Tag: Jahan Dotson

Commanders defeat Patriots 20-17: Everything we know

Everything we know from Washington’s win over New England.

The Washington Commanders (4-5) picked up their second victory since Week 2 on Sunday by holding on for a 20-17 win over the New England Patriots (2-7).

Washington controlled much of the game, but turnovers almost cost them a win. Leading 10-0 in the second quarter, running back Brian Robinson Jr. fumbled deep in Washington territory, giving the struggling Patriots life.

Three plays later, New England quarterback Mac Jones found tight end Hunter Henry for the touchdown, and it was 10-7.

The Commanders punted on the next series, which was followed up by a Rhamondre Stevenson 64-yard touchdown run, and suddenly, the Patriots held a 14-10 lead.

Washington quarterback Sam Howell led another impressive drive to give the Commanders a first-and-goal with 23 seconds remaining in the half. Howell rolled to his right and, instead of throwing it away, got greedy and was intercepted. New England ran out the clock.

Howell found Jahan Dotson for a 33-yard touchdown in the third quarter to tie things up, and kicker Joey Slye would give the Commanders the lead later in the quarter, which would prove to be all they needed for the win.

Here’s everything we know from the win.

Commanders defeat Patriots 20-17: Instant analysis from the win

The Commanders held on for a win over the Patriots that was much closer than it should have been.

The Washington Commanders, in their first game without edge rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young, defeated the New England Patriots 20-17 to improve to 4-5 on the season.

Quarterback Sam Howell was mostly excellent, completing 29 of 45 passes for 325 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. We say mostly because of Howell’s interception to end the first half. After leading the Commanders on a terrific drive, Howell, on first-and-goal with 23 seconds remaining, is intercepted in the end zone by Patriots safety Kyle Dugger.

It was Washington’s second turnover in the first half, both of which were costly. The Commanders led 10-0 in the second quarter when running back Brian Robinson Jr. fumbled deep in Washington territory. The struggling Patriots offense made them pay when quarterback Mac Jones found tight end Hunter Henry for a touchdown three plays later, and suddenly, we had a game.

After a Washington punt, New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson took advantage of a defensive breakdown and scored on a 64-yard touchdown run.

The Commanders had dominated yet found themselves behind 14-10.

In the third quarter, after a Patriots’ field goal, Howell led a seven-play, 75-yard drive, finishing with this beautiful 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jahan Dotson.

Suddenly, it was a tie game again.

After another New England punt, the Commanders would drive down the field for a Joey Slye field goal, which would be the final points for the game.

The two teams traded punts over each of their next three possessions. The Patriots had one chance to tie the game and force overtime or win, and quarterback Mac Jones was intercepted by Washington rookie DB Quan Martin to seal the game for the Commanders.

It was an ugly win for Washington, which held the ball for over 37 minutes and finished with 432 yards of total offense.

Next up for the Commanders are the Seattle Seahawks on the road.

WATCH: Commanders QB Sam Howell throws a dime to Jahan Dotson for a touchdown

This was a dime from Howell to Dotson for the score.

How would Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell respond after an ugly interception in the end zone ended the first half?

Howell led the Commanders on an impressive 75-yard drive, and with the Commanders trailing 14-10 with 23 seconds remaining in the half, instead of throwing the ball away, he forced the ball into the end zone and was picked off.

Howell, as he has shown multiple times this season, shrugged off the negative play and delivered on Washington’s first drive of the second half.

After a terrible roughing the passer penalty against rookie defensive end KJ Henry gave the Patriots a free three points, they held a 17-10 lead.

Howell then led the Commanders on a seven-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a beautiful 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jahan Dotson.

Check it out.

That’s a high-level throw from Howell, who has completed 29 of 44 passes for 325 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

 

Commanders’ Bieniemy knows he needs to improve as well as players

The Commanders played well enough to entertain some folks last week, says Bieniemy. That’s not the goal.

Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy knows his players need to improve, but he was also honest enough to admit he does as well.

He pointed out to the media Thursday he liked what the offensive line did last week.

“I thought those guys did a heck of a job. They stepped up. They played hard. The communication was great, but like I said, we played good enough just to entertain folks. We didn’t win. So, did they play well? Yes. Did we do enough to win? Absolutely not.”

