Hogs Haven
Washington Post (paywall)
Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt comes off the bench to run for 96 yards and a touchdown in Washington’s first win since Week 5.
Croskey-Merritt’s first start came against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5, Washington’s last victory before the long skid. He had a breakout performance with 111 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Across his next four starts, however, he rushed for just 157 total yards and failed to score a touchdown.
In Week 10, the Commanders turned to Chris Rodriguez Jr. And even with Rodriguez sidelined with a groin injury Sunday, third-down back Jeremy McNichols got the starting nod. Despite coming off the bench, Croskey-Merritt led the Commanders with 18 carries for 96 yards and one touchdown.
While Washington (4-10) won’t achieve the team success it wanted this season, Croskey-Merritt’s showing against New York (2-12) was a reminder that these final three games still hold value. General Manager Adam Peters and Coach Dan Quinn will use them to help determine who will have significant roles in the future.
This was the only game in the NFL this week without playoff implications. The low stakes were reflected by the crowd; MetLife Stadium was half empty at kickoff. The contest’s most relevant impact may be on the 2026 draft order, but it wasn’t the only one.
Even with the Commanders’ passing offense out of sorts for most of the season, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury had been reluctant to lean into a run-first offense. Coming into this week, Washington had called designed runs on 40.8 percent of its plays (16th in the league). With starting quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) missing his seventh game this season because of injury, Kingsbury changed his approach.
Kingsbury called a designed run on 55.2 percent of the Commanders’ offensive snaps, which is their second-highest rate this season. Overall, Washington ran the ball 37 times for 145 yards. Quarterback Marcus Mariota attempted just 19 passes.
The Athletic (paywall)
Antonio Hamilton Sr. had a feeling this might happen. Or maybe he hoped he could manifest it. His wife, Tiara, graduated cum laude from his alma mater, South Carolina State, on Thursday with a degree in family and consumer sciences, an accomplishment she started years prior and set out to finish amid multiple moves and the arrival of children.
Hamilton, 32, was tabbed to start his first NFL game in two years because of a rib injury to cornerback Jonathan Jones. A 10-year undrafted veteran whose career has been mostly prove-it opportunities on one-year deals, Hamilton proved plenty with two plays in coverage that all but saved Washington’s 29-21 win over the New York Giants on Sunday.
[W]hen cornerback Jones went down with a rib injury (his second injury this season) after the team earlier lost Marshon Lattimore (ACL) and rookie Trey Amos (fractured fibula) to...
