A roundup of snaps, position alignments, and key stats
On Sunday, the Commanders extended their streak of wins against teams with losing records to four, in a rout of the Cleveland Browns. For the first time this season, the Commanders sat Jayden Daniels in the fourth quarter, when the game was out of the Browns’ reach. I will leave it to the Redskins’ trivia buffs to tell us the last time that Washington sat its starting QB in a blowout win. I am sure it has been a very long time.
This week the Commanders extended their record setting streak by becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to score at least 150 points in their first five games with a rookie QB. The Commanders’ earlier than expected success has been driven in large part by Jayden Daniels’ record setting performance. Against the Browns, Daniels became the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 1,000 yds and rush for at least 250 yds in their first five games.
Even so, it is hard to judge how good the Commanders really are because of the quality of opponents faced since the opening loss to the Bucs. But what is undeniable is the progress we have seen week to week on both sides of the ball as the rebuilt squad has begun to gel as a competitive football team. The biggest test in the first half of the season is likely to take place next week, when the Commanders head up I-95 to take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
In addition to Jayden Daniels standout performances, it seems that each week someone else steps up to make an impact, often unexpectedly. This week was no different. With that in mind, let’s take a look at who got playing time, where they played, and who stood out in Washington’s second blowout win on the road at home against the Cleveland Browns.
OFFENSE
After his record setting performances in previous weeks, against the Browns Jayden Daniels only completed 14 of 25 passes (56%). That was the first time in five games he has completed fewer than 70% of his passes. Even so, he threw for 238 yds (9.5 YPA) with 1 TD and 1 INT, while taking 2 sacks and facing the most pressures to date (16).
Daniels had the third highest Average Depth of Target (12.8 yds) in the league in Week 5 and achieved the fourth highest passing yardage per attempt (9.5 yds).
He also ran for 82 yards on 11 attempts (7.5 YPA), with a long of 34 and 3 runs over 10 yds, while picking up 4 first downs on the ground.
Against Cleveland, Daniels’ Total QBR returned the realm of mere mortals, falling to a still very impressive 75.6, after having broken the 90 mark in the two previous games.
He is currently the third ranked starting QB by Total QBR at 73.2, behind Josh Allen (77.6) and Joe Burrow (73.6). Needless to say, he is the runaway leader of the rookie QB class, 22 places ahead of second place Bo Nix, at 43.1.
Austin Ekeler made a triumphant return from the concussion protocol to lead the running backs with 67 rushing yards on just 6 attempts (11.2 YPA) and a long run of 50 yds. He added 30 receiving yds on 2 screen passes.
Ekeler currently ranks 6th among NFL RBs in rushing success rate at 63.2% (min 10 attempts). Former Redskin Samaje Perine is 1st at 72.7%.
Jeremy McNichols ran for 44 yds and a 1 TD on 7 attempts (6.3 YPA), with a long of 28. He averaged 4.6 yards after contact/attempt.
Brian Robinson was limited by injury all week in practice and struggled to get going in the run game. He ran for 18 yds on 7 attempts with a long of 10. It was a hard fought 18 yds for Robinson. He averaged -0.1 yards before contact/attempt and broke 2 tackles just to get as far as he did.
Robinson’s total rushing yards don’t do justice to his contribution to the win. He found the end zone for 2 rushing TDs and ran for 2 1st downs, finishing the afternoon with a rushing success rate of 57.1%.
Kliff Kingsbury used his WRs in very conventional alignments this week, with Terry McLaurin lining up as the left wide out for much of the game, and Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus platooning on the right side. Luke McCaffrey was once again the primary slot receiver. This is the first game of the season without a WR taking snaps in the backfield.
Terry McLaurin led all Commanders’ receivers in total yards for the second time this season, with a season best 112 yds on 4 receptions out of 8 targets and a long reception of 66 yds. He was also the most productive receiver on the team for the first time this season at 4.0 Yards/Route Run, and also the 4th most productive receiver in the NFL in Week 5 at any position. His reception rate was only 50%, but at an ADOT of 22 yds, that’s actually pretty good.
