caller. He hadn’t hit the practice field since Week 10 before the team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Lawrence also didn’t practice at all in Week 11 before the team’s game against the Detroit Lions and was limited during the team’s bye.

Trevor Lawrence injury history

Since being drafted out of Clemson in 2021, Lawrence has started 59 of a possible 62 games. He previously missed Week 17 of the 2023 season against the Carolina Panthers due to injury.

Lawrence sustained ankle, knee, shoulder and head injuries during the 2023 season and missed most of the team’s practices, whether completely or limited, during the final six games of the year. He only missed one game, however, before the 2024 campaign.

Who would start in place of Lawrence?

Should Lawrence miss a third game, Jones is expected to start. While the numbers are underwhelming, Jones hasn’t been the biggest problem for Jacksonville’s woes amid a 2-9 season.

While he does have a 0-2 record as a starter, Jones has completed 60.78% of his passes for 249 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions. The Jaguars have totaled 13 combined points over the last two matchups in losses to the Vikings and Lions.

Trevor Lawrence stats

Even before the injury, Lawrence’s fourth year had been a roller coaster of sorts. In nine games, Lawrence has completed 61.3% of his passes for 2,004 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions.

In Lawrence’s last five games, he completed 67.76% of his passes for 1,276 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

Jaguars depth chart

Here’s what the Jaguars’ depth chart is going into Sunday’s matchup against the Texans at home. With a win, Jacksonville would survive a playoff elimination for at least another week.

  • QB1: Trevor Lawrence (O-shoulder)
  • QB2: Mac Jones
  • QB3: C.J. Beathard
  • Practice squad: John Rhys Plumlee

Kickoff from EverBank Stadium is scheduled for noon CT.

Texans bolster defensive line depth with latest addition

Tommy Togiai is sticking around with the Houston Texans for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Tommy Togiai spent the last three games as an elevated player from the Houston Texans’ practice squad.

His performance was good enough to land him a spot on the active 53-man roster.

The Texans are signing the veteran defensive tackle to the active roster, according to the team’s latest transaction list.

In a corresponding move, Houston is placing cornerback Ka’dar Hollman on injured reserve after Sunday’s game. Hollman, who started two games for Houston, recently suffered a torn ACL in Week 12’s loss against the Tennessee Titans.

The Texans were caught at a crossroads with Togiai entering Week 13. If they planned on promoting him from the practice squad again, it would have to be permanent since they previously elevated him three times from the NFL limit.

According to KPRC2 Sports Aaron Wilson, the two sides agreed to terms on a two-year contract through the 2025 season. Through three games, Togiai has five tackles and one sack.

The Texans kickoff at EverBank Stadium before the bye week at noon CT.

All 32 NFL quarterbacks (including Jayden Daniels) ranked by Total QBR

How does Jayden Daniels measure up to other quarterbacks in the latest total QBR?

Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was off to a historic start in his NFL career through nine weeks. That pace has slowed in recent weeks for a variety of reasons, but Daniels looked more like himself in Sunday’s 34-26 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

While the offense was slow to get going, Daniels came alive in the fourth quarter, leading the Commanders to two quick scoring drives in the final minutes, including an 86-yard touchdown to Terry McLaurin. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as Washington missed the extra point and a chance at overtime.

Aside from how he finished the game, Daniels looked much more confident as a runner for the first time in several weeks, leading the Commanders with 74 rushing yards. After injuring his ribs in Week 7, Daniels hadn’t been as effective running the ball, whether due to his injury or defenses taking that element of his game away.

How does Daniels measure up to other NFL quarterbacks? We look at ESPN’s Total QBR metric, which differs from the traditional QB rating. Here’s how ESPN defines QBR:

ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating (Total QBR), which was released in 2011, has never claimed to be perfect, but unlike other measures of quarterback performance, it incorporates all of a quarterback’s contributions to winning, including how he impacts the game on passes, rushes, turnovers and penalties. Also, since QBR is built from the play level, it accounts for a team’s level of success or failure on every play to provide the proper context and then allocates credit to the quarterback and his teammate to produce a clearer measure of quarterback efficiency.

Let’s look at how Daniels compares to other rookie QBs, including Bo Nix, who has been catching up to Daniels in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year race.

