Commanders Vs. Falcons – Studs and Duds

Washington hosted Atlanta on Sunday night and the game was full of ups and downs. Washington started off hot but quickly went stagnant throughout the remainder of the first half. Dan Quinn’s team was extremely sloppy with penalties and mental mistakes, and it looked like it would take another week to determine Washington’s playoff fate.

However… the Commanders have a very special talent under center, and that player, one Mr. Jayden Daniels, yet again put the team on his back and carried Washington into a post-season berth. His play, especially in the fourth quarter and overtime, was nothing short of spectacular, as he put his body on the line while picking up big gains on the ground.

It wasn’t a pretty game, but in the end, Washington got it done and can now start to focus on the playoff picture at hand.

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

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Studs:

Jayden Daniels – Daniels was his magical self, putting together yet another game-winning performance, this time in overtime, to send the Commanders into the playoffs. He literally put the team on his back in the fourth quarter and in overtime with both his arms and legs. He finished the game going 24-36 for 227 yards and three touchdowns versus just one interception and was the team’s leading rusher gaining 127 yards on the ground.

Zach Ertz – Ertz came up clutch in the second half and overtime for Washington. He had a huge 38-yard catch-and-run and a touchdown in the third quarter, then caught the game winner in overtime. He had six receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns.

Quan Martin – Martin was all over the field Sunday evening, leading the team in tackles with eight (seven total), with two passes defended and a big interception on the opening drive.

Dorance Armstrong/Dante Fowler – Both Armstrong and Fowler collected a sack (both forced fumbles that Atlanta recovered), a tackle for loss and multiple pressures on the evening.

Olamide Zaccheaus – Despite dropping a third and 11 strike from Daniels that may have iced the game in regulation for Washington, Zaccheaus was a force all evening, leading the team with eight receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown.

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Duds:

Michael Davis – Davis was picked on all night and may have been the reason why Atlanta hung in the game. He was targeted with frequency and allowed easy receptions. He also committed two huge pass interference penalties – one in the endzone in the first quarter and one late in the fourth quarter that gave Atlanta a chance to hit the game-winning field goal.

Sam Cosmi – Cosmi was called for three penalties in the game. Two were holding (one actually was a very poor call by the refs) and a false start. His second holding penalty (which was actually the correct call) wiped out a touchdown by Zaccheaus that may have put the game out of reach.

The Refs – This crew, who leads the league in both offensive and defensive holding calls, made the game almost unwatchable.

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Notes:

• Mike Sainristil did not have his best game. The receptions he allowed to London on a fourth and 11 could have ended the game for Washington.

• Jeremy Chinn had a nice game despite giving up the game-tying touchdown on a perfectly thrown ball from Penix to Pitts. He had two passes defended and a few nice hits.

• I know Brandon Coleman is a third-round rookie, but he’s struggling with speed off the edge. I’m confident that with a year under his belt as a starter, he can become a pretty good tackle – he’s just not there yet.

• Surprisingly, I thought Michael Deiter did a nice job filling in for Tyler Biadasz when he left the game with an ankle injury.
• Nick Allegretti was making all the line calls in the game when Biadasz left and was doing a nice job blocking.
• Brian Robinson started to click a bit in the second half, but he wasn’t playing very good at all before that, and in my opinion, should cede some carries to Chris Rodriguez.

• Chris Rodriguez runs angry, had good vision and speed and has shown to be a good blocker. He should see more carries.

• Tress Way had some BOOMING punts in the game!
• John Bates was blocking his tail off last night!

• Jeremy Reaves got engaged. Congrats Jeremy!