Daily Slop – 7 Oct 24: Jon Allen & Daron Payne play ‘rock-paper-scissors’ to see who would be able to stay in the game vs Browns

Commanders links

Articles

Washington Post (paywall)

After ‘grimy start,’ Jayden Daniels and the Commanders sail to another win

Daniels started slow and threw an interception in the red zone. No matter. He turned things around Sunday as the Commanders won easily, 34-13.

Jayden Daniels had the worst first half of his career — he threw an interception at the goal line, missed multiple targets and overlooked another in the end zone — and still guided the Washington Commanders to a big halftime lead en route to another blowout victory.

If there was ever confirmation that this era is different, that this quarterback is unlike the dozens of others who have cycled through Washington, let that be it.

Even in times of struggle, Daniels is hard to stop.

In only his fifth NFL game, Daniels guided the Commanders to a dominating 34-13 victory over the beleaguered Cleveland Browns on Sunday at Northwest Stadium, giving Washington its best record (4-1) through five games since 2008.

Daniels completed 14 of 25 passes (56 percent) for 238 yards with one touchdown, one interception and an 85.1 passer rating. He added a game-high 82 rushing yards on 11 attempts, becoming the first player in NFL history to pass for more than 1,000 yards and rush for at least 250 in his first five career games.

What’s more: Washington is the first team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to score at least 150 points in its first five games while starting a rookie quarterback. And Daniels is the first rookie quarterback to beat a defense led by Jim Schwartz, the Browns’ defensive coordinator, since 2016, when the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott did it.

At one point in the fourth quarter, Washington’s defense was rolling so much that defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne played “rock, paper, scissors” for the chance to stay on the field when coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. called a look that included only one of them.

It’s still early in Daniels’s career, and if any franchise knows the perils of getting excited too quickly about a young quarterback, it’s Washington. But in almost every outing, Daniels has provided more reasons to believe — even in moments of adversity.

---

The Athletic (paywall)

For Commanders fans who aren’t sure what to do, here’s a suggestion: Believe

This can’t be real, right? Not for this franchise, which has worn holes in your soul for three decades, beaten the care out of you with one embarrassing off- and on-field episode after another, made you put your tickets on the secondary market and led to off-the-charts bile readings every Monday morning. It’s been grim around here. Grim.

You have every reason to let cynicism and jaded history be your guide. None of the team’s three units is fully formed or totally functional.

But, it’s also OK to believe. Really.

It doesn’t mean Washington will be playing for a Lombardi Trophy any time soon. But the boulder is, at last, moving toward that, rather than rolling away from it.

At 4-1 and in first place in the NFC East after spanking the Cleveland Browns 34-13 at Northwest Stadium, the Commanders have already equaled their win total for all of last season. They didn’t even play that well in the first half Sunday, in what Dan Quinn called a “grimy” first 30 minutes. Jayden Daniels threw a bad interception at the Cleveland 5 in the first quarter, after … well, I can show you better than I can describe it:

The stadium wasn’t sold out Sunday, but it was more filled with actual Commanders fans than I can remember seeing — and hearing — in a very long time. The home crowd chanting “defense” and meaning it? Goodness.

And this is happening every week. And it’s happening here.

---

The Athletic (paywall)

Frankie Luvu, Commanders defense feeding off Jayden Daniels’ infectious play

For the first time this season, Daniels wasn’t Washington’s driving force. The Commanders signed linebackers Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner in free agency for games like this.

The unit that entered Week 5 last in opponent third-down conversions held the Browns to 1-of-13, the one coming inside the final minute of the game. After allowing six touchdown receptions to opposing No. 1 wide receivers — at least one in each of the first four games — the Commanders secondary kept Cleveland’s top targets out of the end zone.

Then there were the sacks. Washington generated minimal pressure before Sunday with eight sacks through four games. Buoyed by a rare home crowd advantage, the Commanders had seven sacks against the Browns, and other plays added more discomfort to already discombobulated Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Luvu led Washington in sacks (2 1/2), tackles (seven), QB hits (three) and tackles for loss (two) while also recovering a fumble. Wagner, credited with 1 1/2 sacks, tossed a Browns lineman into Watson for a takedown.