NFL QBs ranked by Total QBR after Week 11

  1. Lamar Jackson: 75.9
  2. Joe Burrow: 75.6
  3. Josh Allen: 73.2
  4. Kyler Murray: 72.5
  5. Brock Purdy: 67.6
  6. Patrick Mahomes: 66.8
  7. Jameis Winston: 66.7
  8. Jayden Daniels: 66.5
  9. Jalen Hurts: 63.7
  10. Matthew Stafford: 62.4
  11. Trevor Lawrence: 61.8
  12. Derek Carr: 61.7
  13. Tua Tagovailoa: 60.0
  14. Sam Darnold:  59.4
  15. Baker Mayfield: 59.3
  16. Jordan Love: 58.4
  17. Justin Herbert: 58.1
  18. Jared Goff: 57.7
  19. Drake Maye: 57.7
  20. Kirk Cousins: 56.8
  21. Bo Nix: 55.9
  22. Geno Smith: 54.6
  23. Justin Fields: 51.5
  24. Aaron Rodgers: 51.4
  25. C.J. Stroud: 51.3
  26. Caleb Williams: 48.9
  27. Dak Prescott: 46.4
  28. Daniel Jones: 46.3
  29. Anthony Richardson: 38.4
  30. Gardner Minshew: 36.4
  31. Will Levis: 36.4
  32. Bryce Young: 35.8

Texans vs. Jaguars: Announcers set for Week 13 game

The folks over at FOX will be on the call Sunday afternoon as the Houston Texans take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Houston Texans (7-5) will hit the road and head south to battle the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9) in Week 13 for what could have divisional hopes on the line.

The Texans are coming off perhaps the worst loss in the DeMeco Ryans’ era after the Tennessee Titans marched into NRG Stadium to secure a 32-27 victory. Will Levis’ breakout performance helped Tennessee end a two-game losing streak and give Houston its first divisional loss of 2024.

Sunday’s AFC South will be televised on FOX locally and in certain parts of the country. Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Daryl Johnston (analyst) will work the broadcast booth. Laura Okmin (sideline reporter) will conduct pregame interviews, halftime updates and postgame interviews as well.

The Texans have opened as a 5.5-point road favorite against the Jaguars in Week 13, according to BetMGM. The over/under is set at 43.

Jacksonville should be well-rested after entering Week 12’s bye. The bigger question is surrounding the status of Trevor Lawerence. The former No. 1 overall pick has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury, leading to former Patriots starter Mac Jones to take over as QB1.

In two games, Jones has completed 61.7% of his pass attempts for 277 yards and three interceptions.

The Texans must find a stable option at the nickel position if they plan on remaining an elite defense without Jalen Ptire. The third-year multi-purpose defensive back is expected to miss several weeks after suffering a torn pec during Sunday’s loss at home.

“He’s been a true impact player for us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Just being around the ball. Just causing interceptions, forcing fumbles, he’s just been really active, very instinctive player for us, he’s been all over the field. And he’s made a lot of plays for us. And just miss his instincts, miss his playmaking ability, we’re going to miss that.”

Kickoff from EverBank Stadium is scheduled for noon CT.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin said it best after loss to Cowboys

What Terry McLaurin said after loss to Cowboys?

The Washington Commanders entered Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys as 10.5-point favorites. For the first time in years, Washington had the better team between the two longtime rivals.

Yet, somehow, the Commanders looked nothing like the team that put the NFL on notice through nine weeks and played their worst game of the season in a 34-26 loss. It was Washington’s third consecutive loss.

It was an embarrassing performance for the Commanders, who made mistakes in all three phases. They turned the ball over three times on offense, and failed to consistently move the ball until late in the fourth quarter.

The defense allowed a beat-up Dallas offense full of backups to have too much success. And then there were the special teams. It was an epic performance from Washington’s special-teams units, not in a good way.

After the game, Commanders WR Terry McLaurin spoke to the media and said Washington’s failure to play complementary football cost them against the Cowboys.

“We just didn’t play our best,” McLaurin said. “We didn’t play complimentary football. When you’re playing division games it’s going to come down to the four quarters. We knew that going into the game. We didn’t underestimate them at all, but it’s just unfortunate when you can’t help each other on offense, helping out on the defense.”

