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Washington Post (paywall)
Jeremy Chinn, a pending free agent, has given Commanders plenty to ponder
Chinn’s physical play and versatility have made him the leader of Washington’s secondary.
One of the signature Jeremy Chinn plays drew little attention on the stat sheet. It was a run-of-the-mill first down for the Philadelphia Eagles in the first quarter Thursday night when Chinn, who began the play at the line of scrimmage, took a chip block from receiver Johnny Wilson before turning to cover an out route by Dallas Goedert, a tight end with two inches and 36 pounds on the Washington Commanders safety.
Jeremy Chinn knocked back Dallas Goedert a good 8 yards. Goodness. pic.twitter.com/QFsPGTGEeG
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) November 15, 2024
No problem.
Chinn bear-hugged Goedert and drove him back nearly eight yards for a gain of only two. The Eagles’ drive fizzled three plays later, and the Commanders responded with a touchdown.
“One of the things I’ve been most impressed by [Chinn] is his ability to tackle,” Commanders Coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday. “And in our game, you know the importance of that. … That and the ability to play man-to-man on a tight end with his size and length — those are two things. Him being down on the line of scrimmage has really shown up for us.”
Commanders.com
Practice notes | Commanders hope full week of practice can rebuild rhythm
Quinn said “clearly and honestly” that Daniels’ is not injured right now but did admit that the time he missed while recovering from his rib injury created a level of difficulty both for the quarterback and the offense.
The return to a traditional, full practice schedule should fix some of that.
“Timing, I would say,” Quinn said when asked about what could be the result of a lack of practice reps. “Whether it’s matching a certain route to a coverage, deep balls, deep overs, just the exact timing of some of the plays.”
Quinn emphasized that it’s not like the Commanders haven’t been practicing, but the way the schedule fell forced Washington to alter its schedule last week. A tough, physical game against the Steelers was followed by an equally physical game against the Eagles four days later, and like every other Thursday night game, everything about the Commanders’ normal weekly schedule had to be truncated and moved up to accommodate for the short prep time.
Adding to that was Daniels missing time while recovering from the rib injury he sustained against the Carolina Panthers. Daniels missed almost all of practice heading into the Chicago Bears game and was limited on Wednesday and Thursday leading up to the New York Giants game. He wasn’t on the injury report leading up to the Steelers game, but it still took some time for Daniels to get back up to speed.
After factoring in the short turnaround between the Steelers and Eagles, it’s been difficult for even someone like Daniels, who prides himself on his preparation, to catch up on the fly.
“I was able to reset and refocus, restart,” Daniels said. “It’s kind of needed in a long season like that. It was great to get away for a little bit, but I’m glad that we’re back now.”
ESPN
What’s happened to the Commanders’ offense? Three reasons behind recent struggles
The good news for the Commanders: Of their final six games this season, five are against teams that rank 20th or worse in scoring defense. The only game that doesn’t fall into this category is their rematch against Philadelphia.
Thus far, Washington has played five games against teams ranked 23rd or worse. The Commanders have averaged 31 points in those games; they also scored 42 against Arizona, which currently ranks 11th in scoring.
The Commanders (7-4) need to generate more offense if they want to continue their surprise season, starting Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys (1 p.m. ET, Fox). Here are three key factors that could be contributing to their recent offensive struggles.
The defenses
Over the past four weeks, Washington has faced three of the NFL’s top-7 scoring defenses in Chicago, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The Eagles also rank first in yards allowed per game while the Steelers are eighth.
The Steelers’ blitzed Washington a season-high 19 times and were able to contain Daniels in the pocket with their five-man rushes and the game marked the first time Daniels recorded no scramble yards all season.
“We have a mode of operation when we face extreme quarterback mobility and that’s what he has,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the game. “He also can throw it really well. But being in the [AFC] North facing guys like [Lamar] Jackson is somewhat familiar to us.”
Against the Commanders, the Eagles rotated coverages post snap frequently, which impacted the rhythm of the passing attack, one league source said. The Eagles sent an extra defender on only four plays, which allowed them to consistently play seven in coverage and take away deep shots. As a result, Daniels attempted one pass for more than 20 yards against Philadelphia.
The games against Pittsburgh and Philly were also the first time Daniels had played two games in five days. But he says his focus wasn’t on the opponents or what they did. It was on himself.
“I’ve got to play better,” he said.
ESPN
NFL offensive coordinators, from Kellen Moore to Kliff Kingsbury
Offensive coordinator: Kliff Kingsbury
What has gone right? Washington entered Week 11 ranked third in points scored and fourth in yards per game. The organization has not finished in the top 10 in both categories since 2012, and its best finish in either category in the past five years was 23rd in points. Quarterback Jayden Daniels is the leading Rookie of the Year contender.