---

Washington Post (paywall)

Four big moments from the Commanders’ 34-13 win over the Browns

Daniels burns Browns with career-long run: Leading 10-3 with less than five minutes to play in the second quarter, Washington went for it on fourth and three from the Cleveland 40. Owusu-Koramoah came on a blitz, so Daniels tucked the ball and ran for a 34-yard gain, a conversion that kept Washington perfect (8 for 8) on fourth down this season. With that run, which set up another short touchdown by Robinson, Daniels broke former Chicago Bears quarterback Bobby Douglass’s record for rushing yards by a QB in his first five career games.

Daniels connects with Dyami Brown before halftime: After Washington’s defense forced its fifth three-and-out on Cleveland’s seventh possession, the Commanders got the ball back at their 38 with 1:35 remaining before halftime. Not content with a 14-point lead or the knowledge it would receive the second-half kickoff, Washington’s offense went to work.

On second and seven from the Cleveland 41, Daniels took a snap out of shotgun formation and unleashed a deep ball down the right sideline.

---

Commanders.com

Instant analysis | Commanders cruise to 4-1 with 34-13 win over Browns

Deshaun Watson found it difficult to get much of anything going against Washington’s defense, mostly because the Commanders were generating pressure in a way that they have not all season. Watson was sacked seven times, helping limit him to 125 passing yards on 15 completions. Watson also found nothing on the ground with just 14 yards on three carries.

With the Commanders’ offense facing a defense led by defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, their defense needed to prevent the Browns from gaining any confidence on the road. The unit achieved that through exceptional performances from Frankie Luvu, who had seven tackles, 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery, and Bobby Wagner, who was right behind Luvu with six stops. Luvu busted through the line of scrimmage on the Browns’ opening drive, forcing D’Onte Foreman to trip and fall short of the marker on fourth-and-1.

Washington’s offense, meanwhile, did not get out to the electric start it’s been accustomed to over the past month. It went backwards nine yards on their opening drive, and after a 66-yard completion from Daniels to Terry McLaurin on third-and-13, Daniels threw his second interception at 1-yard line, caught by Owusu-Koramoah.

---

Commanders.com

Five takeaways from Washington’s win over the Browns

1. Seven sacks from the defense.

True, the Browns came into Sunday giving up the most sacks in the NFL with 19 through four games. And true, the Browns were without starting right tackle Jack Conklin and have been otherwise banged up on the offensive line.

Still, it really feels like Washington’s pass-rush is starting to hit its stride. The group brought down Deshaun Watson seven times, the most for the franchise since Week 2 of last season, for a combined loss of 33 yards.

Some of that is a credit to the duo of Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner, who combined for 13 tackles and four sacks. It was the third time that Luvu recorded multiple sacks in a game, while Wagner picked up the 35th of his Hall of Fame career.

What’s more encouraging is that the sacks Washington generated put a stop to several of the Browns’ drives. Four came on third down, while a fifth resulted in a fumble from Watson that was recovered by Luvu.

After getting just four sacks in the first three games, the Commanders have 11 in two weeks. They’ll need a similar performance next week against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.

4. A top-tier rushing offense.

As impressive as Daniels has been through the start of his rookie season, it’s the Commanders’ running game that has often fueled them to victory. The group did it again against the Browns, putting up at 200-plus rushing yards for third time in four weeks.

Daniels played a large role in that total with his 82 rushing yards (he now has 300 yards for the season) on 11 carries. But Austin Ekeler, who is fresh off being cleared from the concussion protocol, added another 67, most of which came from a 50-yard run that helped set up a field goal.

Brian Robinson Jr. was also in on the action, scoring two touchdowns with 18 yards, but Jeremy McNichols had another strong day with 44 yards of his own and another score. Washington already sat atop the league with 10 rushing touchdowns heading into Sunday, so that lead will likely increase in Week 6.

The Commanders were 24th in rushing yards this time last season. Now, they’re third with 169.3 yards per game and that average is set to increase.

---

ESPN

Jayden Daniels continues ‘Superman’ act for red-hot Commanders

The Commanders have already matched their win total from last season and have won consecutive games by a combined 49 points entering their Week 6 game at Baltimore.

Many [current players] were here during the turbulent period in which there were multiple investigations into owner Dan Snyder and the culture he created. Washington hasn’t had a winning season since 2016 — only one current player, punter Tress Way, was on the roster that season. Fans abandoned hope.

It’s coming back. In droves.

[A]s defensive tackle Jon Allen, in his eighth season here, said of the overnight change in the organization, “It’s night and day.”

A good chunk of that difference stems from Daniels and what he has done in his first five games. He became the first player in NFL history to throw for more than 1,000 yards and rush for at least 250 in his first five games. He also set an NFL record for completion percentage in the first four games of a season (82.1).