When asked about being a former running back and running backs coach, yet passing more than running he jokingly blamed Andy Reid, then turned serious.

“Okay. We’ll continue working the ball and running it. I thought last week the guys did a heck of a job. I still got to become a better playcaller and give those guys more opportunities to run. There’s a lot of things that I need to continue to work on, just like the players. So, as we continue growing together at this stage in the season, we will improve. And I’ll say this, that I promise you.”

Like head coach Ron Rivera, Bieniemy was praising quarterback Sam Howell.

“I thought he did a heck of a job of just processing the information…I thought Sam just had great rhythm and when you have that rhythm, there isn’t any disruptions. You get an opportunity to just take a snap, go through your progression, let the ball loose.”

Bieniemy stressed having patience with his young quarterback, who has still only started nine NFL games.

“I’ll keep saying this as long as we are here, all right, every day is a new day. Every day, I’m still learning who Sam is. Now, the thing that I know of him is that he’s a competitor. He hates being wrong. He auto-corrects…”

“I want to see him and the guys develop that chemistry, whereas we’re not adding all the input it’s coming from within. When you have it coming from within, that’s when you know those guys are in the right place. So, I just want to continue to see him grow as a leader.”

A few other players were singled out by Bieniemy for their performance against the Eagles, such as Jamison Crowder and Jahan Dotson.

“He’s (Crowder) the ultimate professional. He doesn’t take anything for granted. I love the energy and the excitement that he brings to the table..”

When you play in this league long enough, you’re going to have some drops throughout the course of the season. This week, he (Dotson) did a great job making some catches, made some big-time plays. I thought he played fast and explosive.”

Best photos of former Penn State players in the NFL’s Week 8

Check out the best photos of Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons and other former Penn State players in the NFL’s Week 8.

The results for a handful of former Penn State players may not have gone their way in Week 8 of the NFL’s regular season, but it was a busy weekend for a number of former Nittany Lions. Former linebacker [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] continued to be a wrecking ball for the Dallas Cowboys as the defense was once again its dominant self in a blowout win against the Los Angeles Rams. Next up for Parsons and the Cowboys is a big road game against the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday.

Things did not go quite as well for former Penn State running back [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag], who did just about everything he could to lead the New York Giants to a win over the crosstown New York Jets, but Barkley and the Giants came up short in a bitter loss.

And former wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] had some good moments in a losing effort for the Washignton Commanders, who could not topple the Eagles at home,

Here are some of the best photos of these players and more from around the NFL in Week 8.

Was this Commanders WR Jahan Dotson’s breakout game?

Sunday was Jahan Dotson’ long-anticipated breakout game for 2023.

Struggling in recent games with costly drops and a lack of targets, Jahan Dotson had his best game thus far in his two-year NFL career.

The former Penn State receiver and punt returner was targeted ten times Sunday by quarterback Sam Howell at FedEx Field against the Eagles. Dotson caught eight of the ten passes and did not have a drop.

His eight receptions were his career best. In his rookie season, Dotson had a six-catch day at San Francisco for 76 yards and a touchdown. Also, during his rookie season, his highest yardage day came the previous game when at the Giants, Dotson collected 105 receiving yards and one touchdown in only four receptions (26.25 YPR).

Consequently, Dotson’s 108 receiving yards Sunday against the Eagles was his career-high for a single game. Dotson had not been having the significant impact in terms of receiving yards, for which many of us had anticipated for 2023.

His receiving yards totals for the previous seven games were 40, 22, 21, 27, 30, 0 and 43. It was great to see Dotson with the breakout of the 108 yards Sunday.

Here are each of the ten targets and eight receptions for Dotson from Commanders quarterback Sam Howell in the Week 8 home 38-31 loss to the Eagles.

Dotson’s 2022 rookie season saw him finish having played in 12 games in which the Commanders were 5-6-1. He accumulated 35 receptions on 61 targets for 523 yards (14.24 YPR) and seven touchdowns.

Through eight games of this 2023 season, Dotson has been targeted 49 times (all by Howell) for 30 receptions. He has generated 291 receiving yards (9.7 YPR) and two receiving touchdowns.

Ron Rivera explains why he didn’t challenge DeVonta Smith’s catch

Rivera explains why he didn’t challenge DeVonta Smith’s fourth-down “catch” in the third quarter.

