The Washington Commanders were simply not ready for the big stage.
The Commanders were coming off of a bye week. They were given plenty of time off away from the facility; they had plenty of physical rest.
They should have been sharp mentally; they should have been recovered physically. But they were not.
I love Terry McLaurin, but he is now paid to be a star, a league leader in performance. He is in his fourth NFL season. Why didn’t Terry get himself up on that line on Brian Robinson’s one-yard touchdown run? He has to own it and be a leader in the sense of taking accountability. (I’m writing this immediately following the game).
The offensive line exhibited massive protection issues against the same Giants team two weeks ago. Why wasn’t there more help applied to the offensive tackles tonight? Did coaches not use the bye week to prepare for this? Frankly, the coaching scheme and the offensive tackles’ execution made the Giants defensive ends look like Dexter Manley and Charles Mann out there Sunday night.
Early, the Commanders, after moving into Giants territory, suddenly Taylor Heinicke rushed an easy swing pass to Antonio Gibson that should have gained yardage. Then Heinicke (or the coaches) were not efficient or prepared, and the Commanders earned a delay of game penalty.
Why was the execution of each Curtis Samuel run so ineffective tonight? It was clearly part of the game plan to use him on quick-hitting runs, but every single Samuel run (five total) was ineffective, gaining a total of one yard.
The Commanders disappointed; it’s very discouraging. Why weren’t the Commanders ready for the big stage?
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbykgy681k112p8 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]