Hogs Haven
A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders
“I want to first start off by saying clearly and honestly — Jayden is not injured right now,” Quinn said.
The compulsion to make the matter-of-fact statement comes after Washington’s back-to-back loss to the Steelers and Eagles, and the rookie quarterback’s drop in production compared to a sensational opening seven games. The dual-threat accounted for one touchdown in the losses and a paltry 23 rushing yards combined.
Hints of uncomfortableness, whether physical pain or tackling defensive adjustments, became more apparent over the [recent] weeks. The quarterback, who set an all-time record with an 82.1 completion percentage through the first four weeks of a season, ranks 28th in completion percentage at 59.5 over his last four games.
Quinn attributed the injury and some decline in Daniels’ passing accuracy to the offense losing “valuable practice time” with the quarterback. Because of his rookie status, “We don’t have banked rep” with Daniels,” Quinn continued.
“Rhythm and timing is a big piece of it too. You have to be able to (practice) full speed,” Quinn said, to ensure the linemen and receivers are where they need to be on the field come game day.
Injuries have spiked, leading to a rise in miscues. Starting in Week 6, Washington lost defensive tackle Jonathan Allen for the season (torn pectoral) and played without leading rusher Brian Robinson Jr. for three games. The top three offensive tackles were all sidelined for at least one game, further hampering the young quarterback and favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Daniels, who suffered a cut on his throwing hand against the Eagles, pushed back on any injury talk postgame.
Breaking down rookie CB Mike Sainristil’s performance against the Eagles
The undersized Sainristil was drafted to be the long term slot cornerback for Washington, but he had some struggles to start the season both in coverage and handling the run fits that come with playing in the slot. The combination of his struggles and the struggles of Emmanuel Forbes on the outside led the Commanders to moving Sainristil outside, where he has quietly developed his coverage skills. That development showed up big time in this game as he made a number of key plays in coverage.
On this play, the Eagles line up receiver A.J. Brown on the outside with DeVonta Smith in the slot. As the outside corner, Sainristil initially aligned opposite Brown, but before the snap Brown motions into a stacked set with Smith. At the snap, the receivers execute a switch release, with Brown working inside and Smith working outside. That means Sainristil’s assignment changes, going from initially focusing on Brown to suddenly having to cover a very different type of...
