Hogs Haven
Washington Post (paywall)
Before last season we picked Jayden Daniels to win offensive rookie of the year. Now, how about Super Bowl MVP?
1. Washington will break the franchise record for points scored.
Why it’s preposterous: Washington scored 485 points last season, matching the 1991 Super Bowl-winning squad for the second most in franchise history. The 541 points Washington scored during the 1983 regular season still rank as the ninth-highest total in NFL history. The Commanders face a more difficult schedule this season than they did in 2024, including eight games against the teams that finished with the seven best scoring defenses a year ago. The NFL added a 17th game to its regular season in 2021, but last year’s Detroit Lions (564 points) were the first team since the 2018 Kansas City Chiefs (565 points) to eclipse Washington’s 1983 mark.
Why it could happen: The Commanders upgraded their offensive line, using their first-round draft pick to select tackle Josh Conerly Jr. out of Oregon and trading for five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. In addition to having more time to operate — only six teams allowed sacks at a higher rate than Washington in 2024 — Daniels should be more comfortable in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, and he has a new weapon in former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (more on him later). With the exception of Washington’s 1983 campaign, the NFL’s 20 highest-scoring seasons have come since 1998.
ESPN
Washington Commanders: WR Deebo Samuel
Samuel was already an intriguing player when the Commanders traded for him: a wide receiver barely ever used down the field, best creating after the catch and beyond his athletic prime, but perhaps with some seasons left in the tank. As things have developed further — the recently resolved training camp holdout from Terry McLaurin and the lack of wide receiver depth — Samuel has become even more important.
The Commanders expect to spread and shred the field again, so Samuel figures to consistently get six or seven touches a game as a backfield option or receiver on quick run-pass options (RPOs). They need him to be dynamic, and while he wasn’t the same player last season as he was prior to that, he still is above average. Samuel was 12th among all skill-position players in yards after catch (YAC) over expectation, per NFL Next Gen Stats. (New teammate Austin Ekeler was eighth.) If Samuel doesn’t bring the juice, the Commanders’ options to replace his unique role are understandably thin.
Commanders.com
McLaurin has always been more focused on the team’s success, rather than individual accomplishments. While the team usually fared better when McLaurin got the ball last year — the Commanders were 8-2 when McLaurin got at least 60...
