A collection of articles, podcasts, and tweets from around the web to keep you up to date with the Commanders, the NFC East, and the NFL in general.
Linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu create a bright spot for the Commanders defense.
The Commanders’ defense has struggled this season, but against the Giants, linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu stood out.
There is no hiding from the defense’s current troubles, but I thought I’d look at an encouraging performance from the Giants game. Linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu stood out against a strong rushing game, despite not always being placed in ideal situations schematically.
For years, Washington’s linebacker group has failed to back up the defensive line, causing the run defense to struggle. On Sunday against the Giants, we finally witnessed a duo of linebackers making many plays in the run game, including
On this play, the Giants want to run the ball inside, with the right tackle tasked with ascending to the second level to block Wagner. The Commanders chose to play a lot of this game with two deep safeties to try to cover their cornerback issues, but this meant the front was frequently left light in the box to defend the run, the Giants’ primary threat. As a result, Wagner must be prepared to cover multiple holes based on how the run unfolds. The Giants employ a jet sweep fake immediately before the play to get Wagner deeper inside and provide a good angle for the right tackle to make the block.
Despite these disadvantages, Wagner reads the play well. He finds the right tackle while working inside before breaking off to work up to him. Many defenders would interpret this as a run to the left side of the offensive line, but Wagner has eyes in the backfield and sees the back moving the other way. He promptly works around the right tackle’s block, knowing that the back will bounce his run to the right. He is spot on with his anticipation, and because he acted so swiftly, he totally escapes the block of the right tackle and makes the tackle for a little gain.
Many folks thought Wagner looked sluggish last week against the Bucs, and it’s possible he had some rust to shake off after not playing a snap in the preseason. However, against the Giants, he was mentally sharp, and his anticipation abilities allowed him to make plays faster than many more athletic linebackers.
Brian Robinson, a third-round pick in 2022, and Austin Ekeler, a free agent signed in the offseason, are driving the offense, which ranks 10th in terms of yards per game. Robinson is eighth among running backs in rushing yards, while Ekeler leads the Commanders with 99 receiving yards on seven receptions.
The Commanders’ offense is still figuring out who they are, but the combination of Robinson’s power and Ekeler’s quickness appears to be the foundation for a successful recipe.
Robinson and Ekeler have combined for 372 yards, accounting for 48% of the Commanders’ offensive performance in two games. Both players are in the top 15 all-purpose yardage leaders, and while their skill sets overlap, the Commanders have used them to accentuate what they do best.
After receiving 27 fewer carries than in his rookie season, the third-year running back has already ran 29 times, putting him on course for a career-high 247 carries.
He recorded 17 carries in Washington’s 21-18 victory over the New York Giants, a rarity for him previous season, when he had only four.
Against the Giants, Ekeler carried the ball 11 times and contributed 85 of the Commanders’ 425 total yards. Some of his biggest plays came in the second half, when he helped the offense get inside the Giants’ 5-yard line, setting up a 29-yard field goal that gave Washington a 15-12 lead. In the fourth quarter, Ekeler received Jayden Daniels’ pass and ran 27 yards to put Washington on the Giants’ 6-yard line.
Through two games, Washington’s ground attack has been among the most effective in the league thanks to Robinson and Ekeler. The squad ranks seventh in total attempts (32.5), sixth in yards per game (176.5), second in rushing first downs per game (10.5), sixth in yards per attempt (5.4), and ninth in rushing play rate (52%). It’s a dramatic contrast to last year’s offense, which ranked 27th in running yards per game and had the sixth fewest total yards on the ground.Commanders Wire: Commander’s Kicker Austin Seibert was selected the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
The Cleveland Browns selected Seibert, 27, in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft. He played time with the Browns, Bengals, Lions, Saints, and two
stints with the jets. During his second stint with the Jets, Washington paid special attention to Seibert during this summer’s joint practice and preseason game.Seibert’s seven field goals in one game rank second in NFL history, trailing only Rob Bironas, who established the record in 2007. Seibert is one of ten kickers to score seven field goals in one game.
Seibert is the seventh kicker in Washington history to receive the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award. The Athletic (Paywall)
A poised Jayden Daniels remembers to have fun while guiding the Commanders.
Everyone handles pressure differently. Teammates are realizing that Jayden Daniels’ default setting is laughter
On Sunday, the Washington Commanders’ rookie quarterback orchestrated a fourth-quarter drive that tied the game against the New York Giants. As the clock approached the two-minute warning, Daniels had his first shot to make an NFL comeback. With it, Washington could win its first home game in over a year and stop a nine-game losing streak.
