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Washington Post (paywall)
Commanders’ new kicker bails them out in sloppy win over Giants
Austin Seibert made all seven field goals to lift Washington past New York, 21-18, on an otherwise bumpy afternoon for the Commanders.
[T]hanks to a 7-for-7 outing from kicker Austin Seibert, who signed with the Commanders on Tuesday, the team rode the wave to a victory in front of a sellout crowd. Seibert set a franchise single-game record for made field goals after the sixth and sealed the win with the seventh — a 30-yarder as time expired.
Not bad for a kicker who was unemployed and practicing field goals using a pine tree next to his house as goal posts.
In all, the Commanders amassed 10 penalties for 69 yards; four players combined for five false starts in the red zone. Washington’s victory, ugly as it was with 10 penalties and six failed trips to the red zone, was significant for a new regime that has tried to sell its fan base on the optimism of its young quarterback. The Commanders (1-1) have a new front office, a new coaching staff, a mostly new roster and many new features at their stadium.
For now, they’re undefeated on their home turf.
The elusiveness of Ekeler and the power of Robinson, along with the pass catching of both, provided the only consistent sparks for the offense and put Washington in position to score multiple times. Daniels completed 23 of 29 attempts (79.3 percent) for 226 yards and a 99.1 passer rating. The offense had six plays of 20 yards or more.
The Athletic (paywall)
Commanders lean on backfield duo of Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler to squeeze by Giants
Some honest players acknowledged they didn’t know Austin Seibert’s name, even after the recently signed kicker’s 30-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in Sunday’s 21-18 victory over the New York Giants. Nor had they imagined an opening home game with seven field goals — a franchise record — and zero touchdowns.
Regarding how this offense will succeed this season, at least until rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels finds his rhythm or the group stops with the pre-snap penalties, no riddle needs solving. Feed the backfield tandem of Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr. Those two ate plenty between red zone blunders — five false-start penalties and zero touchdowns on six trips inside New York’s 20 — and Daniels facing pass-rush pressure.
The power-packed Robinson set a career high with 133 yards on 17 carries, and Ekeler had 85 yards from scrimmage as the Commanders (1-1) snapped a nine-game losing streak overall and won their first home game in over a calendar year.
“You said it best right there. Record that,” Ekeler said postgame when asked about the running back dynamic. “Because that’s exactly what it was. … We’re playing how the game comes to us. He’s a playmaker. I get on the field, and it’s the same thing.”
The duo had three of Washington’s longest plays from scrimmage, including Robinson’s personal-best 40-yard run after a 32-yard scamper.
“I told everyone me and Austin are going to complement each other very well,” Robinson said.
ESPN
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels shows ‘poise’ in first win
At one point on the game-winning drive, Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels couldn’t help but laugh. He was making plays; he was moments from securing his first win in the NFL; he was having fun.
“That’s what you live for, those moments,” Daniels said. “That’s where names get made in the league.”
Daniels’ poise — and big plays — helped engineer the win. He was sacked five times and under pressure on other occasions. However, he completed 23 of 29 passes for 226 yards and ran 10 times for 44 yards in what also was Dan Quinn’s first victory as Washington’s coach.
On his last two drives, with Washington trailing 18-15, Daniels, the second overall draft pick in April, completed a combined 7 of 9 passes for 91 yards while running twice for 15 yards.
“He just continues to show poise through the ups and downs of the game and being a young quarterback,” Washington receiver Olamide Zaccheaus said. “He was actually laughing. I love that; just being himself.”
Daniels has yet to throw a touchdown — or an interception.
“He has a real conscious[ness] for the ball,” Quinn said. “That was one of the things that made him so unique coming out of college. He has a mindset about it.”
Washington Post (paywall)
Jayden Daniels stumbled, survived and thrived. It’s still just Week 2.
A win is a win. What’s more important for the long-term future of the Washington Commanders: The education of their rookie quarterback.
The reason the Washington Commanders could celebrate a bizarrely frustrating 21-18 victory over the decidedly mediocre — and we’re being generous here — New York Giants on Sunday is that a kicker who was unemployed last week booted seven field goals. The reason the Commanders needed a previously jobless kicker to boot those seven field goals: Franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels and the offense ventured into the red zone 1 billion times (numbers approximate) only to stumble and bumble when they arrived.
There are no bad wins in the NFL, certainly not for a franchise that owns a brand new front office and coaching staff and a roster that could be described as overhauled — if that wasn’t understating its status by such a wide margin.
“Feel blessed,” Daniels said. “Can’t really complain. It wasn’t the prettiest game. But a win is a win.”
[A] reminder: There haven’t been many wins around here. This was the first since Nov. 5, 2023, the first at home in more than a calendar year. The Giants may end up being awful. (Safe bet.) The Commanders may end up with more losses than wins. (Another safe bet.) For this new regime of General Manager Adam Peters and Coach Dan Quinn to gain confidence from the fan base, there have to be days that end like this — with a game-winning field goal as time ran out. In Washington, a win is a win, even if it engenders more relief than exultation.