McLaurin is correct. This team still hasn’t gotten all three phases on the same page consistently. Yes, there have been flashes, but recently, if the offense struggles, the defense plays well. Early in the year, it was the offense carrying the team. Lately, the defense has improved and the offense is regressing.

On Sunday, special teams reared its ugly head.

When quarterback Jayden Daniels led the Commanders on a 60-yard touchdown drive to begin the second half, it looked as if Washington’s offense had woken up. Unfortunately, kicker Austin Seibert missed the extra point, and the Cowboys immediately scored their first touchdown of the day to take a 10-9 lead, and they’d never look back.

Just before halftime, Benjamin St-Juste allowed the Cowboys a 41-yard reception to put them in position for a field goal to put Dallas on the board.

It was one of those days.

“They were doing a great job, and we just really couldn’t get it going,” McLaurin said. “We have to find a way to start faster and stay in the drives. That’s everybody, our whole coaching staff and offensive players, going out there and figuring out ways that we can stay on the field and help the defense and vice versa, all of us.”

As usual, McLaurin is correct.

Now, the Commanders must get ready for the Tennessee Titans next week before finally getting to their bye week in Week 14.

Commanders kicker Austin Seibert takes accountability after missed kicks

Seibert answered every question and took responsibility on a day where the Commanders made plenty of mistakes.

Things couldn’t have been going any better for Washington Commanders kicker Austin Seibert. Seibert made 25 of his 27 field goal attempts in seven games with Washington and was perfect on all 22 extra-point attempts.

Then, before the Commanders’ Week 10 game against Pittsburgh, Seibert injured his right hip, which cost him the next two games. On Sunday, Seibert returned for Washington against the Dallas Cowboys.

It was a day to forget for Seibert. He missed both extra points and made one of his two field goal attempts, which proved costly. The second missed PAT came with 21 seconds remaining after wide receiver Terry McLaurin’s miraculous 86-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Jayden Daniels. 

There was also Seibert’s kickoff to KaVontae Turpin, which, with three minutes remaining, was returned for a 99-yard touchdown.

It was a day to forget for Seibert.

After the game, Seibert met with the media and, like safety Jeremy Reaves, who missed a tackle on the Turpin touchdown, took full blame for the loss.

“I just want to play better for my teammates, you know, definitely don’t want to do that,” Seibert said. “Just wasn’t striking well, but it means a lot me to be here with these guys, so I just want to put my best foot….moving forward.”

That’s tough to watch.

When Seibert was asked about the low snap on the second missed PAT, he had none of it, taking full accountability.

“It didn’t make a difference at all. It’s on me,” he said. 

After missing two games with a right hip, could the injury have affected him? Again, Seibert was not about to make excuses.

“I felt fine,” he said. “That’s why I made the decision to play, and here we are.”

First, Seibert should be credited for speaking to the media after the most challenging moment of his professional career. He didn’t run away from it. So often these days, athletes hide from the media after a bad day. Not Seibert. Like Reaves, he stood there and answered every question, regardless of how repetitive some seemed.

Lastly, Seibert didn’t lose this game, nor did Reaves or John Bates. It was a collective effort. There were so many plays you could point back to and see Washington’s mistakes.

Seibert needs to shake it off and not allow one bad day to impact him next week and beyond. The Commanders host the Tennessee Titans in Week 13.

Top photos from Texans’ gut-punch loss to Titans in Week 12

Here’s the top photos from Sunday’s 32-27 loss for the Tennessee Titans against the Houston Texans.

Will Levis didn’t Will Levis.

The Houston Texans fall to 7-5 on the season as Levis’ 70-yard touchdown pass to Chig Okonkwo was the difference in a 32-27 victory for the Tennessee Titans.

Here’s some of the top photos from Sunday’s game at NRG Stadium before the Texans leave for Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars before the bye week.

Commanders-Cowboys tied 3-3 at halftime: 4 first-half takeaways

Here are four quick takeaways from an ugly first half between the Commanders and Cowboys.

The Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys are tied 3-3 at halftime of their Week 12 matchup from Northwest Stadium.

