Tag: Austin Ekeler

Commanders injury news: Austin Ekeler ruled out for Week 4

The Commanders will be without Austin Ekeler in Week 4.

Instead of waiting to see if running back Austin Ekeler clears concussion protocol, the Washington Commanders are playing it safe with the veteran. During his Wednesday press conference, head coach Dan Quinn ruled Ekeler out for the Week 4 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Ekeler was injured in the third quarter of Washington’s Monday night win over Cincinnati. He was checked for a concussion and ruled out. Quinn later revealed that Ekeler was also dealing with an ear laceration.

Immediately after Monday’s game, the team flew to Arizona to begin preparations for the Cardinals on a short week. Instead of flying with the team, Ekeler returned to Virginia to begin concussion protocol.

“Yeah, Austin had a concussion and also a laceration on his ear,” Quinn said Tuesday. “So, he went back to Virginia today to begin the concussion protocol. I’ll have more info as it goes toward the end of the week. Instead of coming out here to Arizona, he went back home to Virginia to begin that process.”

With Ekeler out, the Commanders will turn to veteran Jeremy McNichols behind Brian Robinson Jr. Michael Wiley or Chris Rodriguez Jr. could be elevated from the practice squad to give Washington a third running back.

Ekeler has been a significant part of Washington’s offense through three games. He’s also returned a kickoff for a touchdown, although it was called back, and returned another 62 yards.

Commanders give injury update on RB Austin Ekeler

Ekeler would be a big loss for Washington in Week 4.

The Washington Commanders could be without one of their top players in next week’s game at Arizona. Running back Austin Ekeler left in the third quarter of Monday night’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals and was taken to the locker room.

The team reported that Ekeler was being evaluated for a possible concussion. Ekeler was later ruled out for the remainder of the game, and head coach Dan Quinn offered no details on Ekeler after the game, but he said he would know more when he spoke to the media on Tuesday.

“Yeah, Austin had a concussion and also a laceration on his ear,” Quinn said Tuesday. “So, he went back to Virginia today to begin the concussion protocol. I’ll have more info as it goes toward the end of the week. Instead of coming out here to Arizona, he went back home to Virginia to begin that process.”

The Commanders flew directly to Arizona after Monday’s game in Cincinnati, where they’ll practice at Arizona State, instead of flying back home and then out West later in the week. It’s a practice NFL teams have been doing for a few years now for cross-country road trips.

Before his injury, Ekeler was a big part of Washington’s offensive success in the 38-33 win. Ekeler caught two passes for 22 yards, rushed three times for 35 yards and a touchdown, and returned the second-half kickoff 62 yards to set the Commanders up with excellent field position.

If Ekeler can’t go, veteran Jeremy McNichols will fill his role behind Brian Robinson Jr., and the Commanders will likely elevate Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Michael Wiley from the practice squad.

Commanders RB Austin Ekeler being evaluated for concussion

Tough news for the Commanders, as Ekeler was having a phenomenal game.

Remember when the Washington Commanders signed veteran Austin Ekeler in the offseason? Some said he was cooked, even calling it a bad signing, despite it being a modest two-year deal.

Through three weeks, Ekeler has become arguably Washington’s most important offensive player not named Jayden Daniels. Unfortunately, during Washington’s Week 3 game against the Bengals on Monday Night Football, Ekeler departed early in the third quarter with the Commanders about to score. He is being evaluated for a possible concussion.

With the Commanders leading 21-13 on the first possession of the third quarter, Ekeler takes a first down carry three yards inside the 10-yard line. He was slow to get up and helped off the field. The Commanders then reported he was being evaluated for a possible concussion.

Interestingly enough, Ekeler’s 62-yard kick return gave Washington an excellent field position a few plays earlier.

Ekeler had three carries for 35 yards and a touchdown, two receptions for 22 yards, and the 62-yard kick return.

 

Commanders lead Bengals 21-13 at halftime of Monday Night Football

The Commanders lead the Bengals 21-13 at halftime.

The Washington Commanders lead the Cincinnati Bengals 21-13 at halftime of their Week 3 Monday Night Football game.

The Bengals went on offense first, and it didn’t take quarterback Joe Burrow long to find star receiver Ja’Marr Chase on a 41-yard touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead.

The Commanders responded as quarterback Jayden Daniels quickly moved Washington into Cincinnati territory but faced a fourth-and-2 at the Bengals’ 32-yard line.

Instead of settling for a field goal, Quinn went for it, and Daniels found rookie wide receiver Luke McCaffrey for a 30-yard gain to set up the Commanders with a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. punched it in a few plays later to tie the game.

Washington’s defense finally gets a stop, and kicker Evan McPherson misses a field goal. Daniels and the Commanders went back to work, and running back Austin Ekeler scored from 24 yards out to give Washington a 14-7 lead.