Dyami Brown was the Commanders’ second leading receiver, catching 2/2 targets for 57 yards, including a 41 yard TD reception. His ADOT of 26 yds and productivity of 2.85 Y/RR place him in elite territory for the afternoon.
Luke McCaffrey extended his perfect streak as a Commander, with 3/3 receptions for 19 yds. That brings his stat line to 10/10 for 98 yds for the season.
Brycen Tremayne caught his first NFL pass and was immediately tackled 2 yds behind the line of scrimmage. Welcome to the NFL, Brycen.
The Commanders barely got the ball to the TEs this week. Zach Ertz was the only one to get a touch, catching just 2 of 8 targets for 10 yards, with 1 drop.
John Bates and Ben Sinnott earned their keep as blockers. Bates took 3 snaps lined up at RT in 12- and 13- personnel sets. The TEs also combined for a total of 5 snaps lined up at fullback.
Colson Yankoff took his much anticipated first snap on offense, lined up in the slot on a running play.
Brandon Coleman was listed as the starting LT for the first time, but actually ended up taking 1 fewer snap than Cornelius Lucas, as the two continued to play on alternate possessions. Michael Deiter spelled Nick Allegretti at LG for 9 snaps, and Trent Scott took the field in max protect alignments.
How well did the Commanders’ OL play against the Browns?
This game was pitched as the first test of the Commanders’ OL against a top defensive front. That expectation seems to have been a holdover from last season, when the Browns’ defense ranked 1st in the league in total yards and passing yards allowed, and 11th in rushing yards allowed. This year, they don’t appear to be as good. Through 5 games in 2024, they rank 13th in total yds allowed, 8th in passing yards allowed, 23rd in total points allowed, and 25th in rushing yards allowed. Some, but not all of that was due to the beatdown the Commanders inflicted on them.
According to Pro Football Reference (PFR), the Browns are tied for 11th in sacking opposing QBs with 15 sacks on the season (Avg. 3.0/game) and rank 21st in pressuring the QB, with 38 total pressures (7.6 pressures/game). On Sunday, Jayden Daniels was pressured 3 times, according to PFR, all 3 of which were sacks. That would suggest that OL did much better than the Browns’ average opponent at keeping the pocket clean for their QB, but Daniels didn’t do his usual job of avoiding pressure or was just unlucky.
Pro Football Focus counts pressures more liberally than PFR. Their pressure stats are useful because they are broken down to the individual player level. According to PFF, the offensive line allowed 6 pressures this week, their second lowest total after allowing just 3 against the Cardinals. The 6 pressures given up by the Commanders’ O-Line was the lowest total by a Browns’ opponent since Week 1, when the Cowboys held them to 5. So, the Commanders OL did well against a middling pressure unit.
Pass Protection
Rookie LT, Brandon Coleman allowed 2 pressures in 17 pass blocking snaps, which equates to a pressure rate of 11.8%. That is about twice the maximum rate you would like to see from a starting left tackle, but is not unusual for a rookie.
Cornelius Lucas allowed 1 pressure in 20 pass block snaps (5% pressure rate) which is about right on target for a mid-range starting LT.
All of the other starting OL were very good to exceptional for their positions in pass protection:
LG Nick Allegretti: 1 pressure/34 snaps = 2.9%
C Tyler Biadasz: 0 pressures/37 snaps
RG Sam Cosmi: 1 pressure/37 snaps = 2.7%
RT Andrew Wylie: 1 pressure/36 snaps = 2.8%
Run Blocking
Reliable week to week run blocking grades are hard to come by. The Commanders’ RBs varied widely in yards before contact/attempt this week, so those stats aren’t that informative. Sports Info Solutions’ blown block rates have been suggested, but fails the eye test with anomalous results, like Penei Sewell being the 25th ranked RT in run blocking last season. So I am falling back on PFF run block grade and Week 5 league rankings by position group (min 10 run block snaps):
LT Cornelius Lucas 83.7 (4th/57 OTs)
RG Sam Cosmi: 70.5 (16th/56 OGs)
C Tyler Biadasz: 66.6 (12th/27 Cs)
LT Brandon Coleman 63.3 (25th OT)
LG Nick Allegretti 61.4 (29th OG)
RT Andrew Wylie: 48.4 (52nd OT)
DEFENSE
LDE Dorance Armstrong led the team in QB pressures for the second week in a row, following his breakout performance against the Cardinals. He generated 6 pressures, with 1 sack on 27 pass rush snaps, for a pressure rate of 22.2%. He also had 1 TFL, 1 assist and 1 missed tackle.