Here are three quick takeaways from an ugly half of football:

Jayden Daniels struggling

Can we stop saying it’s the ribs? He’s just not playing well. On a deep throw to Terry McLaurin, a pass Daniels hit with ease through the first half of the season, Daniels led McLaurin out of bounds. Then, late in the first half, Daniels threw an inexcusable interception. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. was in traffic around several Dallas players; Daniels, trying to avoid pressure, flipped it to Robinson, and it went off his hands for an interception. Daniels should never throw the ball in that situation.

On Washington’s final first-half drive, Daniels rolled right out of bounds on three consecutive plays and the Commanders were forced to punt. Daniels completed nine of 16 passes for 57 yards and an interception.

Special teams thriving

Yes, kicker Austin Seibert missed a field goal. He can’t make field goals over 50 yards until proven otherwise. However, the rest of the special teams’ units came to play.

Starting safety Quan Martin blocked a field goal on Dallas’ first drive. Later in the half, defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis blocked a punt. Both times, the Commanders had excellent field position and struggled to capitalize.

No running game

Early in the season, the Commanders’ offense began with a strong running game. Washington rushed for 58 yards in the first half, but 14 were on a Dyami Brown reverse. Dallas is not good at stopping the run, yet Washington can’t run the ball. That’s a concern.

Until the Commanders can run the ball, it’s difficult to believe they’ll get out of this offensive funk. Daniels isn’t inspiring confidence that he can pass them out of it.

Defense doing its job except for one guy

Washington’s defense was excellent outside of the first drive and the final play in the first half. Linebacker Frankie Luvu was a menace, finishing with six tackles and breaking up three passes.

Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste somehow allowed Cooper Rush to complete a 41-yard pass at the end of the half to give the Cowboys an easy three points. St-Juste managed to commit a penalty on the play and still allowed the catch.

Washington legend Ryan Kerrigan talks helping Commanders’ pass rushers in 2024

Ryan Kerrigan discusses Washington’s success in 2024.

Ryan Kerrigan is quickly making his mark three years into his coaching career.

The Washington legend, who spent 10 of his 11 NFL seasons with the burgundy and gold, retired in 2022 and immediately jumped into coaching. Former Washington coach Ron Rivera hired Kerrigan as an assistant defensive line coach.

Earlier this year, Kerrigan was one of only a few coaches that new head coach Dan Quinn retained. Quinn gave Kerrigan a new title: Assistant linebackers coach/pass rush specialist.

This summer, Quinn praised Kerrigan for his work with former Washington first-round pick Jamin Davis. Davis had switched from linebacker to defensive end, and Kerrigan spent extra time during and after practice working with him. While Davis was later released this season, that work left an impression on Washington’s coaching staff. 

On Thursday, defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. was the latest to praise Kerrigan for his work with veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. Fowler, who leads the Commanders with 8.5 sacks, is on pace to break his career high of 11.5 sacks, which he set in 2019 with the Rams. 

“The past couple years, his sack numbers haven’t been as high,” Whitt said of Fowler. “He’s won, he’s beat the tackle, he just hasn’t controlled and finished on the quarterback. And I give all that credit to Ryan Kerrigan. He’s done just a heck of a job taking Dante, and once you get past the tackle, control to the quarterback and finish. That’s really what he’s worked with him for a long time and it’s showing. And then the production that Dante’s having. So, that’s all Ryan right there.”

On Friday, we finally heard from Kerrigan, who explained his work with Fowler.

Kerrigan spoke about Fowler finishing at the top of the rush and how the veteran is playing at a high level so deep into his career.

Washington’s all-time sack leader also discussed Whitt and what working for the new coach was like.

“It’s been awesome,” Kerrigan said. “His demeanor with the players is outstanding. A guy that I feel like as a player, you wanna go play for him. He’s honest.”

Finally, we get to hear what Kerrigan thinks of all of Washington’s changes and how fun things are.

“It’s been great; I mean, it’s awesome,” Kerrigan said with a smile. “We obviously got a long way and are far from where we want to be, but it’s been cool. It’s cool to see the resurgence in the fans at the stadium. Just the energy around the building has been awesome. It’s been really fun to come to work everyday and I think that permeates not just the staff but the players alike and and really just everybody in the building.”

For longtime Washington fans, it’s good to see Kerrigan as a part of a winner in the burgundy and gold.