Tag: A. J. Brown

Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes says no one is getting his No. 13 jersey, even Caleb Williams

If Caleb Williams does land in Washington, Forbes doesn’t plan on giving up his No. 13.

It was a difficult year for Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes in 2023. The No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft was benched multiple times and only inserted back into the lineup late in the season when Washington was without several other cornerbacks.

The former Mississippi State star played in 14 games for the year, making six starts, recording 38 tackles, 11 passes defended, and one interception.

Pro Football Focus gave Forbes a grade of 50.9 for his rookie season. Per PFF’s metrics, he was targeted 60 times, with opposing passers completing 39 passes against Forbes. Opposing quarterbacks completed an average of 65% of their passes when targeting Forbes.

Forbes struggled badly early in the season when matched up with star wideouts, such as A.J. Brown and D.J. Moore. In fairness to Forbes, he should’ve never been in single coverage against those receivers.

No player on Washington’s roster should benefit from a coaching change more than Forbes.

Once the Commanders’ season ended and they clinched the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, some fans were dreaming about the potential of USC quarterback — and Washington, D.C. native — Caleb Williams coming home.

One fan even made a GIF of Williams taking his trademark No. 13 jersey away from Forbes.

Forbes saw the tweet and responded.

Since posting that tweet, Forbes has since deleted it, but the Internet lives forever.

Hopefully, for Forbes, Washington’s next defensive coordinator can help restore his confidence so he can bounce back in 2024 — whether he wears No. 13 or not.

Emmanuel Forbes acknowledges benching shook his confidence

Forbes discusses his benching and who talked to him afterward. He also doesn’t like bacon.

This hasn’t been the rookie season Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes envisioned. The No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft was the second cornerback selected in the draft, and some predicted Forbes could be a contender for defensive rookie of the year.

Instead, Forbes has struggled on the field, been benched and most recently, dealt with an injury.

Forbes’ struggles began in Washington’s Week 4 loss to the Eagles. Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown wore out Forbes, beating him for over 100 yards and multiple touchdowns. For some reason, then-Washington defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio kept Forbes locked in single coverage with Brown, one of the NFL’s best wide receivers.

Forbes struggled the following week, too, matched up with D.J. Moore of the Chicago Bears. Then, Washington’s coaches benched him. He played only 24 snaps against the Bears in a 40-20 loss and didn’t play the following week against the Falcons.

In the Commanders’ next two games, against the Giants and Eagles, Forbes played five defensive snaps in each game.

In a conversation with WUSA 9 sports anchor Chick Hernandez, Forbes acknowledged the benching shook him.

“I was really just upset, and just like, it was something new to me; I didn’t know how to feel, honestly,” Forbes said.

“I’ve never been benched before. But it was like a learning experience. Luckily, I talked to my guy, [Eagles cornerback] Darius Slay, and he’s been benched before and he said to just keep my head up and keep coming to work………I would say my confidence, I’m always very confident in what I do. I would say when I got benched, it shook a little bit because I’d never been benched before, and I was in my head a lot, so I had to get past that.”

The Commanders inserted Forbes back into the starting lineup in a Week 9 win over the New England Patriots, where he played his best game of the season.

“The next game I started was New England, and I had an excellent game,” Forbes said.

One knock on Forbes in the draft was his weight. During the pre-draft process, Forbes weighed in as low as 166 pounds. His playing weight is more than that, but it’s never been an issue as far as being injured.

Hernandez asked Forbes about gaining weight.

“I’ve tried to do countless things, but I’m not a bodybuilder,” Forbes said while laughing. “I just got to accept it and be the best I can.”

He injured his elbow in Week 11 and missed Washington’s next two games. Obviously, his weight had nothing to do with that injury.

Forbes returned last week against the Rams and, for some reason, played only six snaps. Head coach Ron Rivera cited matchups as the reason.

Hernandez ended the interview by talking about food. Forbes said he’s a big steak and loaded baked potato guy. But, he doesn’t like bacon — or donuts.

Wait, what?

The Commanders are back in action on Sunday against the New York Jets. Regardless of what Rivera thinks or believes, Forbes should be on the field for 100% of Washington’s defensive snaps over the final three games.

