Hogs Haven
Washington Times
“What I can say is I can speak for every coach and player and just an unacceptable performance by us tonight,” Quinn said after their 38-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks four weeks ago.
This week, Quinn could stand up there and be proud of the performance he, his coaching staff, and his players put on against a Denver team with one of the toughest defenses in the league.
“I thought coming off the field, it just felt like those are the games you do love to be a part of, the absolute battles,” he told reporters after the game. “Two teams, like going for it, throwing punches back and forth and, you know, I hate the outcome, but I loved the fight.
“It’s been tough as hell for a while,” Quinn said. “And I thought our guys played hard as hell. All improving. I saw where we can get better and obviously there’s plenty of room to continue to do that, but man, it was nice to have some guys back.”
Taking solace in a loss has its dangers. For this franchise, it seemed like a measurement standard they had left behind. But having receiver Terry McLaurin (seven catches for 96 yards and one touchdown), who has missed seven games this season, and safety Will Harris, who was on the field for the first time since Washington’s 41-24 win Sept. 21 over the Las Vegas Raiders, seemed to have an impact and reason for optimism in a season destroyed by injuries.
A win over the Vikings would damage Washington’s draft standing for 2026. But, like valiant losses, those goals often measure losing franchises. The Commanders need to leave those standards behind.
The Athletic (paywall)
The offensive line
For a team that has attempted to rebuild for years, Washington may finally be able to say it has two of the most important position groups set: quarterback and offensive line.
The Commanders’ recent investments in the offensive line have paid immediate dividends and are vital for the offense to have any continuity going forward. It started last season, when they gave right guard Sam Cosmi a four-year, $74 million contract extension just before the opener, and continued into this offseason when they traded for five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and drafted Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round to develop into their right tackle.
The Broncos produced an NFL-high 41.3 percent pressure rate in their first 12 weeks of the season, per Next Gen. However, in Washington, their pressure rate was 17.9 percent, their lowest in a game since Week 3 of the 2023 season, when they allowed 70 points to the Dolphins.
Tunsil — who allowed just two pressures in his 28 matchups with Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto, according to Next Gen — is working on one...
