Tag: Jayden Daniels

Jay Gruden examines what’s happened to the Commanders’ offense

The former Washington coach with some excellent analysis on the Commanders’ recent offensive woes.

Jay Gruden said the Commanders didn’t take advantage of their opportunities and, as a result, lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at Northwest Stadium.

The former Redskins head coach went back and watched the game a second time in preparation for his Monday appearance on the Grant & Danny Show (106.7 the Fan). Gruden said he is convinced that in the first three quarters, the Commanders had their chances to take control of the game and simply didn’t do it.

“The last few minutes was pretty chaotic on both sides of the ball, but the first three quarters, I think was just a matter of taking advantage of great opportunities, and Washington didn’t do it,” Gruden said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy. 

“They had great field position, opportunities to really jump out on them early and put your foot down and show who’s a better team, and they didn’t do it. They just let Dallas hang around and hang around.”

Gruden was the head coach in Washington for the 2014-2019 regular seasons, and the offensive coordinator for the Benglas (2011-2013) and Jaguars (2020).

“Third downs are bad; they’re 12-for-38 in their last three games, 10 sacks, and time of possession. They’re averaging 24 minutes per game in the last- three games,” Gruden said. “A lot of that has to do with the ability to keep the ball, and they’re not staying on the field on third down. There’s a lot of reasons for it – sometimes it’s pressure related, sometimes Jayden misses a throw or there’s no throw to be had – so there’s a lot of things they can clean up, but the most important thing is they got to do a better job on third down.”

Having been a Division 1 starting quarterback at Louisville and working with NFL quarterbacks for a decade, Gruden is not simplistic. He knows there are various reasons why the Commanders’ offense is struggling.

“A lot of times it’s hard to get off your No. 1 target when feel pressure inside, and you gotta get rid of the ball,” Gruden said. “It’s just hard to point your finger at one thing. Sometimes it’s pressure, sometimes he feels like the guy is open and the defensive back makes a good play, but it’s easy to hold the film on pause, and then when the ball’s gone, let it play again and see somebody come wide open, and say you should have held the ball and thrown it to this guy. That’s not always the case when you have the ball in your hand,d and you’re playing quarterback.”

Jay, unlike his brother Jon, is not overly critical. He exhibits much more empathy and is much more understanding of the pressures of a rookie quarterback.

“There are times I agree he could have maybe held the ball a little bit longer, but that’s easier said than done for a young quarterback.”

Commanders Quinn not buying the narrative about Kingsbury offenses

What Dan Quinn said about the narrative regarding Kliff Kingsbury.

Three weeks ago, the Commanders were 7-2 and were considered one of the best offenses in the NFL.

Three consecutive losses later, the offense is not the only thing struggling; however, fans and local media often want to discuss the offense in general and, in this case, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury in particular.

So it wasn’t all that surprising when Dan Quinn was asked Monday about Kingsbury and his offenses regressing in the second half of the year. What was surprising was that Quinn was even asked if he had given it thought to before hiring Kingsbury.

“Sure, I probably don’t give it as much, and here’s why,” Quinn said. “You’re talking about a different program with different people and different players. And so, I think going into it, and you’re putting in a system together, you want to make sure that you’re featuring the players and the things that they do best and all of that. And so I think Kliff’s done a good job of that, although they’re peaks and valleys and any season that’s going to go. I don’t have a sense of what somebody did you know well before, because the system that was in place there is not the same exact carbon copy as the one here.”

I don’t have much doubt that there will be those who interpret Quinn’s reply as a knee-jerk cop-out, avoiding the subject.

However, there is truth in what Quinn is saying: There is turnover most years on most rosters in the NFL.

Consider Kingsbury, who was the Arizona Cardinals head coach during the 2019-2022 seasons. His first season saw Larry Fitzgerald as his leading receiver, but Fitzgerald retired following the 2020 season. DeAndre Hopkins became the Cardinals’ leading receiver in 2021, but Christian Kirk took over that role in Kingsbury’s last season in Arizona.

Kenyan Drake led the Cardinals in rushing in 2019 and 2020, and James Conner has taken over that rule in recent seasons.

Kyler Murray replaced Josh Rosen from 2018, who had replaced Carson Palmer as the Cardinals’ signal caller.

Whether Kingsbury’s offenses have taken this huge dive downward regressing in the second half would require a deeper dive in research.

The Commanders’ offense first slowed down during the Bears game. Washington could only generate 12 points throughout the game until the ‘Hail Mary’ provided six points on the game’s final play.