There were some controversial moments in the Washington Commanders’ 38-31 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. There was the third-down catch by Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson that was later ruled by NFL officials not to be a catch, only to be challenged by Washington and upheld.

It was a strange sequence.

However, before that play, there was another controversial catch that significantly altered the game’s trajectory.

With 5:38 remaining in the third quarter, Washington led Philadelphia, 17-10. The Eagles faced a fourth-and-4 from the Commanders’ 45-yard line when QB Jalen Hurts found WR DeVonta Smith streaking across the field. The pass is complete for 17 yards and a first down. However, upon further review, the pass appeared incomplete as the ball hit the ground.

Washington’s sideline was jumping up and down, wanting head coach Ron Rivera to challenge the call. He didn’t. The Eagles got back to the line of scrimmage and ran the next play. Two plays later, Hurts hit A.J. Brown for a 25-yard touchdown to tie the game.

While we know there is a low bar for NFL officiating, there was no way the Smith “catch” wouldn’t have been overturned. It was obvious. And it was costly. It would have been Washington’s ball with around five minutes remaining in the third quarter, holding a 17-10 lead.

Check it out:

That was ruled a catch.

So, why didn’t Rivera challenge the play?

Here’s exactly what Rivera said.

“I didn’t see it on the screen,” Rivera said via Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “I was looking up at the screen to see if there was something that could help me with it. Then I was waiting to hear somebody upstairs on if they had seen it or not. We hadn’t seen the replay, so we weren’t sure. [The Eagles] did their hurry-up, ran up to the line, and snapped the ball. You almost think that in that amount of time, somebody else could have looked at it and saw if it was complete.”

We can’t assume we know what Rivera knew at the time. But that reasoning doesn’t sound good. Yes, the Eagles hurried to the line of scrimmage, but there should be someone upstairs watching every play, telling you if it was worth a challenge or not. Where was that person?

It was another bad look for Rivera and his coaching staff, and it proved costly.

Commanders WR Jahan Dotson wants to know if the NFL knows what a catch is

Jahan Dotson, like the rest of us, would like to know what exactly is a catch in the NFL.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson had struggled through the first seven weeks of the 2023 NFL season. Entering Sunday’s Week 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Dotson had only 22 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown.

For a player known to have terrific hands and an excellent ability to separate, Dotson struggled with separation and drops early this season.

Fans wondered when Dotson would have his breakout performance.

In Sunday’s 38-31 loss to the Eagles, Dotson caught eight passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Dotson routinely burned Philadelphia defensive backs, but one play will stand out for Dotson and the Commanders.

On a third-and-5 with 2:21 remaining in the game, quarterback Sam Howell found Dotson on a shallow route across the middle. At first glance, it appeared to be a catch and a first down. The officials thought so, too.

But in a weird sequence of events, officials stopped play and the TV cameras caught them talking to both coaches. The FOX broadcast crew wasn’t even sure what was going on. Finally, we learned, that Dotson’s catch was actually ruled incomplete, and the Commanders were challenging the ruling.

It would take several minutes, but, predictably, the officials stuck with the call on the field — not the initial call, but the second call — and stayed with the incomplete ruling. It was fourth down and Howell was sacked on the next play, ending any chance of Washington tying the game.

The replay showed the ball was moving in Dotson’s hands but it never hit the ground. By rule — whatever the rules are these days — it should have been a catch.

After the game, Dotson was perplexed at what is or isn’t a catch in the NFL.

He’s right. It’s a question many have wanted answered for years because it can different each week. In the third quarter of the same game, Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith “caught” a pass on fourth down that was ruled complete. Upon further review, it was clear, Smith didn’t catch the ball, the Eagles scored a few plays later and tied the game. It would have been Washington’s ball.

That mistake was on Washington coach Ron Rivera for not challenging the play.

After the game, Rivera explained what he was told on Dotson’s play.

“They told me that New York decided it wasn’t a completion, and I struggle because it took them so long to get it correct that you’d think that they didn’t emphatically know that it was an incompletion,” Rivera said per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

Rivera has a point here.

Ultimately, the Commanders played well offensively, but made too many mistakes, dropping another heartbreaker to the Eagles. Washington’s offense scored 62 points vs. Philadelphia and lost both games.

