Commanders Vs. Bengals – Studs and Duds

Oh what a game!!!

Washington took on Cincinnati in primetime Monday night, and the showdown didn’t disappoint. For those who enjoy good offensive football, this game had plenty. Neither team punted and no turnovers were committed. Kliff Kingsbury’s offense was clicking all night as Washington put up 38 points in the victory.

One of the most refreshing parts of this game was the officiating. For the most part, the crew let both teams play (which is the way it should be). The Commanders didn’t have a penalty called against them until the fourth quarter.

Washington now sits at 2-1 on the young season with a 4:05 showdown against Arizona on Sunday in the desert.

Below are my Studs and Duds of the game, followed by some notes.

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Studs:

Jayden Daniels – Daniels was near perfect on the evening completing 21 of his 23 passing attempts for 254 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 11 yards per completion and had a quarterback rating of 141.7. He was also Washington’s leading rusher collecting 39 yards and a touchdown. What a breakout game in primetime for the whole country to see!

Terry McLaurin – The fans had been down on Terry. Some said he may not even be this team’s best receiver. In typical McLaurin fashion, the veteran receiver came out and made fans remember why he’s our WR1. He recorded four receptions on six targets for 100 yards and a touchdown – which was a work of art in itself!

Commanders Offensive Line (and tight ends) – The entire offensive line (and the blocking by the tight ends) gets a STUD from me for their outstanding performance against the Bengals. The running game didn’t really get on track, but this group gave Jayden a pretty clean pocket all game and allowed just one sack (Cincinnati had two sacks but only one was pinned on the O-line). To top things off, Trent Scott even scored a touchdown! Kudos to this group!

Austin Ekeler – Before exiting the game in the 2nd quarter after being evaluated for a concussion, Ekeler was completely dominant. He had a 24-yard touchdown run, collected two catches for 11 yards, and had a beautiful kickoff return for 62 yards.

Kliff Kingsbury – “College offense”… haha! That “college offense” put up 356 yards and scored 38 points while controlling time of possession 33:06 to 26:54. They didn’t punt all game, didn’t turn the ball over and committed just three penalties for 28 yards.

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Duds:

Daron Payne/Jonathan Allen – Payne and Allen are the highest paid defensive tackle duo in the league, yet they have been playing like two undrafted free agents who just made the 53-man cut. The missed tackles, the undisciplined pass rushes, the lack of effort on plays are becoming more pronounced each week. The duo combined for just two tackles and two quarterback hits on the evening.

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Notes:

• Jer’Zhan Newton outplayed both Jon Allen and Daron Payne Monday night.

• Javontae Jean-Baptiste got his first sack against the Bengals Monday night. He’s starting to show he belongs in this league.

• Noah Brown continues to show his value and has become WR2.

• Mike Sainristil did get beaten badly by Ja’Marr Chase early in the game, but then he makes plays like this!

• Luke McCaffrey is starting to emerge as a nice target for Daniels. I think he’s got a firm hold on WR3.

• Austin Seibert is a perfect 8 for 8 on field goals through two games.

• Frankie Luvu is this team’s best linebacker.