Daily Slop – 27 Nov 24 – Mark Bullock: Jayden Daniels’ teammates “not doing enough to help”

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Commanders offensive personnel not doing enough to help Jayden Daniels

The Commanders offense was sloppy against the Cowboys. The lack of help Daniels received from his teammates really stood out

In watching back the Commanders loss to the Cowboys with the intent to break down Jayden Daniels’ performance, I found myself noting over and over again that the team around him was making too many mistakes. Daniels didn’t have his best game, but it also wasn’t his worst. Promisingly, he looked to have his explosiveness back as a runner, suggesting the extra few days off has helped him fully recover from that rib injury that appeared to be hindering him the past few games.

But while there is plenty to be said about Daniels performance individually, I thought the more striking issue was the lack of help he was getting from his teammates. The Commanders offense was incredibly sloppy against the Cowboys, with various players making multiple errors that prevented the offense and most importantly Daniels from getting into a real rhythm and flow of the game. Daniels did his best to try and make plays himself and overcome those mistakes, but while it’s great to have a quarterback capable of making plays and overcoming errors, it’s not something any offense can consistently rely on. Doing that will generate bad habits and that’s the last thing they want to do with Daniels. The players around him need to make plays for him, not require him to make plays for them.

There were bad signs of this early on in the game. The Commanders started to get moving on their second drive. They had picked up a first down, hit on a couple nice runs and even threw in a little trick play with an end-around to Dyami Brown. But after a second and four run got stopped for two yards, the Commanders faced third and two. Now this is exactly the situation they want to be in, ahead of the chains with a third and manageable situation where they can realistically call either a run or a pass to try and convert. On this occasion they call a pass.

Here we see the Commanders run what I know as a missile concept. It’s a three-man concept with all three receivers running in-breaking routes at slightly varied depths. The idea here is for each receiver to either break open into space over the middle, or take a defender with them to open up space behind them for the next receiver to run into.

Olamide Zaccheaus and Zach Ertz both do their jobs, working inside and dragging defenders with them to open up space for Noah Brown on the outside. Brown runs a solid route, creating separation as he breaks inside. Daniels shows good trust in Brown, getting set and delivering the throw as Brown is making his cut, believing in his receivers ability to win the route. He delivers a good ball that hits Brown in stride right between the numbers, but Brown drops it.

Instead of using his big frame and long arms to extend his arms and make a hands catch away from his body he allows the ball to get into his chest, trying to trap it between his body and his arms. One of the problems with that technique is that the point of the football is prone to bouncing in odd directions, so when the ball hits his chest and he doesn’t time the trap between his arms and the chest correctly, the ball bounces out and falls incomplete.

There’s no good drops, but that one is a particular back breaker because the Commanders were starting to get a drive going, well into the Cowboys territory and were on track to score a touchdown to make it 10-0 early in the game. But instead Brown dropped the pass on third down, failing the conversion and the Commanders had to kick a field goal which they missed. It wasn’t the only pass Noah Brown dropped on third down in this game either.

This play comes at a very different situation in the game. At this point, the Commanders were losing 10-9 late in the third quarter and had just gone three and out on their previous drive. So the team needed to put together a drive to try and get back in the game. After Daniels marginally missed a tough throw to Ertz on second down, the Commanders faced third and seven. Noah Brown runs a curl route to the right of the formation. Daniels drops back to pass and immediately lines up to throw the curl to Brown. He gets to the top of his drop and anticipates Brown’s break, delivering the throw before Brown gets out of his cut.

That was all very good from Daniels, but Brown again lets him down here. First, Brown comes out of the break soft. He’s well beyond the first down marker, so he has ground to give. He could easily come out of the break sharper and work back to the back to try and separate more from the defender. Secondly, despite Brown not coming out of the break with great urgency, Daniels is still able to hit him with a very well placed throw. It’s such an accurate throw, in fact, that it got through Brown’s hands and hits him directly in the facemask.

[Jayden Daniels] needs his receivers to make plays. Brown dropped two key third down passes which killed drives.

Of course, Brown wasn’t the only one with issues. Daniels’ first interception was another play where the receiver, this time Brian Robinson, couldn’t hold onto a pass.

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ESPN

Commanders put Austin Seibert on IR after missed kicks vs. Dallas

The Washington Commanders placed kicker Austin Seibert on injured reserve, two days after his missed extra point attempt prevented a shot at overtime against the Dallas Cowboys.

Seibert had missed the previous two games with a hip injury. It’s uncertain if he was placed on IR because of the hip or if there was a new leg injury.

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Riggo’s Rag

Former Commanders first-round draft pick Jamin Davis signs for the Vikings

According to Tom Pelissero from the NFL Network, the Minnesota Vikings have signed Davis off the Packers’ practice squad and onto their 53-man roster. This comes after undrafted free agent sensation Ivan Pace Jr. was forced to injured reserve.

This allows Davis to contribute to a legitimate playoff contender. The Vikings have far exceeded expectations this season and find themselves at 9-2. They look well on track for another playoff berth, which stems from Kevin O’Connell’s masterful development of quarterback Sam Darnold and Minnesota’s relentless defense under aggressive coordinator Brian Flores.

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Riggo’s Rag

Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. is not dealing with a high ankle sprain

Robinson revealed that he is dealing with an ankle sprain after suffering ligament damage versus the Cowboys. The backfield force added that he’s feeling a lot better compared to Sunday, which provided a glimmer of hope that he could be involved in some capacity.

The Commanders have their Week 14 bye upcoming. That will give Robinson some extra time to recuperate before Washington embarks on its final four fixtures. Whether the coaching staff wants to risk him before this extended rest period is anyone’s guess.

Washington is entering desperation territory in pursuit of making a surprise postseason appearance in Year 1 of the team’s complete rebuild. They need all hands on deck. At the same time, they won’t want to jeopardize Robinson’s long-term outlook by putting him in harm’s way when he isn’t ready.

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Upcoming opponent

Music City Miracles

Titans DC Dennard Wilson maximizes available talent in Week 12 win

Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson continues to elevate the little-known talent in the secondary

Wilson maximized the talent available to him despite the challenge against a Texans offense featuring CJ Stroud, Collins, Tank Dell, Joe Mixon, and Dalton Schultz. Stroud completed 20 of 33 passing attempts for 247 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Linebacker Kenneth Murray, who’s struggled in coverage this year, got Tennessee’s other interception.

No Texans receiver recorded more than five receptions or reached 100 receiving yards. Brownlee Jr. was tagged with allowing three catches on five targets for 91 receiving yards and one touchdown. The numbers are acceptable, given that he drew the Collins assignment in coverage.

Wilson has been an outstanding hire for head coach Brian Callahan. The defense has dealt with an abundance of adversity, particularly in the secondary via injuries, and that situation should have reached a boiling point versus the Texans on Sunday. Instead, Wilson continued maximizing the talent available to him. Credit to little-known names such as Worley, Brown, and Baker Jr. for playing quality football.

2025 NFL Draft order: What pick do the Titans currently hold?

The Titans lost a few spots with the win over the Texans but it was worth it

The Tennessee Titans held the second overall pick coming into week 12. They fell back to the sixth pick according to Tankathon after their win over the Houston Texans yesterday. Some fans are mad that they won because it dropped them down in the draft order. That is a dumb position to take. Wins for a young coaching staff and a young quarterback are more important than draft position.

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Podcasts & videos

Top 3️⃣ , Cowboys Recap & Titans Preview! | Get Loud with Jenks and Smoot | Washington Commanders

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Washington Commanders’ Injury Woes | Can They Overcome Key Player Setbacks?

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