“It’s been a looooong process,” said Brian Robinson Jr., the running back who acted the part of bell cow with 133 yards on 17 carries.
The Athletic (paywall)
Austin Seibert comes in from off the street to save Commanders’ day
Seibert — pronounced “Sigh-Bert,” he said afterward — set a franchise record with those seven field goals in one game, the last a 30-yarder at the gun to give Dan Quinn his first coaching victory in D.C., and to give Daniels his first win as a pro quarterback. It was the end of a busy day for the 27-year-old Seibert, who was also good from 27, 45, 26, 27, 29, and 33 yards. And after the last one, his new teammates, many of whom might have known his first name, picked him up on their shoulders.
“They were struggling. I’m kind of a meaty guy,” the 200-pound kicker said.
Seibert has ties to the Commanders. His agent, Dave Butz, is the son of the late, great Washington defensive tackle of the same name, who may or may not have been one of my all-time favorites from that era. The Seiberts and Butzes have known one another for years. “Our grandfathers lived on the same street,” Butz texted Sunday.
Since being taken by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2019 draft, he’s bounced around, as so many in his line of work do. He’s kicked for the Browns, the Bengals, the Lions and the Jets between 2019 and last season. New York released him during final cuts after this year’s preseason, sticking with veteran Greg Zuerlein, who has one of the biggest legs in the league.
But the Commanders were impressed by what they saw from Seibert, in the rain, during their joint practices with the Jets in August.
Seibert went on Washington’s “just in case” kicker list, which has been getting a workout since the team released veteran Brandon McManus in June. Seibert had kept practicing since being waived, as kickers do while they wait for the next call, kicking at a pine tree outside his home, with his wife holding for him.
In the nomadic life of pro kickers, though, all that Austin Seibert is promised going forward is a flight to Cincinnati for a Monday night game with the Bengals next week. You’re only as good as your last kick.
OK, your last seven kicks.
Commanders.com
Five takeaways from Washington’s win over New York
3. The defense had a momentum-swinging turnover.
The Commanders’ coaching staff has been preaching the importance of creating turnovers since OTAs. On Sunday, all that attention finally bore fruit at a critical moment.
The Giants were on their way to building a two-score lead in the third quarter after going into halftime with a 12-9 lead. They started at their own 26-yard line and only needed four plays to get to the Commanders’ 35, the last play being a 15-yard run by Devin Singletary.
That’s when Benjamin St-Juste, who was trailing Singletary, came from behind to deliver a punch to the ball, which popped out of Singletary’s grasp. Jeremy Chinn pounced on it, giving Washington the ball at their own 35-yard line.
Washington didn’t need long to tie the game. They marched 56 yards downfield on nine plays, culminating with a 27-yard field goal from Seibert. The defense had an up-and-down day, particularly when it came to containing Malik Nabers, but they did manage to supply the Commanders with one of the plays that helped them retake momentum.
5. Still plenty to clean up.
The vibes were high in the Commanders’ locker room after the win. Seibert got a game ball, and several players spoke about being able to grind out a win against a division opponent.
However, it didn’t need to be that difficult, and there are still several things to clean up.
The Commanders had multiple opportunities to ensure that they didn’t need Seibert to hit a game-winning field goal as time expired. They had six trips to the red zone, and none of them resulted in touchdowns. There were several reasons for those failures, but false starts inside the 10-yard line were the most damning culprits.
On special teams, the Commanders nearly had a chance to start the day off with a kickoff return touchdown, but a holding call brought them back to their own 37-yard line. After their opening field goal, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty allowed the Giants to start at midfield, which made it easy for them to score on their opening drive.
And while the explosive plays and third down conversions were the defense’s most obvious problems, the unit also had several missed tackles that allowed the Giants to extend plays and pick up first downs.
The Commanders were able to overcome their mistakes in Week 2, but they nearly caused their own demise. They will have two more difficult tests in the coming weeks, the next one being a road matchup on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals, who fell to 0-2 after a 26-25 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Podcasts & videos
Washington Commanders Win 21-18 in Week 2 vs. New York Giants After 7 Austin Seibert Field Goals
On video wrapping up a Commanders win. Lots to discuss. @ESPNRichmond https://t.co/y5xOwO5E4A
— John Keim (@john_keim) September 16, 2024
Beltway Football – Giants postgame: 7 field goals lead Commanders to win in home opener
Photos
Commanders.com
PHOTOS | Commanders vs. New York Giants, Week 2
Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium during their Week 2 matchup against the New York Giants. (Emilee Fails, Kourtney Carroll and Washington Commanders staff)
NFC East links
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys vs Saints: The good, bad, and ugly from the Week 2 disappointment
Just about everything on Sunday was ugly for the Dallas Cowboys.