 

Statistical breakdown: How the Commanders and Eagles stack up ahead of Week 8 game

Breaking down the stats and how the Eagles and Commanders compare to one another.

It’s time for the rematch. In Week 8, the NFC East division-leading Philadelphia Eagles make the trip down I-95 to face the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field. The two longtime rivals met in Week 4, with Washington taking Philadelphia to overtime before losing 34-31.

The Eagles (6-1) have lost just once this season, as the New York Jets handed them their first loss in Week 6. Meanwhile, Washington (3-4) enters Week 8, having lost two in a row and four of its last five.

Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown torched the Commanders for 175 yards and two touchdowns in Week 4. Brown has a streak of five consecutive games with 125 receiving yards or more, tying an NFL record. Will Washington have an answer for Brown this time around?

How do the Commanders and Eagles stack up statistically? We’ve got you covered.

6 stats and facts to know for Commanders vs. Eagles in Week 8

The Commanders and Eagles met in Week 4 with the Eagles coming out on top. Here are some stats and facts to know ahead of the rematch.

The Washington Commanders are in a much different place than they were only four weeks ago. Washington entered its Week 4 game at Philadelphia 2-1, coming off a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills. The biggest question was how young quarterback Sam Howell would respond to his career-worst performance.

Howell responded exactly how the Commanders envisioned, leading Washington’s most consistent offensive effort of the season, taking the Eagles to overtime, before losing 34-31 on a field goal.

Now, Washington is 3-4, while the Eagles are 6-1, and the two old rivals are again heading in opposite directions.

They meet again on Sunday, this time at FedEx Field. Here are six stats and facts to know before their Week 8 clash.

Ron Rivera expects Emmanuel Forbes to bounce back after tough game

The Commanders believe in Forbes, evidenced by them matching him up with star wide receivers in back-to-back weeks.

Washington Commanders rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes had a day to forget on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Commanders had Forbes matched up one-on-one with Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown for most of the game.

The results weren’t pretty. According to Pro Football Focus, Forbes was targeted 13 times and allowed nine receptions. He did have some moments, as on one series, he broke up back-to-back throws to Brown, but that was about it. Both of Brown’s touchdowns came against Forbes.

After the game, Forbes acknowledged it was a tough day at the office. The Commanders hope this was Forbes’ “Welcome to the NFL moment,” and he uses it as motivation moving forward.

One encouraging aspect of Sunday’s game was that Forbes kept battling. But Brown, one of the NFL’s best, kept making him pay. Now, much like quarterback Sam Howell last week, is how Forbes bounces back from such a difficult performance.

Head coach Ron Rivera is not concerned about Forbes.

“For the most part, with young guys, it’s about learning, growing, developing, continuing to get reps every opportunity you can, and play him as much as you can until they learn,” Rivera said.

“They’re going to make mistakes, but they’re going to grow. You know, a week ago, Sam had some issues, and I thought he did a nice job coming out this week, and I expect Emmanuel to learn from what just happened.”

Forbes has had some positive moments through four games but has struggled, too. Of course, going against two of the NFL’s best — Stefon Diggs and Brown — will cause you to struggle.

Did Rivera speak to Forbes after the game?

“I’ve already talked with Emmanuel,” Rivera said. “I talked to him right after the game, and I wanted to make sure he was okay. His head was in a good spot. But what’ll happen is his position coaches, and Jack [Del Rio] will get together with him. They’ll go through some things; they’ll talk about the positives; they’ll talk about the negatives, get an opportunity for him to look at things and see the things that he needs to work on and correct. I mean, it’s just a process of learning and growth. I mean, he is a young player, he’s a rookie that we’ve put a lot on, we think he’s capable.”

Rivera is right. It’s easy to forget this is Forbes’ fourth career game. He will get beaten again; it’s the nature of the position. How Forbes comes back from these types of performances will define him.

Commanders fall to Eagles 34-31 in overtime

Sam Howell with a tremendous bounceback performance in the loss.

The Washington Commanders took the Philadelphia Eagles to the limit on Sunday but fell just short as Eagles kicker Jake Elliott hit a 54-yard field goal in overtime to keep Philadelphia undefeated.

Washington led at halftime, but the Eagles dominated the third quarter as quarterback Jalen Hurts picked on Commanders rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown caught nine passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns, working against Forbes for much of the day.