And even when he had his least accurate day — he completed 14 of 25 passes — Daniels still made big plays. On at least three occasions, he left a Browns player pounding the ground in frustration after allowing him to turn the corner for a big run or throw.

But one reason Washington is more excited is because on Sunday, Daniels also showed that he’s still a rookie. He tossed an interception at the goal line on one drive and was less accurate than in his first four games.

However, the defense dominated a struggling Browns offense, recording seven sacks, holding them to 212 yards and one-of-13 on third downs. In the past two weeks the defense has allowed just 27 combined points.

It adds up to a team having fun again for the first time in a long time.

---

Commanders Wire

Quick facts from Commanders’ 34-13 win over Browns

• No. 17 Terry McLaurin caught four passes for 112 yards today. It was the 17th game McLaurin has totaled at least 100 receiving yards.
• With another rushing touchdown today, RB Jeremy McNichols has scored in consecutive games for the first time in his career.
• With three touchdowns rushing today, Washington has now registered three rushing touchdowns in three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history.
• The Commanders’ defense held the Browns to 1-13 on third downs, while the Commanders were 8-17 on third downs.
• Washington accumulated 434 total offensive yards, while the Browns only managed 212. The Commanders averaged 6.7 yards a play while limiting the Browns to 3.6 yards a play.
• The Commanders are reporting that today QB Jayden Daniels has become the first player in NFL history to have had 1,000+ passing yards and 250+ rushing yards in their first five career games.
• Scoring 34 points on Sunday, Washington has now scored 30+ points in three consecutive games for the eighth time in franchise history and the first time since 2005.
• Terry McLaurin reached 400 NFL career receptions. McLaurin, Gary Clark and Satana Moss are the only receivers in franchise history to record 400+ receptions in their first 6 seasons with Washington.
• Frankie Luvu had 7 tackles (4 solo) a fumble recovery, 2.5 sacks as the Commanders totaled 7 QB sacks. Others who had one were Bobby Wagner (1.5), while Jonathan Allen, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler each had one.

---

Upcoming opponent

Baltimore Beatdown

Ravens vs. Bengals final: 3 MVPs, 6 winners and 5 losers

Passing Defense: The Ravens entered as one of the worst defenses against the pass. In the first half, they gave up 157 yards and two touchdowns. The defense entered knowing they must contain Tee Higgins and Chase. They combined for more than 100 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. In all, they allowed Joe Burrow to throw for 392 yards and five touchdowns. Thankfully, Humphrey’s interception saved them from even greater criticism.

Pass Rush: Burrow was too frequently given ample time to carve up the Ravens secondary. And while they notched three well-timed sacks, the pressure was infrequent. And when the extra rushers came down, they weren’t getting home. Fortunately, this is a game they can look at a lot of tape to learn from, even with it being in a victory.

---

Podcasts & videos

---

---

Washington Commanders Dominate Week 5 Win Over Cleveland Browns, Extend Winning Streak to Four Games

---

Photos

Commanders.com

PHOTOS | Commanders vs. Browns, Week 5

Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium for their Week 5 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, shot on Sony. (Photos by Emilee Fails and Kourtney Carroll/Washington Commanders)

---

NFC East links

Washington Post (paywall)

Dallas escapes Pittsburgh, 20-17, on Dak Prescott’s touchdown pass in the closing seconds

The Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-17, on Sunday night in Pittsburgh on quarterback Dak Prescott’s four-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jalen Tolbert on a fourth-down play with 20 seconds remaining. They overcame three turnovers and improved to 3-2, in a game whose start was delayed about 90 minutes by thunderstorms. The Steelers suffered their second straight loss to fall to 3-2.

---

NFL.com

2024 NFL season, Week 5: What We Learned from Sunday’s games

Washington Commanders 34, Cleveland Browns 13

Daniels continues to roll. Another week, and another example of how Jayden Daniels is quickly transforming Washington from a woeful franchise into one of the most hopeful in the NFL. Daniels is special and proved it time and time again, taking off for big gains on scrambles (six for 65 yards) and throwing on the run effortlessly (three scramble pass attempts for 88 yards, including a beautiful early deep shot to Terry McLaurin). Third down became a nightmare for Cleveland’s defense because of Daniels, who helped Washington convert 8 of 17 attempts. Daniels finished with 238 yards and a majestic touchdown pass to Dyami Brown, and led the Commanders’ potent rushing attack with 82 yards on 11 attempts. He was the riddle that was impossible for the Browns to solve, and although his completion percentage was lower than he’d posted through his first month as a pro, he once again made it look effortless in an easy win.