Washington’s defense held Cincinnati to another field goal attempt, but this time, McPherson makes it and trims the lead to 14-10.

The Commanders remained aggressive as Daniels found Terry McLaurin on a 55-yard completion to set up another first-and-goal. Daniels took it into the end zone on the next play, and it was 21-10 Washington.

The Bengals kicked another field goal just before halftime to trim the lead to 21-13.

Daniels completed seven of his eight attempts in the first half for 139 yards. Ekeler had two carries for 32 yards and a touchdown and also caught two passes for 22 yards. The Commanders were outgained 236-205 in total yardage, but their defense made critical stops to force field goal attempts.

Washington will begin the second half with the football.

What grade did the Commanders earn from others in Week 2?

We handed out our Week 2 report cards. How did others grade Washington?

We handed out our report cards for the Washington Commanders’ Week 2 win over the New York Giants. It wasn’t the prettiest win, as the Commanders scored 21 points but not one touchdown in defeating the Giants.

However, the most important statistic was the win. The Commanders finished with 425 yards of total offense, rushed for 215 yards and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels continues to show positive progress.

Running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler look like they could be the NFL’s most dangerous backfield.

The lack of scoring and penalties hampered Washington’s overall grades from Sunday’s win. Primarily, everything related to the penalties. Washington lived in the red zone but committed five penalties once arriving there, often ending any chance at a touchdown. Washington also had a kickoff return by Ekeler called back due to holding.

How did others grade the Commanders in Week 2? CBS Sports weighed in, giving a grade to the entire team instead of our unit rankings and gave Washington a B.

Some times all you need to win in the NFL is a strong rushing attack and your kicker, which is exactly what the Commanders used to pull out an impressive win on Sunday. Brian Robinson Jr. went off against the Giants, rushing for 133 yards on 17 carries. The Commanders’ ability to run the ball was a big reason why they were able to score on every possession they had in the game with the exception of a kneel down before halftime. All of Washington’s points came from Austin Seibert, who set the franchise record with seven field goals. The Commanders are now 8-0 over the past 10 years when they rush for at least 200 yards.

The grade is fair. We were a bit harsher due to the penalties. It is early in the season under a new coaching staff, so the hope is that the Commanders will fix the penalty issue in the coming weeks.

Commanders RB wins ‘Angry Runs’ but it’s not who you think

The Commanders win their first “Angry Runs” scepter.

For the first time, a Washington Commander running back has won the “Angry Runs” scepter from “Good Morning Football.” It’s just not who you think.

On Tuesday morning, Kyle Brandt revealed the latest nominees for the Week 2 edition of “Angry Runs:”

  • Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson
  • Ravens TE Derrick Henry
  • Commanders RB Austin Ekeler

Henry is a regular winner of “Angry Runs.” The future Hall of Famer has won the award six times, so other finalists are always an underdog when going up against Henry.

Heading into Week 2, the Commanders were the only team not to win a scepter. That changed Tuesday when Brandt named Ekeler as the winner.

Ekeler won the award for this play, a 27-yard-catch-and-run in the fourth quarter of Washington’s 21-18 win over the New York Giants.

Ekeler’s catch and run put the Commanders in position to tie the game. Check out what he did to both Giants’ defenders at the end of the play.

Ekeler finished the game with eight carries for 38 yards and three receptions for 47 yards.

We believed Brian Robinson Jr. would be dominated for “Angry Runs” this week after his 133-yard performance, specifically this run.

Robinson has been a finalist multiple times. Maybe this will be his year.

 

Some encouraging numbers from the Commanders’ Week 2 win

The penalties and red-zone woes were ugly, but there were several positive numbers for the Commanders.

The Washington Commanders won their first game of the season Sunday, defeating the New York Giants 21-18 at Northwest Stadium. Amazingly, Washington won the game without scoring a touchdown, while the Giants scored three touchdowns and lost.

It was an ugly win for the Commanders. Washington had 10 penalties, including five procedural penalties in the red zone, which stalled multiple scoring drives.

However, despite the ugly win, there were some encouraging signs from Sunday’s victory.

Let’s look at some of those numbers:

  • No turnovers
  • Tress Way did not punt one time
  • Commanders had 425 total yards
  • Averaged 6.2 per offensive play
  • Finished with 215 rushing yards
  • Averaged 6.1 yards per rushing attempt
  • Possessed the ball for over 37 minutes
  • Kicker Austin Seibert made all seven field goal attempts
  • Jayden Daniels completed over 79% of his attempts

These are the good numbers. Not scoring in the red zone and committing 10 penalties are the ugly numbers. However, these are signs of progress for a new offense with a rookie quarterback. Penalties and red-zone issues are fixable.

The Commanders are trying to build an offensive identity. Sunday’s performance made it clear that this identity centers around the running game, led by quarterback Jayden Daniels and running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler.

