Washington Commanders Vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Preseason) – Studs and Duds

The Commanders took on the Bengals in the preseason finale at FedEx Field Saturday evening in front of a surprisingly packed and rowdy house and came away victorious with a hard-fought 21-19 win. This puts them at 3-0 on the preseason and give them a bit of positive momentum heading into week one of the NFL season.

Despite most of the starters sitting this one out, there were still a few interesting battles to watch. Some guys stepped up while others fell a bit flat.

Below are my Studs and Duds, followed by some notes.

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Studs:

Jake Fromm – The former Bulldog played most of the game and finished an impressive 13-18 for 144 yards and two touchdowns. He’s looked comfortable and in command of Bieniemy’s offense, and need I say, has looked better than veteran Jacoby Brissett for the second game in a row.

Chris Rodriguez – CRod had just seven carries but powered for an impressive 52 yards rushing on the evening. He also showed a willingness to stick his head into the mix in pass protection. It’s been a very solid preseason for the rookie.

Mitchell Tinsley – The Penn State rookie continued to flash this preseason, hauling in three passes for 89 yards and what should have been two touchdowns (one was overturned on review). He may not make the 53-man roster, but he’s given coaches, and the rest of the league, something to take notice of.

Khaleke Hudson – In limited time, Hudson really showed out against the Bengals. He had three tackles, two of which were for a loss, and looked fast and decisive in his run fits and coverage drops.

Christian Holmes – Holmes was hitting anything that moved in an opposite-colored jersey and showed good coverage. He’s had a strong preseason and looks to have made significant progress from last season in terms of comfort with his assignments.

William Bradley-King – King was a menace spending a significant portion of the time he was in the game in the Bengals backfield. He finished with three tackles and a sack, while recording multiple pressures.

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Duds:

Kazmeir Allen – On an evening where he had everything to play for, Allen laid a MASSIVE egg as both a receiver (two drops) and a return man (fumbled a punt inside the 10 which he luckily recovered). He very well may have fumbled away any chances he had of making the 53-man roster last night.

Chris Paul – I did not think Paul was impressive at all Saturday night. He looked slow in space and on pulls, was called for holding on a play where he got beat pretty badly and was outperformed by two rookies.

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Notes:

– I thought Quan Martin looked a bit better against the Bengals reserves. He had a bone-jarring hit in the second quarter which made me wince watching it on TV. He did, however, have another missed tackle and was a bit flat-footed in some coverage reps. He still has a ways to go, but Saturday night was a step in the right direction.

– Cole Turner SHOULD be our TE1.

– Ricky Stromberg is starting to look a lot better than the “developmental prospect” his head coach called him.

– Mason Brooks was a damn BULLY in the second half of the game at both right and left guard. It’s too bad Ron will never admit he made a draft mistake this early, or Brooks would make this team over fourth-round pick Braeden Daniels.

– I don’t think Jarret Patterson has a chance to make the 53, but he plays hard and is very fun to watch. He had 51 yards on eight carries.

– As much as I bitch when David Mayo is in the game, he sure plays well against second- and third-team guys.

– I thought Terrell Burgess did some nice things at safety against Cincinnati. He won’t make the Commanders roster but he’s put enough on film to make someone’s roster or practice squad.

– Jace Whittaker showed he has some skills and can play in this league.