“That’s what you live for, those moments,” Daniels added afterward. “That’s where names get made in this league.”
The No. 2 choice in the April draft demonstrated his arm talent and decision-making abilities with a 34-yard strike to wide receiver Noah Brown, putting the ball in New York territory. Three plays later, at the Giants’ 24, Daniels attacked with his legs. His 14-yard gain along the right sideline off
A read option Washington was assigned to New York’s 10 and the chains were transferred.
One issue: He concluded the play out of bounds, which stopped the clock with 57 seconds left.
“He was supposed to stay inbounds,” wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus explained. “And I said, ‘Bro, stay inbounds.'” He said, ‘I was trying!'”
“He was actually laughing,” said Zaccheaus, who had an 8-yard reception on the final possession and three total catches.
“He’s really got a lot of poise to him,” coach Dan Quinn remarked after his first win with Washington. “The reason I say this is (decision-making). “He is very cool under pressure.”
The most crucial backup/role player for any team
The most significant backup/role player: TE. John Bates
In most situations, Bates is the Commanders’ second tight end behind Zach Ertz, giving Washington another passing option in addition to rookie TE Ben Sinnott. However, Bates’ importance originates largely from his blocking; he has caught one pass this year and only 53 receptions in his previous three seasons combined. Washington needs Bates’ ability to block in space or at the line, which makes him a rarity. —John Keim.
Commander’s Wire
20 former NFL players from Washington are among the nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On Wednesday, the NFL released the list of 167 modern-era nominees for induction into the Hall of Fame class of 2025, and several former Washington legends made the cut.
QB Rich Gannon
QB Donovan McNabb
RB Shaun Alexander
RB Stephen Davis
RB Clinton Portis
RB Terry Allen
RB/PR/KR Eric Metcalf
FB Larry Centers
WR Irving Fryar
TE Vernon Davis
OL Mark Schlereth
OL Dave Szott
LB Jessie Armstead
LB London Fletcher
LB Ken Norton Jr.
CB DeAngelo Hall
CB Troy Vincent
K David Akers
P Matt Turk
ST/RB/KR/PR: Brian Mitchell
All but Norton have played in Washington at some point. Norton presently coaches linebackers for head coach Dan Quinn. Fletcher, Mitchell, Hall, Stephen Davis, Allen, and Portis are well-known for their remarkable performances in Washington.
If you are wondering where Joe Jacoby and Larry Brown are, they are still senior candidates for the class. Senior candidates include six well-known former Washington players: Doug Williams, Earnest Byner, Wilber Marshall, Joe Theismann, Jacoby, and Brown. Jacoby appears to have the strongest chances of being inducted.
Fletcher and Mitchell look to be the most likely modern-era nominees to be honored.
The Bengals have signed Lawrence Guy and released KJ Henry and Shedrick Jackson, ahead of their upcoming opponent, the Cincinnati Jungle.
The Cincinnati Bengals announced multiple roster changes on Tuesday afternoon, including formally adding defensive tackle Lawrence Guy to the 53-man active roster.
To compensate for the extra personnel, the Bengals have dismissed defensive end KJ Henry, a second-year player claimed off waivers on August 28. He played some defensive and special teams snaps in each of the team’s first two games.
The Bengals also cut Shedrick Jackson, a practice squad wide receiver and Bo Jackson’s great-nephew. They have not signed anyone to replace him and are currently one player short of the 16-player quota. They will likely want to sign another defensive tackle to the practice squad for additional bodies while they recover from ailments. NFC East links.
According to Deadspin, the Cowboys have placed DT Jordan Phillips (wrist) on injured reserve.
The Dallas Cowboys placed defensive tackle Jordan Phillips on injured reserve on Wednesday due to a right wrist injury, and he is expected to miss at least four games.
Phillips, who turns 32 on Saturday, appeared in two games for Dallas this season, recording one tackle.
On August 15, the Dallas Cowboys traded a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the New York Giants for Phillips and a seventh-round pick.
Sports Illustrated: Cowboys Sign Commanders Practice Squad DT
Carlos Watkins is leaving the Washington Commanders for the Dallas Cowboys, their division foe.
[T]he Dallas Cowboys have signed defensive tackle Carlos Watkins off the Commanders practice squad to their 53-man roster.
