We don’t have a Victory Monday today, however we can celebrate the fact that the Washington Commanders are in first place through Week 6 in mid-October in the NFC East. The one-score loss to the Ravens in a 30-23 final will give head coach Dan Quinn and his coaches plenty of tape to go over on what went wrong and what went right.
What went right has to start with rookie QB1, Jayden Daniels, and his performance against a strong run defense. The rookie threw a pair of touchdown passes to Terry McLaurin which gives him 4 TDs on the season — and that matches his entire 2023 total. Daniels finished with the following stats:
24 of 35 in completions 69%
269 passing yards
2 Touchdowns
0 Interceptions
22 rushing yards
Perhaps the biggest negatives have to start with the weak pass defense and cornerback play as well as the second half run defense. In total, Baltimore racked up 484 yards of total offense. The Washington defense gave up 30 points that included two Baltimore touchdown drives of over 93 yards each.
With Brian Robinson Jr. out because of a knee injury, Washington rushed for only 52 yards in their ground game, and 22 of those yards were on Daniels legs.
“B-Rob is a great player, but it’s next man up. We have to go out there and do our job.”
— Daniels said on missing his primary running back
That’s the issue that the Washington run game was shut down for most of their attempts. It meant that Washington’s defense needed to limit Baltimore to under 23-points which didn’t happen.
Baltimore was favored in this game for a reason. They are a veteran team with the reigning MVP in their quarterback Lamar Jackson. Both teams are now 4-2, and after the game, Jackson and Daniels embraced at midfield. Maybe that embrace was more symbolic of the veteran and the rookie and the future of the NFL. Two former Heisman trophy winners separated in different decades, but similar approaches to the game.
While the two teams are in different conferences, you have to wonder when the two star quarterbacks will face-off again. Most likely the pair will see each other in a preseason game — but both teams would love the Battle of the Beltways to be a February showdown. Washington needs to improve their defense before they can get to that next phase. Could general manager Adam Peters make some mid-season trades to accelerate the process?
“It certainly was a tough game. That’s what we talked about in the locker room. … We were still in the fight at the end. We do have a tough crew with an attitude to battle.”
— Quinn said after the game
“There is going to be a lot to learn from this game.”
Sometimes you learn the most about your team in defeat. The weak links stand out more when you lose to a good team in the chess match to exploit any shortcomings they found in their pregame scouting. A great leader knows that learning is always in a perpetual state, and Quinn said that, “There is going to be a lot to learn from this game.” That might be the most important aspect going forward.
The Commanders suffered two key second half injuries with DE Dorance Armstrong with a rib injury, and DT Jonathan Allen ruled out early in the fourth quarter with a pectoral injury.
Washington is back home at Northwest Stadium for a game on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers on Darrell Green jersey retirement day.