From the opening kickoff, the New Orleans Saints dominated this Week 2 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. New Orleans was clearly the better team Sunday afternoon and easily walked away with the 44-19 victory to ruin the Cowboys 2024 home opener at AT&T Stadium.
The Cowboys Jekyll and Hyde act through the first two weeks of the 2024 season all but confirms we really don’t know exactly what this team is capable of this year. It’s definitely been a mixed bag for them to start the season. Today, we are going to take a look at the good, bad, and ugly from their Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Blogging the Boys
The historical ineptitude of the Cowboys defense in stunning loss to Saints
The Cowboys were not just bad but historically so on defense against New Orleans.
Shockingly the Saints scored touchdowns on each of their first six possessions of the game. You are not reading that improperly. These were the first six possessions for New Orleans:
- Touchdown
- Touchdown
- Touchdown
- Touchdown
- Touchdown
- Touchdown
That feels impossible. Things should not be this easy against an NFL defense. We have wondered what this Zimmer defense could or would look like, especially against someone who learned from the tree of Kyle Shanahan, and Sunday brought with it early returns that will leave us wondering even more for much longer.
But the loss and performance were not just obviously bad, they were historically awful.
Consider that Dallas allowed 432 total yards of offense and 44 points. This literally did not happen once throughout the Dan Quinn era, who got his first win as a head coach on Sunday.
Big Blue View
Distraught Malik Nabers: ‘I let my team down’
Giants’ rookie wide receiver had a great game Sunday … except for one fateful play
New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers did a lot of wonderful, exciting things on Sunday against the Washington Commanders.
- The No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft scored his first NFL touchdown, a 4-yard reception on a pass from quarterback Daniel Jones.
- Nabers caught 10 passes on 18 targets for 128 yards.
- Nabers had receptions of 28, 25, and 21 yards. He drew a pass interference penalty. He was, for the most part, the passing attack.
Yet, in the end none of that mattered because of the one play Nabers did not make.
With the score tied at 18-18 and 2:09 to play, the Giants had fourth-and-4 at the Washington 22-yard line the Giants went for the first down. They had little choice, with placekicker Graham Gano sidelined since the game’s opening play with a hamstring injury.
Jones climbed the pocket, delivered an easily catchable ball to an open Nabers along the sideline for what should have been a first down. It should have put the Giants in position to win the game.
Only, Nabers did not catch the ball. Inexplicably, the ball slipped from his grasp and fell to the Northwest Stadium turf.
“I’m hurt that I let the veterans down, they know what kind of player I am. I know what kind of confidence they have in me. The main motto that’s in my head is ‘don’t let my team down,’ and I let my team down.”
– Malik Nabers pic.twitter.com/2Z6y6TJR8j
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) September 15, 2024
Big Blue View
Giants-Commanders ‘things I think’: Giants have only themselves to blame for Sunday’s loss
Coaching staff, players share the responsibility for a defeat in a game they should have won
I think there are several reasons the New York Giants lost 21-18 to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
- They lost because they decided to risk not elevating rookie placekicker Jude McAtamney from the practice squad with Graham Gano entering the game with a finicky groin. That backfired, ultimately costing the Giants at least five points, when Gano pulled a hamstring on the opening kickoff.
- They lost because the defense was atrocious. The Commanders scored on every possession, with every drive lasting at least nine plays. The Giants will point to “bend, don’t break” with Washington not scoring any touchdowns. That, though, was more about Washington’s mistakes rather than anything the Giants did.
- They lost because running back Devin Singletary fumbled away a chance for the Giants to grab a two-score lead early in the third quarter.
- They lost because rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who otherwise had a spectacular game, dropped an easy throw from Daniel Jones on fourth-and-4 that would have given the Giants a first down in the red zone with 2:04 to play. That gave Washington the ball back, setting up Austin Seibert’s decisive field goal.
Saw this coming a mile away when he was added to the injury report. https://t.co/GHn38d5FHJ
— Big Blue View (@bigblueview) September 15, 2024
Yes, the Commanders never scored a touchdown. Yes, they went 0 for 6 in the red zone and 0 for 3 in goal-to-go situations. Those failings, though, were mostly because of Washington’s own ineptitude.
- On the Commanders’ first drive, a false start on fourth-and-1 at the 4-yard line necessitated a field goal.
- With the score 6-6, Washington had first down at the Giants’ 14-yard line. A false start again pushed them back, and they settled for 3 points.
- With second-and goal at the 4-yard line and the score knotted at 12-12, another Washington false start stopped a drive and led to a field goal. There was also a declined third-down holding penalty on the Commanders.
- With the Giants leading 18-15 in the fourth quarter, Washington committed yet another false start with first-and-goal at the 6-yard line. Field goal. Again.
The Giants’ defense, aside from a couple of stellar individual efforts, was not nearly good enough. Brian Burns went off on his defensive teammates after the game, and with good reason. Washington never punted.