1. Dan Quinn’s defense is starting to come together. The narrative surrounding Washington has been rightfully centered on its phenom quarterback, and in the first few weeks, the Commanders needed Daniels to power them to victory because they couldn’t get many stops. That’s changed in the last two weeks. Washington held Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals to 14 points in a blowout win on the road in Week 4, then returned home to shut down the Browns in another runaway victory. Cleveland didn’t clear 100 total yards of offense until midway through the third quarter, and convert a third down (the Browns finished 1 for 13) until a meaningless final drive of the game. Washington sacked Watson seven times, forced a turnover and gave the Browns no hope they’d be able to sustain drives if they found themselves off schedule after first down. Frankie Luvu is a stud and led the Commanders with seven tackles and 2.5 sacks, and veteran Bobby Wagner finished right behind him with six tackles and 1.5 sacks. This unit is playing fast, especially up front and against the overmatched Browns, they feasted.

Next Gen Stats insight from Browns-Commanders (via NFL Pro): After recording eight sacks combined between Weeks 1-4, Washington generated QB pressures at a rate of 43.6%, producing seven sacks.

NFL Research: The Commanders are the first team since the 1970 merger to score 150-plus points in their first five games of the season while starting a rookie quarterback.

Seattle Seahawks 20, New York Giants 29

Giants plow through beleaguered Seahawks defense. New York’s offense moved the ball at will in Seattle. Big Blue steamrolled Seattle for 420 yards. The opening drive ended in an Eric Gray fumble returned 102 yards for a touchdown by Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins, but the possession set the tone for New York. Daniel Jones played his best game all season, dropping dimes, and finding the correct read to move the chains. Jones finished 23 of 34 for 257 yards and two TDs while adding 38 rushing yards on 11 totes. Rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., taking on a more significant workload with Devin Singletary out, brought an added hard-nosed rushing element to the Giants backfield. Tracy generated 129 rushing yards on 18 carries (7.2 YPC), driving through arm tackles. With Tracy churning out yards, Jones was in good down and distances to dice up the Seahawks’ secondary. Dimes lived up to his nickname with several good deep balls to Darius Slayton. Even without dynamic rookie Malik Nabers, the Giants proved they could move the ball when Jones is protected and makes good decisions. The question in New York is whether Big Blue can stack good weeks.

NFL Research: Sunday marked the first time the Giants have had a player with a 100+ passer rating (Jones), a player with 100+ rush yards (Tracy), and a player with 100+ rec yards (Slayton) in the same game since Week 16, 2014 (Eli Manning, Andre Williams, and Odell Beckham Jr and Rueben Randle both with 100+ rec yds in win at Rams).

Dallas Cowboys 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 17

Prescott struggles, shines in dramatic win. Rain poured down, the clock almost hit 1 a.m., goats became heroes and Dak Prescott saved the day in one of the most mercurial performances that could be imagined. Just a pair of snaps after he rescued certain defeat with a recovery of a Rico Dowdle fumble, Prescott found Jalen Tolbert for a 4-yard touchdown on fourth-and-game to go. It was his second touchdown, one fewer than his turnover count. Pending on which way the wind blew on a stormy night, Prescott was the reason the Cowboys had a chance or the culprit in their misdoings. He engineered big plays to CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson in the first half only to see drives end in field goals at best and turnovers in the red zone at worst. He threw a pair of picks (one per half) and lost a fumble, each of them killing productive drives. He finished the topsy-turvy showing with 352 passing yards, at times seeming to be on a different page with Lamb, and completed passes to nine receivers. Prescott’s being called on to play hero ball quite a bit this season. He survived and overcame plenty of pitfalls on Sunday to do just that.

Dowdle steps up, avoids last-drive disaster. There was no black and white, good and bad in this one. Big plays were balanced by disastrous ones. That was the case for Rico Dowdle, who put forth what was likely the best game of his career and it was almost spoiled by a picture-perfect Elandon Roberts hit that caused a fumble at the 1-yard line on the game-winning drive. Prescott dived headfirst to recover the fumble and two plays later threw the dramatic game-winning TD pass. Before all that, Dowdle churned out a career-high 87 yards on 20 carries and hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass. Entering the week, the Cowboys were dead last in the league in rushing yards. If Dowdle can produce as he did on Sunday — minus the fumble — it’s a massive boon for Dallas going forward.

