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10/28 12:57 CDT The season is slipping away for Jayden Daniels and the
Washington Commanders
The season is slipping away for Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders
By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP National Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) --- The losses and the injuries just keep mounting for the
Washington Commanders, who are on a three-game losing streak as their season
appears to be slipping away.
They are just 3-5 at roughly the halfway mark --- already the same number of
defeats they had while going 12-5 and making it all the way to the NFC
championship game in January, carried there by the dynamic quarterback-wideout
duo of AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels and 13-TD scorer
Terry McLaurin.
This time around, Washington is missing the magic that helped produce all of
those last-minute wins, first of all, and it hasn't helped that Daniels was
sidelined for three games so far, including Monday night's 28-7 setback against
the Kansas City Chiefs, and McLaurin has been forced to sit out four. There
also are all sorts of other absences on offense, defense and special teams.
Washington simply has not played very well, with two victories coming against
also-ran opponents in the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders. They've been
something less than competitive for stretches, including their past two
outings, in which they were outscored by an average of 21.5 points.
Against Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs,
the Commanders did manage to hang in there for a half, reaching the break tied
at 7-all. Still, coach Dan Quinn was not pleased with missed chances by an
offense being run by Marcus Mariota in place of a hurt Daniels, who was out
with a bad right hamstring.
Everything fell apart in the second half.
"Man, did we leave a lot of opportunities out there tonight," Quinn said. "You
cannot leave that many chances out there and expect to win."
Might not get any easier over the next two weeks, when Washington will face the
Seattle Seahawks, then the Detroit Lions.
It seems as if a record of 3-7 could be a real possibility by the time Week 10
is done.
"You're kind of putting yourself in a hole," linebacker Bobby Wagner said. "You
don't want to dig yourself in a deeper hole."
What's working McLaurin's return Monday was a big deal after he was unavailable for a month because of a quadriceps injury. He scored his first touchdown of the season with a terrific toe-tapping grab. He made another "How did he do that?" catch on a head-first dive. "It felt good just to contribute," McLaurin said. But as often has been the case for the Commanders, every step forward comes with a step back: McLaurin exited the game after aggravating his bad leg.
What needs help The offense is in a rut right now, so it would be good for Washington to get Daniels back: The team is 1-2 in the games he missed. Mariota threw two picks against KC, and the running game was barely there, gaining only 60 yards on 20 carries.
Stock up At least the defense finally produced some turnovers, intercepting Mahomes to end each of Kansas City's first two possessions --- something that had never happened to him --- with Wagner and the much-maligned Marshon Lattimore each getting one. Wagner had his first pick since Week 16 of the 2022 season, Lattimore his first since Week 1 of 2023. "It was good to get some takeaways," Wagner said. The Commanders entered the night with three turnovers all season.
Stock down Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The rookie seventh-round pick, such a sensation earlier this season, gained 25 yards on nine carries Monday, a 2.8 average.
Injuries LT Laremy Tunsil left with a hamstring problem. ... McLaurin wasn't sure right after the game where things stood with his quad muscle. "It's a little sore," he said. "It's hard to say what it is or what it isn't." ... Even PK Matt Gay had an injury issue Monday, sitting out the game because of his back.
Key number 800 --- Zach Ertz reached that number of career catches Monday, making him the sixth tight end in NFL history with at least that many. The others: Kelce, Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, Antonio Gates and Shannon Sharpe.
Next steps Nothing has come easily for Washington and the path might not be smooth for the next couple of weeks, hosting Seattle (5-2) on Nov. 2, and Detroit (5-2) on Nov. 9. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
What's working McLaurin's return Monday was a big deal after he was unavailable for a month because of a quadriceps injury. He scored his first touchdown of the season with a terrific toe-tapping grab. He made another "How did he do that?" catch on a head-first dive. "It felt good just to contribute," McLaurin said. But as often has been the case for the Commanders, every step forward comes with a step back: McLaurin exited the game after aggravating his bad leg.
What needs help The offense is in a rut right now, so it would be good for Washington to get Daniels back: The team is 1-2 in the games he missed. Mariota threw two picks against KC, and the running game was barely there, gaining only 60 yards on 20 carries.
Stock up At least the defense finally produced some turnovers, intercepting Mahomes to end each of Kansas City's first two possessions --- something that had never happened to him --- with Wagner and the much-maligned Marshon Lattimore each getting one. Wagner had his first pick since Week 16 of the 2022 season, Lattimore his first since Week 1 of 2023. "It was good to get some takeaways," Wagner said. The Commanders entered the night with three turnovers all season.
Stock down Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The rookie seventh-round pick, such a sensation earlier this season, gained 25 yards on nine carries Monday, a 2.8 average.
Injuries LT Laremy Tunsil left with a hamstring problem. ... McLaurin wasn't sure right after the game where things stood with his quad muscle. "It's a little sore," he said. "It's hard to say what it is or what it isn't." ... Even PK Matt Gay had an injury issue Monday, sitting out the game because of his back.
Key number 800 --- Zach Ertz reached that number of career catches Monday, making him the sixth tight end in NFL history with at least that many. The others: Kelce, Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, Antonio Gates and Shannon Sharpe.
Next steps Nothing has come easily for Washington and the path might not be smooth for the next couple of weeks, hosting Seattle (5-2) on Nov. 2, and Detroit (5-2) on Nov. 9. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
