Commanders Vs. Titans – Studs and Duds

If there were any questions about Washington starting slow, they were answered yesterday. If there were any questions about Washington not being able to finish, they were answered yesterday. If there were any questions about good defenses figuring out Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, there were answered yesterday.

The Commanders came out on fire and despite slower 2nd and 3rd quarters, they really dominated this game from start to finish – improving their record to 8-5 (5-2 at home) and remaining undefeated when wearing the all-black uniforms. They will now get a much-needed bye before they finish the season out against New Orleans, Philly, Atlanta and Dallas.

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

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Studs:

Jayden Daniels – It’s been a few weeks since Daniels has landed on the Stud list after a torrid start to the season. Jayden made his return to the list against the Titans in grand style, going an insanely efficient 25/30 for 206 yards with three passing touchdowns and one interception. He added 34 rushing yards and another score on the afternoon.

Terry McLaurin – Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury made a concerted effort to get Terry the football and even moved him around the formation. That effort paid off, as McLaurin went off for eight receptions for 73 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon.

Brian Robinson/Chris Rodriguez – The duo combined for 197 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon, while averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Robinson had a 40-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter, while Rodriquez had a long gain of 25 yards. Both (as well as Jeremy McNichols) ran hard and were looking to punish defenders who attempted to tackle them.

Washington Offensive Line – The group of Brandon Coleman, Nick Allegretti, Tyler Biadasz, Sam Cosmi and Cornelius Lucas had their best overall performance of the season, paving the way for 267 rushing yards and allowing just two sacks on the afternoon.

Frankie Luvu – Luvu had another big game, showing up all over the field. He registered just three tackles, but one was a sack and one was a TFL. He had three pressures, two quarterback hits and a pass batted down at the line of scrimmage. He now has eight sacks and 82 tackles on the season.

Commanders Coaching Staff – Great bounce-back game for the staff! Offense and defense played very well, and Quinn looked to have the team prepared.

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Duds:

Jeremy Chinn – Chinn had a down game, giving up a touchdown and committing a blatant pass interference penalty where he wouldn’t let go of the receiver’s shirt.

Zane Gonzalez – Gonzalez missed both of his field goal attempts (46 and 52 yards), pushing each one wide right.

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Notes:

• Mike Sainristil had a good game, but also had some rookie moments. He led the team in tackles, had a very nice forced-fumble and recovery and made a great play in the endzone on a two-point conversion attempt. However, he did give up a touchdown where he was beaten pretty badly and two third down conversions.

• Congrats to Bobby Wagner for hitting 100 tackles on the season!
• Rookie Tyler Owens made a great special teams play, forcing a fumble on a kickoff.

• Payne had a nice game on the interior, recording three tackles, one for a loss, half a sack and 2 pressures.
• Rookies Ben Sinnott and Luke McCaffrey both registered receptions on the afternoon – a positive step forward.