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Jayden Daniels’ efficiency returns in win over Titans
Breaking down Daniels’ efficiency as the Commanders beat the Titans
Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels got back to being incredibly efficient in the Commanders win over the Titans on Sunday. When the Commanders started the season well, the run game was strong and Daniels was incredibly efficient. They weren’t able to sustain that against some very strong defenses like the Steelers and the Eagles, but they got back on track against the Titans. Daniels completed 25 of 30 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
It wasn’t a spectacular performance from Daniels, but it didn’t need to be. The run game was dominant, which of course he has a hand in with the threat of the read-option. That kept the offense ahead of the chains, so all they needed from Daniels as a passer was to be efficient and move the chains, which is precisely what he did. Daniels was very quick processing reads and getting the ball out to open targets, letting them pick up yards after the catch. It was evident from the very first play of the game.
On the first play of the game, the Commanders have a split field concept. To the left, they have an arrow concept, with a corner route from tight end John Bates, a flat route from running back Brian Robinson and a spot route in between them by Zach Ertz. To the right side the Commanders run what I believe Kingsbury calls “Izzie”, which is essentially a slot fade concept. On the outside, Terry McLaurin runs a quick hitch designed to occupy the outside cornerback while Noah Brown in the slot runs a fade towards the sideline.
The Titans are a team that likes to play a lot of quarters coverage, like many teams in the modern NFL. There are different variations of quarters where those outside cornerbacks will be more aggressive on things underneath, but the Titans don’t use those. Instead, they have their outside cornerbacks playing off and soft to enable them to protect against anything deep. The Commanders likely knew this going into the game, because at the snap of the ball you can see Daniels immediately line up and rip the throw out to McLaurin on the hitch.
He can do this comfortably because he knows that outside cornerback is going to have to focus on Brown’s slot fade and protect against the deep threat, leaving the flat wide open underneath. As McLaurin catches the ball, there’s no defender within five yards of him, allowing him to turn up the field and pick up additional yards after the catch.
That play was a good example of how Daniels would play throughout the rest of the game. He was very quick processing the coverages and getting the ball out, finding receivers in lots of space.
On this play, the Commanders start in a bunch set to the left, but send receiver Olamida Zaccheaus in motion to the right side. That leaves just McLaurin and Ertz in a stacked set to the left. The pair execute a basic stick concept, with McLaurin running the stick route and Ertz working to the flat. As Daniels drops back to pass and reaches the top of his drop, he could easily just throw the ball out to Ertz in the flat. I think a lot of quarterbacks would probably do that in this situation. But Daniels knows he doesn’t have to rush things.
Instead of hurrying the ball to the flat, Daniels takes a moment to process the defense. What he can see is the flat defender is near McLaurin, making it look like McLaurin is covered, but actually the defender has zero intentions of covering McLaurin and is trying his best to work around him to get to Ertz in the flat. Meanwhile, the cornerback that started opposite McLaurin is playing off and soft.
Daniels knows once that flat defender clears McLaurin to work to Ertz, then McLaurin will be wide open on his route. So Daniels takes the extra beat and allows the defender to clear McLaurin before delivering the ball to his best receiver. Just like before, when McLaurin catches the pass, he has no defender within five yards of him, allowing him to turn up the field and pick up more yards after the catch.
Commanders Wire
Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. making the most of opportunities
“Yeah, we really have a lot of confidence in him, and he’s just somebody that through practice and through the opportunities that he gets, he really delivers on that. I thought he’s got good vision as a runner.”
This season, Rodriguez has run the ball 265 times, gaining 150 yards (5.8 a carry). So, the touchdown at the end, when Rodriguez scored, you could visibly see the joy some of the linemen exhibited, happy that Rodriguez had gotten into the end zone.
“There’s a lot of trust that’s built between him, his teammates, the staff, Quinn added. And so, when he’s called upon, he’s really ready to deliver. And really that whole running back room kind of emphasizes that.”
Quinn was asked if Rodriguez being released and brought back twice this season might be awkward or lead to emotional moments with Rodriguez.
“You would think so, but it’s actually been just the opposite. And I can imagine even from last Saturday we had to make a roster move with him where he wasn’t going to be on the 53. So, that whole process to go and for him to come out, ‘Hey man, this is where I want to be.’ And so, for us knowing that about him and us feeling the same way, what could have been some instances of that has just actually been the opposite.”
Washington Post (paywall)
Commanders quarterly report: After a speed bump, the stretch run arrives
After a three-game skid, a blowout win has the Commanders 8-5 heading into their bye and the final stretch of the regular season.
Our projections give the team an 84 percent chance to make the playoffs.
[L]et’s talk about C.J. Stroud. Before the season, Daniels recorded the Houston Texans quarterback’s historic rookie numbers in his phone: 4,108 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, five interceptions.
“It’s just a competitive thing,” he said about Stroud, with whom he competed while growing up in Southern California.
In 13 games, Daniels’s stat line is slightly off pace: 2,819 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. (Daniels also has 108 rushing attempts for 590 yards and six touchdowns; Stroud had 39 rushes for 167 yards and three scores.)
While it seems unlikely Daniels will match the statistical passing prowess of Stroud as a rookie, it’s a lofty bar he could chase over the final four weeks.
Jeremy Chinn: The 26-year-old safety’s gamble is paying off. He said he gave up more money as a free agent because he wanted to play in Quinn’s aggressive, versatile scheme, and he has blossomed into one of the team’s best defenders while making game-changing plays. He has an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries to go with 86 tackles (three for loss).
The Athletic (paywall)
How Commanders’ overlooked tight end room could offer a winning identity
In Sunday’s 42-19 blowout of the Tennessee Titans, Kingsbury’s play calling had Washington using 12 personnel on 42.9 percent of the team’s 77 snaps — fourth in the league for Week 13. Tack on eight plays with three tight ends — Zach Ertz, John Bates and Ben Sinnott — and the formations with multiple players at the position topped three-receiver looks in a game for the first time this season.
Schemes change weekly depending on the opponent. Coach Dan Quinn’s Monday comments suggest this latest approach isn’t a one-off.
“We love all three of these tight ends. They’re not all the same (with) how we would use them within that same personnel group, but we do love those packages,” Quinn said. “I would say the trend on that is on the way up.”
According to TruMedia, Washington ranks 12th (35.6 percent) on the season with two or three tight ends and 12th in only two-tight end sets (28.6). The 42.9 percent usage against Tennessee in the first week of December far surpasses the team averages in September (22.9), October (27.3) and November (24.5). The same is true for the number of raw snaps (33).
Playing three tight ends on 10.4 percent of snaps versus the Titans exceeded the previous monthly averages, while deploying 11 personnel packages (46.8) fell below the 55-57 percent range over the opening three months.
The margin never dipping below 15 points against Tennessee could explain Washington’s use of more run-friendly formations in the second half. Yet the team used 12 personnel on a season-high 14 plays in the first half, and five of Washington’s six touchdowns in the 23-point romp were with two or three tight ends in formation.
Podcasts & videos
Bye Week Pod: Head Coach Dan Quinn joins us 1on1on1 and we preview the rest of the season
Bye week fun looking at the Commanders’ past, present and future.
* Ranking the Ron Rivera draft picks from 1-33, with @NickiJhabvala
* Which current on/off field stories/talking points/angles matter most?
(Fyi – Recorded before this newsy afternoon)https://t.co/wU1lS52Hiz
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) December 3, 2024