Poll questions!!
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Washington Commanders fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in regular email surveys.
This week we have three questions in the Reacts survey.
Question 1
Our first question this week is the one we ask every week — Do you feel confident in the direction of the franchise? We will track the results of this question throughout the season. For the past six weeks, the confidence figure has been at 98% or 99% — the highest of any fan base in the NFL. Will it go any higher in the wake of Washington’s 7th win and 3-game win streak?
Question 2
The second question is very simple: Who wins on Sunday, Pittsburgh or Washington?
Question 3
I think everyone knows full well by now that GM Adam Peters traded for 4-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore. It’s unclear how quickly Lattimore will get on the field. When discussing his situation on Wednesday, head coach Dan Quinn referenced the process that WR Noah Brown went through when he was signed after pre-season and made it a point to mention that Brown had been inactive in Week 1, perhaps foreshadowing the possibility of Lattimore sitting out this week’s game against the Steelers.
At some point, however – and likely sooner than later – Lattimore will play, and when he does, I don’t think there’s any doubt that he’ll take on the role of Washington’s top CB.
That means that one of the current starters – Benjamin St-Juste, Mikey Sainristil or Noah Igbinoghene – will see his role change, becoming a backup, rotational player, or part of specific coverage packages.
- It may be that Lattimore simply forces St-Juste to the bench while Sainristil continues to play boundary or field corner and Iggy stays in the slot.
- Alternatively, Igbinoghene could sit, Mikey could go back to his original position in the slot, and St-Juste could play opposite Lattimore.
- It’s even possible that the coaches could choose to play the 3 veterans (Lattimore, St-Juste and Igbinoghene) and let the rookie Sainristil develop in a more peripheral role than he’s had to date.
- Or, if you recall that Rivera and Del Rio initially planned to play St-Juste in the slot (and trained him to play there), there may be an outside chance that he moves there, pushing Igninoghene to the bench while the rookie stays where he’s been for the past several games.
On Wednesday, Dan Quinn was specifically asked about what the plan would be once Lattimore was ready to play. Quinn’s response was that it was “still to be determined”.
It’s good that he refused to answer the question, because it would have spoiled today’s final poll question: Which player loses his starting role as a result of the Lattimore trade?
Comments & Results
Of course, we invite you to answer the survey questions below, but also feel free to expand on your answers and provide nuance in the comments section. I rely on those comments when discussing the results of the survey when they are posted in a separate article the next few days.