Next Gent Stats insight from Cowboys-Steelers (via NFL Pro): Despite playing without the injured Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence, the Cowboys still had a higher pressure rate (35.5%) than the Steelers (26.7%).

---

NBC Sports

In Roob’s Eagles Observations: How insanely predictable the Eagles have become on third down

This is sobering. Take a look at how far Jalen Hurts’ performance has plunged from the start of his career to the present (kneel downs removed from rushing stats):

Hurts’ first eight career starts: 89.7 passer rating, 503 rushing yards, 6.6 rushing average, 3-5 record.

Hurts’ last eight career starts: 79.4 passer rating, eight touchdown passes, nine interceptions, 314 rushing yards, 4.6 rushing average, 3-5 record.

Hurts was actually better in his first eight career starts – four after replacing Carson Wentz at the end of 2020 and the first four weeks of 2021 before Shane Steichen took over play calling – than his last eight. This kind of regression at this point in his career is alarming.

Hurts has three red-zone turnovers this year – two interceptions and one fumble. No other quarterback has more than one. And every other quarterback combined has nine. Hurts has 25 percent of all quarterback red-zone turnovers in the NFL this year.

---

Blogging the Boys

Dallas Cowboys tackle Tyler Guyton seen wearing wrap on knee after win over Steelers

First-rounder Tyler Guyton has done his best to hold his own at left tackle, but that is not an easy ask.

Unfortunately Guyton also left the game with injury in the first half and did not return. At the time of this writing, late Sunday night/early Monday morning, there is no official report, but he was wearing a wrap on his knee while heading to the locker room.

---

NFL league links

Articles

Washington Post (paywall)

What to know from NFL Week 5: Lamar Jackson has magic; Aaron Rodgers has issues

The Ravens broke Joe Burrow’s heart, the Bills broke the mold (but lost anyhow), and the Jets are just broken.

Lamar Jackson broke Joe Burrow’s heart

The Baltimore Ravens’ operatic, 41-38 overtime victory over the Cincinnati Bengals will stand as one of the best — and perhaps most pivotal — games of the season. Jackson and Burrow combined for nine touchdown passes and 740 passing yards.

[I]n overtime, Jackson fumbled a shotgun snap and gave Cincinnati possession in Baltimore territory, but the Bengals could not advance the ball, and kicker Evan McPherson hooked a game-winning field goal attempt after a botched hold. Derrick Henry, held in check all game, rumbled for 51 yards to set up Tucker’s game-winning, chip-shot field goal.

The Jets have an Aaron Rodgers problem

There are flashes when Aaron Rodgers looks like the vintage version of himself, when he slings an all-wrist throw into the only football-sized space where it could be caught. But that’s how it goes for aging athletes. It’s not that Rodgers can’t get it done. It’s that he can’t get it done with the same consistency or frequency. On the whole this season, Rodgers looks like what he is: a 40-year-old quarterback coming off a torn Achilles’ tendon.

Rodgers chucked three interceptions, including a pick-six and a game-sealer, in a 23-17 loss to the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. The Jets fell to 2-3, and they face the Bills, Steelers and Texans over the next four weeks. They have arrived here not despite Rodgers but because of him.

---

ESPN

Commanders’ jab at Browns tops Week 5 trolls

Washington dominated with a strong defensive performance, holding the Cleveland Browns without a touchdown until the fourth quarter. The Commanders had more passing yards (219) than the Browns had total yards (212).

Washington had a simple video with shade aimed at the shared home state of the Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, two teams they defeated in the past three weeks.

---

NFL.com

Browns HC Kevin Stefanski says ‘we’re not changing QBs’ after Deshaun Watson’s poor game in loss

Kevin Stefanski declared after Sunday’s 34-13 loss to the Commanders that any immediate solution won’t come at the hands of benching Deshaun Watson, who had another poor outing.

“We’re not changing quarterbacks,” Stefanski said. “We need to play better, I need to coach better. That’s really what it is.”

Watson continued his trying 2024 campaign with another frantic performance, missing open receivers, bailing out of the pocket without much pressure and holding onto the ball too long on several occasions.

The persisting issues reared their head quickly on Sunday as the Watson-led offense went three and out on five of their eight first-half possessions, resulting in a 24-3 deficit entering halftime. They didn’t reach the red zone until their first possession of the third quarter, which ended in a chip-shot field goal, and Watson’s lost fumble on a sack later in the frame furthered the eventual blowout.

---