The Eagles appeared to have scored the decisive touchdown with under two minutes remaining in the game when Hurts found Brown again, giving Philadelphia a 31-24 lead. However, Washington quarterback Sam Howell had 1:43 remaining to give the Commanders a chance to send it into overtime.

Howell delivered, completing six of nine passes before finding wide receiver Jahan Dotson with no time remaining for a touchdown. Head coach Ron Rivera had a decision to make: Go for the win or play for overtime. Rivera chose overtime, and Washington won the toss.

On third down, Howell lobbed a beautiful throw to McLaurin on the sideline that looked close to a catch, but officials ruled him out of bounds. The officials stuck with the call on the field, and the Commanders were forced to punt.

Punter Tress Way let loose his worst punt of the season, giving the Eagles the ball at their 41-yard line. A few plays later, Elliott would connect on the long field goal.

The Commanders fall to 2-2 on the season, but Howell bounced back in a big way after struggling so badly in last week’s loss to the Bills. He completed 29 of 41 passes for 290 yards with one touchdown. He took five sacks, but none were egregious where he held the ball too long.

Hurts completed 25 of 37 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns. The Commanders did a good job of not allowing Hurts to burn them on the ground outside of one play late.

Washington has a short turnaround as it hosts the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football this week.

Madden NFL 24 confirms Terry McLaurin is a top 10 NFL wide receiver

And, according to Madden NFL 24, he’s the NFC East’s top wide receiver.

You don’t need to convince Washington fans that Terry McLaurin is one of the NFL’s 10 best wide receivers. However, others need convincing, as McLaurin is often left out of some people’s lists as one of the NFL’s 10 best wideouts.

Now we have even more confirmation on McLaurin’s status as one of the NFL’s top wide receivers. The iconic EA Sports video game “Madden NFL 24” ratings were released Monday, and McLaurin received a 92.

Per the rankings, McLaurin is the NFL’s No. 8 wide receiver — ahead of Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown. That will surely upset some Eagles fans.

As we’ve often said, rankings are subjective, and these are no different. Both McLaurin and Brown are phenomenal. And both are top-10 NFL wide receivers.

It’s just good to see McLaurin finally receiving the respect he deserves on a national level.

 

Terry McLaurin is one of the NFL draft’s top steals over the last decade

McLaurin went from a third-round pick to one of the NFL’s best wide receivers.

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

It didn’t take long for former Washington head coach Jay Gruden to know what he had in Terry McLaurin. Washington selected McLaurin with the No. 76 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

When training camp began, Gruden immediately saw McLaurin wouldn’t just be a contributor in his first NFL season. After he was selected, NFL draft analysts said McLaurin would be an outstanding special-teamer immediately. However, in the preseason, Gruden kept McLaurin under wraps, unleashing him in Week 1 as Washington’s No. 1 wide receiver.

In his NFL debut, McLaurin caught five passes for 125 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown catch from Case Keenum. McLaurin would’ve gone for 200 yards, or more, had Keenum not missed him for another wide-open potential score later in the game as McLaurin raced past the Philly secondary.

McLaurin would finish his rookie season with 58 receptions for 919 yards and seven touchdowns. Had it not been for Washington’s quarterback issues, McLaurin would’ve gone over 1,000 yards as a rookie.

Since 2019, McLaurin has had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, catching passes from 10 different quarterbacks. Last summer, he signed a three-year extension, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid wide receivers.

ESPN recently named the top 50 draft steals over the last decade. McLaurin was ranked No. 29, with ESPN offering the following:

Scary Terry has been terrorizing NFC East cornerbacks since falling to the Commanders at No. 76 overall based on concerns about a lack of production and whether the Ohio State scheme created his openings. Yet McLaurin has eclipsed over 900 yards in each of his four seasons while becoming a top-tier deep threat for Washington.

That was Matt Miller’s assessment, by the way. Miller has an interesting track record in his analysis of current Washington players. We could argue that McLaurin should’ve been higher than No. 29. As always, though, we remind you that rankings are subjective.

