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How Marshon Lattimore fared in his Commanders debut
Breaking down the performance of CB Marshon Lattimore in his first game with the Commanders
When the Commanders moved Sainristil outside and settled on a trio of St-Juste, Sainristil and Igbinoghene in the slot, they opted to play with boundary and field corners. What this means is that the outside cornerbacks wouldn’t stick to the same side of the field or follow a specific match up. Instead, Sainristil would line up on the field side while St-Juste would line up on the boundary. For those that don’t know, NFL teams like to split the field based on the alignment of the ball. When the ball is placed on a hashmark, it’s closer to one sideline than the other. The side of the field it’s closer to is called the boundary because it’s closer to the boundary, while the other side of the field is called the field because there is more space. So throughout games, you’d see Sainristil and St-Juste swap sides quite often, but they always stuck to their respective roles.
You typically see this more in college than the NFL because the hashmarks are further apart in the college game so it makes more of a difference. There are a few theories as to why Washington went with this plan. The first is that St-Juste has struggled in coverage this year, so by making him the boundary corner, he’s always closer to the sideline and has less space to cover. Another theory is that while there is less space, teams will often isolate their top receiver to the boundary with three receivers on the field side so they can use more space. With that theory, the Commanders could say they kept St-Juste as the boundary corner to have him mostly matchup against the opposing top receivers and prevent a rookie in Sainristil from being overly exposed.
Whatever their reasoning, that strategy appears to be gone now that Lattimore is here. Lattimore replaced St-Juste on the field, but the roles have now seemingly switched from boundary and field corners, to simply right and left corners.
So with that schematic tweak out of the way, how did Lattimore actually play? Well, as I mentioned, the Saints didn’t even try to target him in this game so he didn’t have much to do. He wasn’t exactly spectacular as a result. However, he did have some nice reps in situations that other Washington cornerbacks have struggled with this season.
Washington Post (paywall)
Marshon Lattimore was invisible in his Commanders debut. That’s the point.
Where was the four-time Pro Bowl selection Sunday? Usually on the opposite side of the action — the New Orleans Saints didn’t dare to target him.
In his first game with the team that traded for him last month, cornerback Marshon Lattimore shut down the left side of the New Orleans Saints’ offense. He played 35 coverage snaps, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, and was not targeted once by his former team. The Saints looked especially cautious on the critical final drive, when none of their six passes went within about 10 yards of him.
In the coming weeks, Lattimore probably will be challenged. Washington’s next two opponents — the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons — targeted him a few times earlier this season. But his lack of targets Sunday wasn’t a surprise; before the game, opponents had targeted Lattimore on just 9.7 percent of his coverage snaps, the second-lowest rate among cornerbacks, according to Next Gen Stats.
The Athletic (paywall)
Commanders’ win in New Orleans, while important, was nothing like a Big Easy
Quick thinking by Quinn and safety Quan Martin saved Washington’s bacon after the touchdown. The Saints, as they absolutely should have, went for the win, with a 2-point conversion try. But after seeing New Orleans come out in formation, Quinn called timeout. Instead of playing zone, as Washington was going to do, Quinn switched his defense’s coverage to man-to-man. That left cornerback Noah Igbinoghene one-on-one with Saints tight end Juwan Johnson. And Igbinohene was able to undercut Johnson just enough to force Rattler’s pass wide and incomplete.
“Quan made a great call, which allowed me to get down and play my man good coverage,” Igbinohene said. “Our coaches say it all the time — (the pass is going) flat left, in situations like that. And they did it. I just played the ball.”
So there was loud music and joyousness in the visiting locker room afterward. And, sure, there should have been. With the win, Washington’s postseason chances increased from 79 percent to 88 percent, according to NFL.com, with three weeks remaining.
Commanders.com
Final thoughts | Ertz, Chinn both in concussion protocol
The Commanders were dealing with a string of injuries heading into their matchup with the Saints, as both Austin Ekeler and Noah Brown — two key offensive players — are currently on Injured Reserve. Even more players got banged up on Sunday, both leading up to and after kickoff. Jeremy Chinn and Zach Ertz left the game after being evaluated for concussions, Tyler Biadasz was ruled out with an illness and Zane Gonzalez was inactive with a foot injury.
Both Ertz and Chinn are in the concussion protocol, meaning they will need to pass the proper steps set in place by the league before returning to play. Players in the protocol are typically out for at least a week, but it is possible for an earlier return. On Ertz specifically, Quinn said that the veteran tight end has a unique skill set in third down, red zone and two-minute situations that is difficult to replicate. The hope is that he will be available for Sunday against the Eagles, but if not, the Commanders will need to implement different personnel packages to find production elsewhere.
