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Jayden Daniels efficiency leads Commanders to sweep Giants
Breaking down how Jayden Daniels was so efficient as the Commanders beat the Giants again
Daniels was very efficient, completing 15 of his 22 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 35 yards rushing. Daniels made a number of impressive throws but it was the efficiency that stood out over the flash plays.
On [this drive], the Commanders look to pick up a chunk on play-action. They align Noah Brown and Terry McLaurin outside to the left in a stacked set. Just before the snap, Brown executes an exit motion to motion outside of McLaurin. Initially, the pair appear to be running a dagger concept. This is something the Commanders run multiple times a game as it’s a concept that can beat a lot of coverages. McLaurin looks to be running the deep over route with Brown running the dig behind it. However, this play is designed to look like dagger, but it actually isn’t. McLaurin fakes the deep over and breaks off the route to sit in the middle of the field, while Brown fakes the deep dig and breaks outside on a deep out.
For his part, this isn’t a particularly difficult play for Daniels. The defense is beat by the concept, with cornerback Deonte Banks surprised by Brown breaking outside as he was anticipating the break inside. That leaves Brown wide open, but Daniels does a nice job making the throw in rhythm. You can see he executes his play-action fake and gets into his drop. Once he hits the top of his drop, he takes a hitch step to get himself aligned properly and delivers a good ball to Brown, who makes a nice catch on the sideline to pick up 16 yards.
It wasn’t necessarily a spectacular play, but it was an efficient one that picked up a nice chunk and got the drive going. The Commanders went on to score a touchdown on that drive too, giving them a 14-7 lead. They got the ball back with just over five minutes left in the half and Daniels’ efficiency led the Commanders to a third touchdown drive, including a 31-yard pass to Noah Brown.
This play is one of the Commanders’ staple play-action concepts. McLaurin runs a deep vertical route to the left of the formation with the intent to grab the attention of any deep defenders and run them down the field. That should vacate space underneath for Noah Brown running a high cross from the opposite side of the field. The Commanders dress this up with some misdirection, using 21 personnel with two running backs, one tight end and two receivers. Running back Austin Ekeler aligns as a receiver before motioning to the backfield as part of the disguise. The Commanders also wisely provide chip help on both edges to help the offensive line protect long enough for the routes to develop down the field.
Commanders.com
Five things to know about Marshon Lattimore
3. He rarely gets scored on.
The Commanders’ secondary has improved in recent weeks but still had some clear weaknesses prior to the trade for Lattimore. Despite being fifth in passing yards allowed per game, the defense is tied for ninth in passing touchdowns allowed. Lattimore should help fix some of that.
It’s been a long time since Lattimore allowed a touchdown in single coverage. The last time it happened was in 2021, which was also the last time he was selected to a Pro Bowl. Over the last three seasons and 889 coverage snaps, Lattimore has only allowed one touchdown.
Although it has improved in recent weeks, allowing explosive plays has been a problem for the Commanders for the past three seasons. Last week’s win over the New York Giants was an example of that, as Theo Johnson was wide open on a 35-yard touchdown and Darius Slayton hauled in a 23-yard catch.
It might take some time for Lattimore to get fully involved in the offense, but if he can limit the number of times Washington gets scored on in the passing game, it would shore up a glaring weakness for the unit.
4. He locks down receivers.
Here’s another reason to be excited about Lattimore getting added to the Commanders’ secondary: he knows how to lock down receivers.
According to NextGenStats, Lattimore has allowed a -12.3% completion rate over expected when targeted as the nearest defender this season. There are only two players ahead of him in the category: Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears and Renardo Green of the San Francisco 49ers.
Lattimore has been targeted on 9.7% of his coverage snaps — the second lowest among perimeter cornerbacks this season — in seven games, and for good reason; quarterbacks rarely have success when they target him. He has allowed a 70.4 passer rating over the past three seasons.
It’s fortuitous that Lattimore is being added to the Commanders’ roster as the Burgundy & Gold enter the second half of the season, because they will be facing a list of quality wide receivers over the next eight games. That starts with the Steelers’ George Pickens, followed by the duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith with the Eagles on Thursday Night Football. CeeDee Lamb and Drake London are also on the schedule.
Washington has generally struggled against No. 1 receivers this season and in previous years. So, having a corner who can match up with those weapons will add a tremendous lift to the unit.
ESPN
Marshon Lattimore: Trade pushes Commanders closer to Super Bowl
Lattimore, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, said his arrival pushes Washington closer to a goal of contending for a Super Bowl.
“Most definitely,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. They made that obvious with what they gave up to get me. I just got to do what I’ve got to do.”
Which, he said, is “go out and do everything I can for the team, just being a dog.”
Lattimore did not practice Wednesday because of a hamstring injury that sidelined him for New Orleans’ loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. It’s uncertain when he’ll practice, let alone whether he’ll play Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2).
But the Commanders will be cautious with Lattimore, wanting him to be healthy for the remainder of the season.
“He can take away half the field,” St-Juste said of Lattimore, “so we can work so many different [coverages] on the other side of the field.”
Washington Post (paywall)
Marshon Lattimore changes the Commanders’ entire defense
The cornerback, acquired Tuesday at the trade deadline, could solve a math problem for Washington, which can now play more aggressively.
For most of the season, against better offenses, defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. has been handcuffed by his personnel, and his unit has struggled to stop the run out of lighter boxes and struggled to stop the pass out of heavier ones.
“If we’re going to stop the run with the heavier box, we [need to] win our one-on-ones outside,” he said after the Commanders lost, 30-23, to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6 — but the team couldn’t do so reliably with a weak cornerback trio of Benjamin St-Juste, Mike Sainristil and Noah Igbinoghene, so Whitt had to play more light-box schemes with two high safeties.