But the defense may be just as big a story as the offense. In the last four games, the defense has given up 22 points (Giants), 28 (Steelers), 26 (Eagles), and 34 (Cowboys).

But are we even sure about those numbers? On Sunday, Dallas returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. How is that the defense’s fault?

Of course, many years ago, it was proven that the best defense is a good offense, and the best offense is a good defense.

So, it will take a deeper dive to uncover some real data on the Kingsbury offenses’ continually declining and regressing performance in the second half of seasons.

 

Overreaction or reality? Commanders will miss the NFC playoffs

The Commanders will miss the playoffs: Overreaction or reality?

The Washington Commanders were 7-2 through nine weeks and in first place in the NFC East. Washington lost a heartbreaker at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10, making several mistakes, but against one of the AFC’s top teams.

It was a loss, but not a depressing defeat. Four days later, the Commanders lost on the road to the Philadelphia Eagles. While they faded in the fourth quarter, people forget that Washington led the game into the fourth quarter.

So, with the Commanders sitting at 7-4 ahead of Sunday’s home game against the Dallas Cowboys, optimism remained high. Unfortunately, the Commanders looked flat and uninspired, and the offense put on another less-than-stellar performance. While Jayden Daniels and the offense came alive late, they did next to nothing for three and a half quarters.

Sunday’s loss was a wild one. You could blame any number of things, but, Washington still lost.

So, it’s time for the Monday morning quarterbacks to debate if the Commanders can still make the playoffs.

First, ESPN’s Dan Graziano said it was “not an overreaction” that the Commanders would miss the playoffs. 

The Commanders are three games behind first-place Philadelphia in the loss column in the NFC East (before the Eagles’ game on Sunday night) and occupy the seventh and final spot in the NFC playoff field — tied in the loss column with the Cardinals, Rams, Falcons and Seahawks. So yes, Washington is in real trouble here.

Jeff Kerr of CBS was more bullish on thoughts of Washington’s playoff chances.

Kerr called it an “overreaction” that the Commanders will miss the playoffs.

With their NFC East title chances taking a huge hit, the Commanders are the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The Rams and Seahawks aren’t far behind Washington, either. The schedule is favorable, with three of the five teams remaining currently having losing records, but Sunday’s loss to a deflated Cowboys team was a very bad one for a team looking to go to the playoffs.

We tend to side with Kerr here. While Graziano makes valid points, Washington still controls its playoff destiny. And an upcoming bye week will not only help the players get some rest but allow coaches to examine what’s gone wrong — and right — recently.

Yes, the Dallas loss was terrible. But many of Washington’s recent problems were of its own doing. Dropped passes, players jumping offsides, fumbles, special teams collapse. There are certainly reasons to believe all of those things won’t continue, and the Commanders will win more than they lose down the stretch and make the NFC playoff field.

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.

What everyone said after the Commanders’ loss to Cowboys

Here’s what everyone said after Commanders’ loss to Cowboys.

The Commanders were again outscored in the fourth quarter and lost their third consecutive game, Sunday, when they fell to the Dallas Cowboys 34-26 at Northwest Stadium.

Here is a collection of post-game quotes from players, analysts, coaches, and media personalities.

Dan Quinn

“What I told the team after the game was that this is the most challenged we’ve been in our time together. And I reminded them, it’s not enough to learn the lessons, but we have to apply them.”

“I remind them it’s never about one play. And so, that execution falls on all of us players and coaches, and I firmly believe that. And so, we’ll get to it tomorrow. We’ll look at the tape and get right to the truth of it all.”

“Yeah, I want to make sure like this confidence is rolling whoever we’re playing. And I don’t want it to go up and down and up and down. So again, I look back at the tape and the best part of this is you get to go dig in and go forward again, man. But from a performance side, is there plenty to clean up on? You bet. And you don’t want to miss an opportunity and when you got a home game and going forward in the division, you want to take advantage of those. And when you miss them, it stings.”

Jayden Daniels

“We’ve been in third and longer a lot, you know, these past couple games. So, that’s kind of where you get into the exotic pressures and stuff like that. You know, we’ve just gotta be better on first and second downs and stay ahead of the chains.”

Chris Russell (Team 980)

“I fully expected the #Commanders to win this game & begrudgingly picked them -10.5 on Friday. As I kept mentioning – the notion they were going to cruise over these next few weeks (Dallas, Tennessee & New Orleans) was laughable. It’s a potential nightmare now.”
Ben Standig (The Athletic)
“From a team spokesperson: Out of an abundance of caution, Austin Ekeler (concussion) is headed to the hospital for further testing.“
John Keim (ESPN)
“Wow. Just a brutal finish to cap a horrendous performance.“
Bobby Wagner

Jason Garrett (NBC)
“They’ve got to start getting the ball down the field. [Terry] McLaurin has got to get involved in this game earlier. That’s the only way they get this offense going again.”