What has gone wrong? Washington’s offense hasn’t been as productive the past four weeks, since Daniels injured his ribs. Playing better defenses has been a factor, but the Commanders are 14th in scoring and 18th in yards during that stretch. In the first seven games, Daniels ranked third in QBR and first in completion percentage. In the past four, it’s 13th and 28th, respectively.
Key to second half: Getting Daniels going again. He adds the explosive element, whether with his downfield passes or his runs that extend drives. The run game needs Brian Robinson Jr. on the field to be effective (he has sat out three games). A big help: In the final six games, five come against defenses ranked 20th or worse in scoring allowed. — John Keim
Upcoming opponent
Blogging the Boys
How each Cowboys loss makes the Jonathan Mingo trade look even worse
It is one thing that the Cowboys are still losing games, but it is another that they have already squandered future draft capital on top of it.
The Dallas Cowboys have lost another game. Their 3-7 record puts them in the bottom 10 in the league, and it’s not likely to get much better as the season progresses. When a bow is tied on the 2024 season, the Cowboys should find themselves with a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
That’s a silver lining to an otherwise terrible season, but as their draft capital improves, it also brings attention to their fourth-round draft pick that they no longer have. Earlier in the month, the Cowboys traded away their fourth-round pick to acquire wide receiver Jonathan Mingo from the Carolina Panthers. The decision was criticized because it felt like a high price for a receiver who has struggled at the NFL level, but that price keeps going higher with every additional loss. This draft pick is on pace to be just outside the top 100 picks.
[D]ata shows that the Cowboys’ fourth-round success rate is better than twice the league average.
The Cowboys’ success rate of 57% matches what teams get from second-round picks. Again, this further validates the idea that this team drafts well. They don’t hit on everything, but when you analyze the data, they come out looking very good. This makes the Mingo trade even more problematic.
On Monday night, Mingo had zero catches on four targets. He’s been with the team for two weeks and is still acclimating himself to the Cowboys’ offense. While his true value remains to be determined, the chances of him exceeding what the Cowboys would get just by making the pick isn’t encouraging.
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys vs. Commanders: Week 12 matchup to watch for the Dallas Cowboys
Which Commanders players do you think can have the most success against the Cowboys?
The Dallas Cowboys were predicted to be one of the best teams in the NFC East division this year and the Washington Commanders one of the worst. Nothing could be further from the truth heading into this Week 12 matchup between bitter division rivals. Both teams seem to be heading in opposite directions of one another right now.
Under the guidance of their new head coach Dan Quinn and their first-year rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders have been one of the more entertaining and surprising teams to emerge as a legitimate playoff contender this year.
With the multitude of injuries Dallas is dealing with and the overall poor play so far this season, this is a game that sways heavily in the favor of the Commanders. There are a few matchups worth keeping an eye on for entertainment purposes which we listed below, but all in all this will more than likely be yet another embarrassing loss for the Cowboys.
Mike McCarthy vs. Dan Quinn
If you’re looking for a matchup that heavily favors the Washington Commanders, look no further than Mike McCarthy versus Dan Quinn. Not only is Quinn highly familiar with the Cowboys offensive scheme and McCarthy’s play-calling as Dallas’ former DC, but he’s also very familiar with the personnel as well. Quinn should be able to take advantage of all of this knowledge he’s stored up over the years in Dallas and incorporate it into the game plan for this Week 12 matchup, the first of two between these bitter division rivals.
Cowboys’ OL vs. Commanders’ DL
Sadly, this is another matchup that is looking as if it will heavily favor the Washington Commanders. Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, and Zack Martin all exited last weeks game early due to injuries and didn’t return, putting their availability in question for this Week 12 matchup. That could mean the Dallas Cowboys OL will be patchworked with backups against a pretty talented Washington DL headlined by Daron Payne and Jer’Zhan Newton. That probably means it will be really tough for the Dallas to get anything going offensively.
Podcasts & videos
New Podcast! “Why the Washington Commanders will make the playoffs” on @Spreaker #commanderspodcast #lakelewisjr #nfl #nflnews #nflpodcast #sports #sportspodcast #thelakelewisjrshow #washingtoncommanders https://t.co/1ovnMOZODr
— Lake Lewis Jr (@LakeLewisJr) November 20, 2024
Yes. We are talking about practice. And why Dan Quinn and the Commanders should have a much better week. All Ears is up. https://t.co/EjG47wA4eK
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) November 21, 2024