RDE Dante Fowler generated 4 pressures with 1 sack on 24 pass rush attempts, for a pressure rate of 16.7%. He made no tackles and missed 1 tackle.
Jamin Davis did not get near the QB, and made 2 tackles and 1 assist with 1 defensive stop.
Rookie Javontae Jean-Baptiste played nearly equal snaps at RDE to Fowler, but did not record a pressure. He made 1 TFL and 1 assist.
A week after knocking the rust off against the Cardinals, Daron Payne continued to disrupt the backfield against the Browns. He registered 5 QB pressures and made 4 tackles, all of which were defensive stops.
Jonathan Allen doubled his season sack total by dropping Deshaun Watson. He registered 1 other QB hit and made three tackles for defensive stops, including 1 TFL, while missing 1 tackle.
Phidarian Mathis was the most active we have seen him this season, with 1 QB hurry, 1 batted pass, 2 tackles for stops and 1 assist.
Rookie 2nd round pick Johnny Newton finally got to the QB, with his first QB hit as a pro. He also made 2 tackles and 1 assist, with 1 defensive stop.
LB Frankie Luvu had a monster day, with 3 sacks, 2 QB hurries, and 2 solo tackles, while missing 2 tackles, according to PFF. He generated pressures on 50% of blitzes, which is amazing. Pro Football Reference credits him with 2.5 sacks, 4 solo tackles, 3 assists and 2 TFL, with no missed tackles. Either way, he was flying all over the field and making plays.
On 30 coverage snaps, Luvu allowed 1 target and reception for 19 yds, with all 19 yds coming after the catch. While his NFL Passer Rating of 118.8 when targeted paints an unflattering picture, he held the receivers in his coverage to just 0.63 yds/coverage snap, which is actually very good.
Not content to let Luvu have all the fun, Bobby Wagner generated 4 total pressures including 2 sacks on 10 blitzes (40% pressure rate), while also making 2 tackles, 2 assists and 1 forced fumble, for a total of 3 defensive stops. In 30 coverage snaps, he allowed 4 targets and receptions for 20 yds and 1 TD, while limiting his receivers to 0.67 yds/coverage snap.
Neither Mykal Walker nor Nick Bellore made it onto the defensive stat sheet.
Benjamin St-Juste’s role has remained constant as CB1, while the Commanders have experimented with different players at CB2 and in the slot. This week Mike Sainristil lined up opposite from BSJ, while Noah Igbinoghene worked the slot. Emmanuel Forbes’ return from injury was brief and Michael Davis reappeared for 4 snaps.
Benjamin St-Juste matched up exclusively against the Browns’ WR1 Amari Cooper and allowed just 3 receptions on 8 targets (37.5%) for 41 yds with 1 PBU and 1 drop. St-Juste was targeted on 20% of coverage snaps, making him the most picked-on CB in coverage. However, he allowed the lowest reception rate of the Commanders’ CBs when targeted, allowing just 1.02 receiving yds/coverage snap. St-Juste made 3 tackles and had 1 missed tackle.
Mike Sainristil had matchups against Jerry Jeudy, slot WR Elijah Moore and RB Pierre Strong, allowing 2 receptions out of 4 targets (50% receptions) for 18 yds, with 1 PBU and 1 drop. Sainristil was targeted at nearly half the rate of BSJ (10.3% of coverage snaps). He was the most stingy of the Commanders’ CBs in coverage, allowing just 0.46 receiving yds/coverage snap.
In addition to being excellent in coverage, Sainristil was also highly effective at stopping receivers short of the sticks. He made 4 solo tackles on receivers, all of which were defensive stops.