Austin Seibert

“It didn’t make a difference at all. It’s on me.”
“I felt fine. That’s why I made the decision to play and here we are.”

Tress Way

“This dude is just making freaking kicks all year long so we still have a lot of ball left and making a little playoff run. It’s just really tough. Rinse and repeat and come back and get ready for Tennessee.”

“I would have to…..I’d really like to see the film. They always say the eye in the sky don’t lie but [LS] Tyler [Ott] and I talked after and our job is to make it as seamless as possible for Austin and we just didn’t feel like we quite had it there. Rinse and repeat. Get ready to go again.”

Terry McLaurin

“It doesn’t come down to one play. It doesn’t come down to one kick. We had our opportunities to take control of the game and we didn’t.”

Rick ‘Doc’ Walker

“I’d love to learn a lesson while Winning.”

Grant Paulsen (106.7 The Fan)

“The Commanders have fallen to 7-5. Lots of football left this season but this was a cold water performance. Hard to count wins against the bad teams they play in future after losing as an 11-point favorite.”

Thom Loverro (Washington Times)

“George Allen spinning in his grave — special teams allow 99-yard kickoff return. Remember the days when the Commanders went the entire game without punting?”

 

 

Quick facts from Commanders’ Week 12 loss to Cowboys

Here are several quick facts or stats from the Commanders’ Week 12 loss to Cowboys.

The Commanders produced their worst effort of the season Sunday for the first three and one-half quarters. Their last half of the final quarter was productive, but they came up short, falling to the Cowboys 34-26.

Here are some of the quick facts from the third consecutive loss for the Commanders:

  • The Cowboys had to play on a short week from Monday night, while the Commanders had not played since a Thursday night game ten days ago. Yet, it was the Commanders who looked flat, tired, slow and uninspired for 3.5 quarters.
  • The Washington offense was anemic in the first quarter, as Jayden Daniels completed two of six attempts for a mere three yards. The Commanders permitted 93 first-quarter yards to Dallas while only gaining 56.
  • The Commanders blocked a field goal attempt, blocked a punt, and recovered a fumble in the first half, yet managed to score only three points!
  • In the first half, Dallas outgained Washington 176-113 total yards, including 133-55 passing yards.
  • The Commanders trailed 10-9 after three quarters. Washington was then outscored 24-17 in the final quarter. The Commanders have now been outscored 71-34 in the final quarter of their last five games.
  • Sunday was the first kickoff return touchdown in 50 games for Dallas (vs Raiders in 2021), and today, they returned two for touchdowns. (Kayvontae Turpin 99 yards and Juanyeh Thomas 43 yards).
  • LB Frankie Luvu finished tied for the team-leading eight tackles. He also added one tackle for loss and three passes defensed.
  • The Commanders lost two running backs today (Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler), and this was after Chris Rodriguez was released just yesterday.
  • Dallas had lost their last five consecutive games, as they were a -10 in turnovers those games. Today, they again lost the turnover margin 3-1, yet came away with a win.
  • K Austin Seibert had his first bad day for the Commanders: he entered the game having made 25 of his 27 field goal attempts. Today, he badly missed his 51-yard field goal attempt and pulled two extra-point attempts to the left.
  • Jayden Daniels surpassed 2,500 passing yards and 500 rushing yards today, joining Robert Griffin III and Cam Newton as the fastest players to reach those marks to begin an NFL career. Daniels did so in his 12th career game.
  • WR Terry McLaurin’s  86-yard touchdown reception was the longest of his career. He caught five passes for 102 receiving yards.

Twitter reacts to Commanders’ performance in loss to Cowboys

Some wild reactions on social media after Commanders’ loss to Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys were punting this game before it ever began. With quarterback Dak Prescott out for the season, Dallas stars Zack Martin and Trevon Diggs didn’t even make the trip to Washington. Tight end Jake Ferguson and No. 2 receiver Brandin Cooks were also out.

Yet, somehow, the reeling Cowboys dominated the Commanders for much of the game, and no matter how many times Dallas tried to give Washington the advantage, the Commanders had none of it.

Dallas snapped its five-game losing streak, defeating Washington 34-26 in arguably the wildest NFL game of the season. The Commanders blocked a field and a punt yet missed two extra points and a field goal and allowed two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Washington had a chance to tie it late and sent the game into overtime after quarterback Jayden Daniels’ miracle 86-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Terry McLaurin. Unfortunately, kicker Austin Seibert missed second PAT.