It’s sometimes easy to focus on the negative, but there were clear signs of encouragement from Sunday’s game.

Watch: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels amazingly escape potential sack vs. Giants

Jayden Daniels showing off his escapability here.

On their first drive against the New York Giants, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and the offense were on the field for nine minutes and 36 seconds before ending the drive with a short Austin Seibert field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.

It was a disappointing drive that began with an Austin Ekeler kickoff return for a touchdown, which was called due to linebacker Nick Bellore’s holding penalty.

On the first drive, Daniels completed all six of his passes. The drive almost stalled early when the Giants pressured Daniels, but somehow, he escaped.

Here is Daniels escaping what would have been a huge loss.

We aren’t sure why the flag-happy officials didn’t tack on 15 yards for Bobby Okereke’s hit at the end. That was a clear miss.

A bold prediction for the Commanders running backs in 2024

A prediction for Washington’s running back tandem in 2024.

There is a lot of mystery surrounding the 2024 Washington Commanders, specifically on offense. Under offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, the Commanders didn’t show much in the preseason. With a new quarterback, coordinator, and offensive scheme, it’s to Washington’s advantage not to reveal anything in the preseason.

There is significant excitement about rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner had a terrific offseason, impressing teammates, opponents (in the joint practices), and fans.

How will Washington’s offensive line hold up protecting Daniels? Who will be Daniels’ favorite target outside of Terry McLaurin?

While there are questions about the Commanders’ offensive playmakers, people shouldn’t be sleeping on Washington’s backfield behind Daniels.

Brian Robinson Jr. enters his third NFL season and is ready for a breakout. Robinson was outstanding last season when he received opportunities, but former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy did not like running the ball. The positive was that it allowed Robinson to show his ability as a receiver.

Joining Robinson is veteran Austin Ekeler. The league’s top pass-catching running back for years, the Commanders signed Ekeler to a two-year deal in March, and many have questioned how much he has left.

In his annual surprise predictions for all 32 NFL teams in 2024, ESPN’s Dan Graziano offered the following:

Don’t be surprised if … Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler combine to catch more than 100 passes.

What I’m hearing: The Commanders are fired up about rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and believe he can have a big season as a thrower and a runner. But there are questions about the offensive line and the receiver group behind Terry McLaurin. While rookie receiver Luke McCaffrey and rookie tight end Ben Sinnott work to get up to speed, expect Daniels to try to get the ball into the hands of his running backs and let them try to make plays with it. Robinson and Ekeler had 36 and 51 catches, respectively, last season.

Graziano’s prediction is based on various things, including his visits to training camps and his calls and texts with various sources.

In the preseason, we saw Kingsbury calling plays to limit how long Daniels held the ball. That’s by design with the Commanders’ questions on the offensive line. Getting rid of the ball that quickly often leads to more opportunities for the running backs to impact the passing game. That bodes well for Robinson and Ekeler.

If what we saw from Ekeler in training camp is any indication, he hasn’t lost a step.

 

Former Commanders RB Antonio Gibson calls his former team ‘a struggling organization’

Antonio Gibson says the Commanders are “a struggling organization.”

The Washington Commanders spent a third-round pick on running back/wide receiver Antonio Gibson in the 2020 NFL draft. As a rookie, Washington immediately made Gibson a full-time running back and handed him the starting job. Gibson proceeded to rush for 795 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The future looked bright for Gibson.

In 2021, Gibson started 16 games for the Commanders, rushed for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns, but struggled with fumbles. He fumbled six times in 2021.

The Commanders brought in Brian Robinson Jr. in 2022, who would overtake Gibson as the starter, allowing Gibson to be more of a receiving option out of the backfield.

This offseason, Gibson departed. Gibson’s fumbling issues and poor coaching derailed a once-promising career in Washington. Neither head coach Ron Rivera nor Gibson’s offensive coordinators (Scott Turner and Eric Bieniemy) knew how to use him best.

Gibson signed a two-year deal with the Patriots in March.

In his first training camp with the Patriots, Gibson had some parting words for his former team, calling them “a struggling organization.”

This should go over well with Washington’s fans. The comments were all over Gibson, asking him if he “fumbled his words.”

In all seriousness, Gibson isn’t wrong. The Commanders were a struggling organization while he was there. And maybe the Patriots do things completely differently, but so does Washington — now.

Rivera and his staff are gone. From the top on down, the Commanders are much different, and everyone is raving about the changes. So, sure, Gibson may remember things one way, but that’s not how things are these days.

Gibson was used incorrectly in Washington. If he had a clean slate and time left on his contract, perhaps new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury could help maximize his skillset. Both sides needed a change, and the Commanders signed Austin Ekeler, while Gibson gets a chance to restart his career.