Quinn had more positive updates on Biadasz and Gonzalez. Biadasz is feeling better, the head coach said, and his fever is going down. He expects Biadasz to be available this weekend as he continues to feel better.
Gonzalez was close to playing Sunday against the Saints but was still dealing with issues in his left foot. The team didn’t feel like it was the smart move to let him play, which is why they elevated Greg Joseph from the practice squad on Saturday. If healthy, Gonzalez will be the kicker while Austin Seibert is on IR.
ESPN
NFL Week 15: Biggest questions, takeaways for every game
Why was this such a sloppy performance from Washington? It doesn’t help that Washington lost center Tyler Biadasz (illness) before the game and tight end Zach Ertz (concussion) in the first half. But the Commanders have been committing too many penalties of late — they had nine Sunday and have had 28 in the last three games combined. Those penalties extended drives for New Orleans and nullified one big gain by Washington. The Commanders hold the seventh and final playoff spot but they can’t afford to play this way and expect to clinch. The game should not have come down to a final drive.
What we learned about the QB on Sunday: Jayden Daniels showed all that he could do, completing 25-of-31 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns; he extending one score by 8.04 seconds. He also ran 11 times for 66 yards. However, he was sacked a season-high seven times, sometimes because he held the ball long or ran into trouble. Daniels and receiver Terry McLaurin had multiple chances for long touchdown passes but couldn’t connect.
Describe the game in two words: As expected. New Orleans was missing most of its key offensive starters, including quarterback Derek Carr and its top two receivers. The Commanders won not because they played great, but because they played well enough when it mattered and held the ball for more than 40 minutes. — John Keim
Riggo’s Rag
Commanders key numbers, Week 15: Washington’s win loaded with costly mistakes
Despite missed opportunities and mistakes, Washington walked out with a win…
8,106: For all those complaining about how Washington won, I have a stat for you. The last time the team won on the road after a bye week was in Week 5 of the 2002 season, which was 8,106 days ago.
-38: Last season, the Commanders had the worst point differential in the NFL at -189. This year, the team has improved on that metric with a top-10 point differential in the league at +81.
However, one area where the Commanders have struggled is late in games. The team currently has a -38 point differential in fourth quarters this year, which is the worst in the league among teams with a winning record. The team has been outscored in the fourth quarter of every game since Week 7 outside of the Tennessee Titans win.
84: Although the season’s numbers show the Commanders are one of the most disciplined teams with the eighth fewest penalty yards per game, recent weeks point to a different story. Washington committed eight infringements for 78 yards against the Dallas Cowboys, seven penalties for 65 yards against the Titans, before having nine penalties for 84 yards on Sunday.
52.9: After being in the bottom 10 of the league in third-down conversion percentage last season, the Commanders are in the top 10 this year, coming into the game converting 44.10 percent of the time. Against the Saints, Washington was able to convert on 9-of-17 attempts (52.9%). Daniels went 7-for-7 on third downs for 64 yards and converted four third-downs with his legs
Upcoming opponent
Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles vs. Steelers: 14 winners, 5 losers, 7 IDKs
SAQUON BARKLEY
The Steelers were clearly focused on stopping Saquon, so, it’s not surprising that he was only held to 65 yards on 19 carries (mere 3.4 average).
I don’t know how much — if at all — Barkley’s injury issues were limiting him. He seemed to be in discomfort at times on the sideline. One would hope it’s not too serious.
I don’t know if Barkley’s MVP candidacy is as viable after this game. Not because he was terrible but because he’s now behind a reasonable pace to surpass Eric Dickerson’s single-season record. Barkley will need 418 yards over the last three weeks to get there. That’s 139 per game. Not impossible … but hardly a given. Also, Josh Allen being on fire and leading the Bills to a win in Detroit is only boosting his stock.
Podcasts & videos
Gut-Check WIN! Recapping the Thriller in New Orleans | Booth Review | Washington Commanders | NFL
Every Terry McLaurin Catch from 2-TD Game vs. Saints | Week 15 | Washington Commanders
As usual, @CraigHoffman opened a Victory Monday with 1st & 10 – his 10 biggest observations from the Commanders’ win over the Saints! https://t.co/hDKfAAaKmc pic.twitter.com/WNMF465YEF
— The Team 980 (@team980) December 17, 2024