Hogs Haven
A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders
Two losses in less than a week slightly tarnished Washington’s stellar first half of the season and brought about a handful of questions on what to expect over the final six games.
The Washington Commanders’ early-season hot streak led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has fizzled. A sloppy defeat to the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 10 followed by a tepid response in a loss at the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday dropped Washington back to reality at 7-4.
The Commanders have a quarterback, but neither he nor the offense is a finished product.
This is obvious, but it’s worth repeating. Daniels has moxie and a skill set that have instilled hope of a long-term turnaround in Washington. But he is still a rookie and still adjusting. Where he goes, the team goes.
The defense has some studs.
Edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. is one of them: Entering Sunday, his 8.5 sacks ranked third in the NFL. So is linebacker Frankie Luvu, a free agent who signed a three-year contract with Washington to help set a foundation and be a staple for the future. The team’s plan for Luvu was for him to do a little of everything. So far, so good. Through Week 11, Luvu has seven sacks, 41 run stops, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
[S]econd-round draft pick Mike Sainristil has quickly developed into a key asset who can play multiple spots. He was drafted to be the nickelback but shifted outside because of injuries and performance issues elsewhere in the secondary. Now the question is whether he’ll shift back inside when cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) is healthy.
And then there’s safety Jeremy Chinn, who has starred in the past few games. Chinn has 39 tackles, one interception and a fumble recovery since Week 9, becoming one of Washington’s defensive leaders and top playmakers.
Can Daniels rediscover his dynamic play?
Daniels hasn’t seemed quite himself since his injury. But he insists he’s healthy enough to do all that he’s capable of on the field.
“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be on the field right now,” he said Thursday night.
But something is amiss. In Daniels’s first six games, he led all starting quarterbacks in completion percentage (75.3) and averaged 53.7 rushing yards. In his past four games, he’s at 59.5 percent and averaging 27.5 rushing yards.
With his 63 rushing yards against the Eagles in Thursday night’s 26-18 loss, Brian Robinson surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards. No, he is not among the top leading rushers in the NFL. However, Robinson is revealing that he is a productive dual threat.
Robinson not only reached 2,000 rushing yards in his third...