Lattimore, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, could unlock the defense by allowing Whitt to shuffle his personnel and get more aggressive with blitzes and man-to-man coverage, which were hallmarks of the scheme Whitt and Coach Dan Quinn used with Dallas.
Where will Lattimore line up? For most of his career, he has played mostly on the right side, and that tendency has grown stronger. This season, he has lined up on the right side about 85 percent of the time, according to PFF, which meant that when he faced the Philadelphia Eagles in September, he sometimes matched up with DeVonta Smith and other times with Jahan Dotson. (Star receiver A.J. Brown missed that game, a 15-12 Eagles win, with a hamstring injury.)
“[He’ll] be more versatile,” Quinn said Wednesday. “I want to get a sense for getting into the rhythm here for a while, but I would sense that … we’d move [him] around some.”
Commanders.com
Commanders vs. Steelers preview | Washington takes on The Steel City
Upcoming opponent
ESPN
WR Mike Williams gives Steelers’ offense much-needed depth
Coming off a left ACL tear, Williams, 30, had a slow start to the 2024 season with just 12 catches on 21 targets for 166 yards in nine games with the Jets. But at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds with a knack for ripping down jump balls and stretching the field as a deep, vertical threat, Williams could represent the missing piece for a passing offense on the rise under Wilson.
Since entering the league in 2017, he is one of the best receivers in securing contested catches. He leads the league with 1,451 receiving yards on tight throws in that span, and his 82 receptions on such throws are tied for the second-most behind retired receiver DeVante Parker’s 88, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
As it turns out, Williams’ new quarterback is pretty good at throwing into tight windows. Since NFL Next Gen Stats began tracking in 2016, Wilson’s 48 passing touchdowns on tight-window throws are tied with Aaron Rodgers for the most in the league in that span.
this trade is less an indictment of the performance from the Steelers’ existing wide receivers, and more of an opportunity to round out the group by adding a receiver with a different style and body type without giving up premium draft capital or being tied to a long-term commitment.
Behind the Steel Curtain
Steelers Read & React: Evaluating the Mike Williams, Preston Smith trades
The Steelers traded for Jets receiver Mike Williams before the trade deadline. What’s your reaction to this move?
It’s not Darius Slayton, and it cost a fifth-round pick, but ultimately it’s hard to complain much about this trade. For one, it doesn’t cost the Steelers much against the cap, and Williams should step into a WR2 role. That’s a solid deal.
Williams hasn’t impressed much this year, but he’s coming off a season-ending ACL tear in 2023 and has been part of a struggling Jets organization in 2024. With the Chargers, he was a legitimate big-play threat and contested catch target, and even in his limited catches in New York, he still flashed that ability. If Williams can stay healthy and improve a bit from his time as a Jet, this could be a great addition to the Pittsburgh offense.
And even if Williams doesn’t put up big numbers, he’s still a good scheme fit for a Steelers offense that needs another big-bodied receiver.
At the end of the day, Pittsburgh needed to add some depth at wide receiver if it was at all invested in offensive success this season. The Mike Williams trade wasn’t a slam-dunk, but it was necessary and didn’t cost the Steelers much.
Omar Khan also made a surprising trade for Preston Smith to bolster the pass rush depth. What do you think of the move?
Preston Smith isn’t considered one of the league’s top-tier edge rushers, but since entering the league in 2015, he’s 13th in the league in sacks (tied with Cam Heyward) and 14th in QB hits. On top of it, Smith is also solid against the run, is decent in zone pass coverage on a limited basis, and has generally been praised by every locker room he’s ever been in. It should be telling that a lot of Packers fans were tweeting out their appreciation for Smith after the news of his trade. I actually think his ability against the run is his biggest asset for the Steelers because it will allow them to spell Watt and Highsmith on early downs.
With Green Bay’s new defensive coordinator switching up the team’s base fronts this season, Smith was miscast in the Packers’ new-look defense. Green Bay also has several young players — like Lukas Van Ness — who they want to get more snaps, and Smith has a contract that should be easy to get out of.
The Steelers only had to give up a 2025 seventh-round pick for Smith, and that’s primarily because this should only be a short-term pairing. Smith has no guaranteed money left on his deal, despite two years remaining on his contract.
Giving up just a seventh-round pick for a veteran edge defender who’s managed eight-plus sack seasons for the last three years? Take a bow, Omar Khan.
Behind the Steel Curtain
Steelers rookie center returns to practice, on track to play Week 10
Positive updates coming out of the bye…
The biggest news of the day was the return of rookie center Zach Frazier to full participation in his return from an ankle injury suffered back in mid-October. He’s missed each of the past two games and took the bye for extra rest, but after logging a full practice Wednesday, he appears on track to return to the starting lineup. Despite his inexperience as a rookie, Frazier has been an anchor on the offensive line, entering Week 10 as PFF’s fifth-most highly graded (82.2) center so far this season. Notably, Week 10 will mark his first start with QB Russell Wilson, having played each of his first six career games with Justin Fields.
Podcasts & videos
Commanders on of NFC East + Welcome to Washington, Marshon Lattimore! | Washington Commanders
The Commanders go bold by acquiring CB Marshon Lattimore. How the deal went down. Addressing a big CB need (and helping the run defense?). Also the concerns, fit and future and fit w/ @Matthew_Paras.
Always appreciate y’all subscribing & listening.https://t.co/JhUTdZZxCm
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) November 6, 2024
Episode 947 – Analysis of #Commanders‘ trade for Marshon Lattimore. High-level CB1. Favorable trade terms & contract. Adam Peters .
Guest: @RossJacksonNOLA. Why Lattimore is a shutdown CB. Truth about his injury history, tension with Dennis Allen & more.https://t.co/RnyxDyMIHF
— Al Galdi (@AlGaldi) November 6, 2024