It’s the Commanders’s third straight loss and X — formerly Twitter — was fed up.

Here are some of the top social media reactions after Sunday’s loss.

On Seibert:

The frustration felt among many fans

 

Al Galdi

 

These reactions say it all:

 

Grant Paulsen:

 

Awful timing, for sure:

 

Very true:

 

The life of a true Washington fan:

 

He’s not the only one who felt this way:

 

This aged poorly:

 

Daniels must play better, too:

 

The life of a kicker:

 

Kevin Sheehan

 

Commanders stumbled, had a chance, but blew it again

A woeful effort from start to finish.

The Commanders sucked on Sunday.

Well, at least for the first three and a half quarters, Dallas dominated, leading 20-9. Watching the Commanders on Sunday, words like frustrating, aggravating, and infuriating come to mind.

Then, the Commanders pulled off another miracle late; however, they blew the extra point and allowed an onside kickoff touchdown return, falling to the woeful Cowboys 34-26.

Washington missed two extra points; the last one was an absolute heartbreaker.

Twenty-one seconds remained with Washington trailing 27-20 when Jayden Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin, who got a block, turned on the jets and scored from 86 yards, making the score 27-26.

Austin Seibert then missed the extra-point attempt. It was a bad snap, and Seibert, while approaching the ball, had to watch Tress Way get control of the ball and place it down in time. Seibert then pulled the kick left.

Washington now had to attempt an onside kick which was then returned by Juanyeh Thomas 43 yards for the clinching touchdown and the final 34-26 margin.

The Cowboys entered the game with a 3-7 record. Yet the Commanders, who entered at 7-4, were the home team and played a step slow all day and let Dallas take the game to them from the start.

Three weeks ago, the Commanders were 7-2 and the NFC’s No. 2 seed for the playoffs.

Based on Sunday’s performance, Washington is 7-5, having lost three consecutive games and looking progressively worse each game.

Face it, Commanders fans, if not for the lucky ‘Hail Mary,’ this team would be 6-6 and losers of four of their last five. I love this franchise, but that is who they are right now.

Dallas came into today at the very bottom of NFL teams in rushing offense. Its rushing defense wasn’t any better, also one of the worst in the league. The Cowboys were without quarterback Dak Prescott, but backup Cooper Rush completed 24 of 32 attempts for 247 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Two of the Cowboys touchdowns in the final quarter were kickoff returns.

 

WATCH: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels finds Terry McLaurin for miraculous 86-yard touchdown

And then the Commanders miss the PAT.

All hope seemed lost for the Washington Commanders when Dallas wide receiver KaVontae Turpin returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown with just over two minutes remaining. The Cowboys were ahead 27-17.

The Commanders went back on offense, got into field-goal range, and quickly sent out kicker Austin Seibert to kick a 51-yard field goal to make it a one-score game. Washington had two timeouts remaining and looked to force a stop on defense to get the ball back.

The Commanders got their stop and the ball back with 34 seconds remaining. What happened next was unbelievable but par for the course in this crazy game.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels found wide receiver Terry McLaurin for a miraculous 86-yard touchdown to make it a 27-26 game with less than 20 seconds remaining.

Check it out:

Depending on how you viewed this game, what happened next was even more unbelievable — or predictable. Seibert, who had not missed an extra point all year, missed his second of the game and left the Cowboys holding a 27-26 lead.

That was it. Dallas added another late meaningless touchdown to make it 34-26, but it was Seibert’s miss — on a low snap — that ended any possible chance at another miracle Washington win.

Commanders RT Andrew Wylie departs game with injury

Commanders RT leaves game with head injury.

The Washington Commanders are locked into a tougher-than-anticipated battle against the Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium. At halftime, the teams were tied 3-3.

The offense has struggled, as quarterback Jayden Daniels has been under heavy pressure, and the Commanders have failed to adjust.

Washington lost running back Brian Robinson Jr. to an ankle injury in the first half. He later returned to carry the ball three times but later departed again.

The Commanders are now down another offensive starter. Right tackle Andrew Wylie left the game in the third quarter and is being evaluated for a possible concussion.

Trent Scott replaced Wylie at right tackle and immediately allowed pressure. The team officially announced that Wylie is out and will not return.

The Commanders will need to go the rest of the way with Scott at right tackle, unless they want to play Cornelius Lucas or Brandon Coleman on the right side. Lucas has plenty of experience playing on both sides in his career.