Commanders compete, but don’t make the needed plays in loss to Eagles

Commanders make plays, but not enough in latest loss to Eagles.

Three plays in the final quarter cost the Commanders Sunday when they lost 38-31 to the Philadelphia Eagles at FedEx Field.

Tied 24-24, Washington faced a 2nd & 15 at its 20. Sam Howell had the underneath route open but chose to go to Terry McLaurin. The pass sailed a bit high and was intercepted by Reed Blankenship. Two plays later, the Commanders were down 31-24.

On a 3rd & 8 at the Eagles 40, Howell had McLaurin open and breaking toward the sideline but did not lead him well. The ball was still catchable when McLaurin didn’t make the catch.

On the next play, Howell again had McLaurin for the first down; again, the pass was not the best, but was catchable, and again, McLaurin did not make the play, turning the ball over on downs to the Eagles.

Frankly, another way of looking at the game is remembering the Eagles twice had the ball inside the Washington five and fumbled away possessions, coming away with no points on either possession.

Trailing 17-10, the Eagles drove the 2nd half kickoff 74 yards to the 1-yard line. They called for their famed “Tush Push,” but Jalen Hurts fumbled, and Kendall Fuller recovered for the Commanders.

Earlier in the 2nd quarter, the Commanders led 14-3 when the Eagles drove 68 yards and enjoyed a 1st & goal at Washington’s 3. Kenneth Gainwell got the carry, but Kam Curl stripped Gainwell of the ball, and Phidarian Mathis recovered.

But another aspect of the story was that the Commanders defense couldn’t stop the Eagles all day. Hurts passed for 319 yards, completing 29 of 38 passes for four touchdowns.

A.J. Brown was, again, a man among boys, catching 8 passes for 130 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

Sam Howell finished 39-52 for 397 yards, 4 touchdowns, one interception, and one sack. Jahan Dotson led the Commanders with 8 receptions for 108 yards and one touchdown.

With the loss, the Commanders fall to 3-5, and the Eagles are now 7-1.

Frankly, had they played this way in a couple of other games, they would easily be 5-3. But for now, I suppose the phones will be ringing tomorrow as teams seek to trade with the Commanders.

 

Commanders fall short against the Eagles, 38-31

Bad teams find ways to lose. The Commanders are now 3-5.

The Washington Commanders had a chance to upset the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday but came up short, 38-31, to fall to 3-5 on the season. After starting 2-0, Washington has lost five of its last six games.

It was another impressive performance from quarterback Sam Howell, who had Washington up 14-3 in the second quarter after touchdown passes to Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. However, the Eagles seized momentum when Howell’s fourth-down pass late in the fourth quarter fell incomplete.

The Eagles marched down the field, and A.J. Brown had a phenomenal touchdown catch to make it 14-10. Amazingly, with 34 seconds left in the half, Howell took the Commanders down the field, setting up kicker Joey Slye to hit a 61-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, quarterback Jalen Hurts hit Brown for his second touchdown of the day. Suddenly, we were tied, and the game looked a lot like the Week 4 contest.

Howell took Washington back down the field again, throwing a strike to tight end Logan Thomas for the score and a 24-17 lead. Hurts, and the Eagles answered.

The game changed midway through the fourth quarter when Eagles safety Reed Blankenship intercepted Howell. Hurts threw his fourth touchdown to give the Eagles a 31-24 lead.

Washington had a chance to tie — multiple times — but failed. Howell hit McLaurin on two plays, but the sure-handed McLaurin didn’t come up with either catch. In fairness to McLaurin, the throws were low, but he’d tell you he needs to make those catches.

Finally, on the Commanders’ next-to-last drive, Howell hit Dotson across the middle. Dotson bobbled the ball but never lost control. The officials ruled it incomplete; Washington challenged and lost. That also cost the Commanders a timeout. On the next play, Howell’s throw to McLaurin fell incomplete.

The Eagles scored another late touchdown to make it 38-24. Howell and the Commanders went down the field for another score on an excellent throw and catch from Howell to Jamison Crowder. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late for Washington.

Howell finished the game by completing 39 of 52 passes for 397 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Dotson had his best game of the season, catching eight passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Crowder caught seven passes for 95 yards and a score, and McLaurin caught five for 63 yards and a touchdown.

Washington travels to New England in Week 9.