Watkins, 30, signed with the Commanders practice squad in late August after being released by the Los Angeles Rams before the team’s 53-man roster deadline.
Watkins, 30, joined the Commanders primarily because of his familiarity with coach Dan Quinn, who was his defensive coordinator with the Cowboys from 2021 to 2022; he appeared in one game for Washington this season.
Watkins is now back with the Cowboys, looking to provide injury insurance in the trenches.
Cowboys running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle are among the NFL’s least efficient through week two.
Through two games this season, the Dallas Cowboys have probably the NFL’s least efficient running back group.
However, looking beyond the basic box score numbers, we can determine that the Cowboys have the league’s most inefficient running back room.
Among qualified rushers, they are the only team in the league with two ball carriers in the bottom ten of RYOE per attempt, according to NFL Pro.What’s so upsetting is that it was completely anticipated, which is why there were so many cries for the Cowboys to add talent to the running back group via free agency or the NFL Draft.
It’s easy to say this in retrospect, but it was plain as it happened. Consider the alternatives Dallas may have in their backfield right now if they had taken a more proactive approach to this situation.
Here are some more ways in which the Dallas Cowboys are failing as a running operation (ranking 1st to last):
Rush Yards per Game…………………………………….. 85 (8th)
In terms of rush yards per play, the team ranks seventh with 3.7 yards per play and 9th with 37% success rate.
Team Rushing Yards Over Expected-66 (2nd) -1.5 (1st) for team rushing yards over expected/attempted.
Looking to avoid a 0-3 start, Giants shift emphasis to Browns.
The New York Giants are already in must-win situation when they take on the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.The Giants (0-2) have lost their first two games of the season, to the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Commanders. If they lose to the Browns (1–1), things get pretty tough. New York then has a short week before meeting the Dallas Cowboys next Thursday. Only two clubs (out of 32) that began 0-2 in the previous four seasons have entered the playoffs, raising concerns. The 6.3 success rate increases the urgency. But Giants coach Brian Daboll says he doesn’t believe desperation has set in. The Browns averaged 17.5 points in their first two games, whilst New York
is averaging 12 per game.
Nonetheless, Stefanski is stunned the Giants are winless.
“That 0-2 is very misleading to me,” Stefanski explained. “They lost at home in Week 1, and we certainly lost at home in Week 1. And then they go on the road, play well enough to win, and there are some extenuating circumstances with the kicker.
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys might tie extraordinarily horrible NFL history with a dismal defensive performance vs Ravens.
The Cowboys’ defense is on the verge of matching a historically awful NFL record.
Dallas is coming off a disastrous performance in which they allowed the New Orleans Saints to score 44 points without showing any muscle.
The Packers allowed 48 points in the Wild Card Round, so the Saints did not quite reach the heights that they achieved, but 48 and 44 points scored against you the last two times you played at home is a difficult pill to swallow.
Something like that seems unusual, but how common or uncommon is it? Thanks to our colleagues at Stathead and Pro Football Reference, we can look at this information (their database in this area dates back to 1920), and the results are not good!
Here is a list of every club in NFL history has allowed 44 or more points in consecutive home games, including the playoffs.
If the Cowboys allow the Baltimore Ravens (it’s strange that it’s Baltimore) to score 44 or more points on Sunday, they would tie the NFL record for the most consecutive home games with that many points allowed against them.
Big Blue View.
Eli Manning is officially a Hall of Fame nominee.
Eli has a complicated case for getting elected to the Hall of Fame on the first vote. He retired with a.500 record (117-117-0) and led the NFL in interceptions three times (2007, 2010, and 2013). However, he is 10th all-time in throwing yards and passing touchdowns, 12th in game-winning drives, and has 27 fourth-quarter comebacks, which puts him in line with Brett Favre (28) and Joe Montana (26).
Eli is renowned a two-time
Super Bowl champion and MVP, his unexpected victories over Tom Brady in 2007 and 2011 are the stuff of folklore.NFL League Links Articles
Professional Football Focus
NFL season-long statistical analysis before Week 3: team tiers, pass rates, and more
Dropback Outcomes
With passing targets being the most efficient outcome of a dropback on average, simply throwing more frequently than other teams can be an essential signal of a strong offense. There are obvious exceptions for attacks with mobility quarterbacks, but most teams want to see a large green bar (targets) and a tiny purple bar (sacks) on the chart.
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