Far too often, fans and media watch Washington Commanders’ games and wonder why the team doesn’t do a better job of getting wide receiver Terry McLaurin the football.
McLaurin has four consecutive years of 1,000 yards receiving or more, but Washington’s issue at offensive coordinator and quarterback have prevented McLaurin from posting elite numbers.
In the Commanders’ Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels overthrew McLaurin on what would’ve been a long touchdown. McLaurin got behind the defense on another play, and Daniels didn’t throw it.
In Week 2, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury wanted to get McLaurin involved early. The results were mixed. McLaurin did receive eight targets in Washington’s 21-18 win over the Giants but finished with six receptions for just 22 yards.
That was less than four yards per reception for McLaurin. Why the low number?
Through two weeks, Kingsbury has focused on Daniels getting rid of the ball quickly, which means a lot of wide receiver screens instead of downfield throws.
The sheer percentage of those throws behind the line of scrimmage is troubling.
https://twitter.com/LordReebs/status/1835699759346053502
That’s a huge disparity compared to the rest of the NFL. Is this a function of the Kingsbury offense or more of a way to protect Daniels? For now, we’ll say it’s a combination of both. In the second half of Washington’s win on Sunday, Daniels let the ball rip more, including this 34-yard completion to wide receiver Noah Brown on the game-winning drive.
NOAH. BROWN.
#NYGvsWAS FOX pic.twitter.com/qg4YQAluXC
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) September 15, 2024
That high percentage of throws to wide receivers behind the line of scrimmage has nothing to do with Daniels. He’s not throwing to WRs behind the LOS because he’s afraid to throw downfield. Fans hope that Washington’s offense from the second half of Week 2 is more of what they see moving forward.
That number should come down in the coming weeks; if not, that’s a concern.