A.J. Brown was the No. 51 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. McLaurin and Brown have put up comparable numbers, except that Brown has scored more touchdowns. The lack of touchdowns from McLaurin is a byproduct of questionable quarterback play. Additionally, Brown has played on better teams. ESPN ranked Brown as the No. 19 draft steal.

Regardless, both are phenomenal players.

The Commanders have enjoyed success from the third round and later in recent years, with McLaurin being the crown jewel.

One non-QB the Commanders can’t afford to lose in 2023

Whom do you feel the Commanders absolutely cannot lose this season? Jonathan Allen? Daron Payne? Terry McLaurin?

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

Who is the one non-quarterback the Commanders cannot afford to lose in 2023?

CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin Thursday provided one non-quarterback that each NFL team can’t afford to lose this upcoming season.

Whom do you feel the Commanders absolutely cannot lose this season? Jonathan Allen? Daron Payne? Terry McLaurin? Tress Way? Jahan Dotson?

Benjamin chose McLaurin as the indispensable Washington Commander. Here is his explanation.

If Ron Rivera really believes new QB Sam Howell is capable of emerging as a long-term answer, he’d better hope the team’s WR1 stays healthy, providing the second-year gunslinger with a downfield threat who’s been relatively QB-proof in terms of production.

How about the other indispensable key figures in the NFC East, according to Benjamin?

Eagles: WR A.J. Brown

RT Lane Johnson, one of the best in the game at his spot, is probably more important overall. But he’s already an annual candidate to miss a few games due to injury, and if Brown weren’t active, DeVonta Smith would be Jalen Hurts’ only truly trusted WR.

Giants: OT Andrew Thomas

His 2022 success confirmed his arrival as a top young tackle a la Penei Sewell in Detroit. For all the talk about getting Daniel Jones more help out wide, Brian Daboll’s attack probably hinges more on Thomas standing pat at LT to keep the QB upright.

Cowboys: OLB Micah Parsons

CeeDee Lamb is a star out wide, and his absence would surely affect Dak Prescott, who’ll be counting on Brandin Cooks to help him downfield. But Parsons is the heart and soul of the team, his rangy athleticism enabling Dallas to be creative on “D.”

When they last met: Washington and Philadelphia

These old rivals last met in Week 3.

“When they last met” is an ongoing series during the NFL season, recalling the preceding game between Washington and the next opponent on the Commanders’ schedule.

Philadelphia 24, Washington 08 – Week 3, September 25, 2022

Jalen Hurts threw three second-quarter touchdowns as the Eagles raced by the Commanders 24-8 at FedEx Field in Landover.

The game was nowhere as close as the 16-point final margin suggests. In fact, the Eagles defensive pressure manhandled the Commanders offensive line as Carson Wentz was sacked nine times and the Eagles accumulated 17 QB hits on Wentz as well.

Though the Commanders defense forced two Eagle punts to begin the game, the Eagles then scored on four of their next five possessions. The Eagles on those five possessions drove 64 yards (field goal), 24 yards (touchdown), 86 yards (downs), 64 yards (touchdown) and 88 yards (touchdown).

The Commanders found themselves down 24-0 as the teams headed to the locker room. Washington’s first-half offense did little to nothing to help out their fatigued defense. On their seven first-half possessions, the Commanders accumulated 13 yards (punt), -10 yards (punt), 23 yards (punt), -1yard  (fumble), 15 yards (punt), 4 yards (punt) and 3 yards (punt).

The sad reality is the Commanders did not score any offensive points until they drove 87 yards in 12 plays on their very last offensive possession. Antonio Gibson scored from one yard out with 1:55 remaining in the game.

The offensive line was so outmatched that the Eagles’ Brandon Graham was the NFC’s defensive player of the week because he produced 2.5 sacks, 6 solo tackles, 5 QB hits, 2 tackles for a loss. If that wasn’t enough, Graham also forced a fumble, and defended one pass.

Hurts completed 22 of 35 for 340 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions, for a 123.5 passer rating. Wentz on the other hand was 25 of 43 for 211 yards no touchdowns or interceptions for a 71.0 passer rating.

The Commanders defense yielded too many explosive plays as DeVonta Smith collected 169 receiving yards, AJ Brown 85 yards, Even Grant Calcaterra’s lone reception was good for 40 yards.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbykgy681k112p8 player_id=none image=https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]