Noah Igbinoghene matched up against Elijah Moore, TE Jordan Akins and RB Jerome Ford. He allowed 4/5 completions (80%) for 25 yds with 1 PBU. He was targeted on 13.9% of coverage snaps and conceded just 0.69 receiving yds/coverage snap. He also made 3 tackles.
Penalties
Has anyone noticed anything different about Benjamin St-Juste this season? Last year BSJ was flagged 11 times with 5 pass interference calls, resulting in 9 accepted penalties for 115 yds. Through the first 5 games this season, he has drawn 0 penalties. Mike Sainristil has yet to draw a penalty. Noah Igbinoghene has drawn 2 DPI flags for 27 yds.
This week, Darrick Forrest finally made an appearance on defense, for just 4 snaps. It was also Jeremy Reaves’ second appearance, other than on special teams.
Quan Martin tied for second on the team in tackling, with 4 solo tackles, although none were stops and he had 1 missed tackle. He was targeted twice in coverage without allowing a reception and had 1 PBU.
Jeremy Chinn made 3 tackles and 1 assist, with 1 defensive stop. He was targeted twice in coverage, allowing 1 reception for 2 yds.
Percy Butler had 1 tackle assist. According to PFF, he also missed 1 tackle. He was targeted once in coverage and allowed a 19 yd reception.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Austin Seibert extended his perfect streak to 4 games, kicking 4/4 extra points and 2/2 field goals from 27 and 30 yds. The Commanders’ offense has been making it easy for him, as it should be.
Tress Way punted 4 times, doubling his season total, while averaging 48 yds/punt, with a long of 53 yds and a net average of 36.5 yds.
Olamide Zaccheaus returned 2 punts for 33 yds (16.5 YPA) and made 1 fair catch. So far this season he has averaged 18.3 yds/return. That is more than double the average of any of Washington’s primary punt returners since Jamison Crowder averaged 12.1 yds/return in 2016.
Austin Ekeler returned 2 kickoffs for 46 yds.
With Austin Ekeler back to stealing the limelight on offense, Jeremy McNichols lit it up on special teams, with 4 coverage tackles. Nick Bellore was second on the team with 2 tackles and 2 assists.
Mykal Walker, Jeremy Reaves and Kevon Seymour each made single tackles. Brycen Tremayne and Washington folk hero Colson Yankoff had tackle assists.
Jeremy Reaves was penalized 10 yds for holding.
No Commander missed a tackle on special teams this week.
Week 4 Poll Quiz Answer
Last week I made the poll too easy. With Austin Ekeler returning from a week off in the concussion protocol, he was the overwhelming favorite to see the biggest increase in playing time, capturing 53% of the readers’ votes. WR Olamide Zaccheaus must have made quite an impression with his stellar performance against the Cardinals, since he got 18% vote, even despite Ekeler looking like a shoe-in. RB Jeremy McNichols and OT Brandon Coleman effectively tied for third place with 7% of the vote.
The majority of poll respondents got the answer right by picking the obvious choice, for the first time this season. Only 3% of poll respondents picked the second place finisher, Emmanuel Forbes, and third place finisher Michael Deiter garnered just one out of 210 votes (0.5%). The second most popular choice Olamide Zaccheaus had the fifth largest proportional increase in playing time. While third place poll choices Brandon Coleman and Jeremy McNichols saw their playing time decrease.
Here are the full results:
- RB Austin Ekeler 33/0
- CB Emmanuel Forbes 4/0
- OG Michael Deiter 9/3, +200%
- CB Noah Igbinoghene 54/28, +92.9%
- WR Olamide Zaccheaus 34/18, +88.9%
- DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste 30/17, +76.5%
- Tie OL Chris Paul and DE Clelin Ferrell 0/0, no change
- OT Brandon Coleman 33/35, -5.6%
- TE Ben Sinnott 24/30, -20%
- RB Jeremy McNichols 15/27, -44.4%
Now that the majority of poll respondents have got the answer right, it is time to move on to something even less predictable.