Hogs Haven
Washington Post (paywall)
Few analysts expect Washington to repeat last year’s run to the NFC championship, but Jayden Daniels receives some votes for MVP.
Before Thursday’s Eagles-Cowboys game, ESPN’s Football Power Index metric gave Washington a 28.7 percent chance to win the NFC East and a 54.3 percent chance to make the playoffs, with 9.1 projected wins.Seth Walder boldly predicts the Commanders, with an aging defense and a weak pash rush, will finish below .5oo. Bill Barnwell predicts Washington will miss the playoffs. (The veterans in the Commanders’ locker room apparently aren’t concerned about the external noise, including preseason expectations and predictions, affecting second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels. “They’re not really worried about me coming in and talking about what was said on ESPN,” Daniels said this week. “I don’t really care.”)
Four of USA Today’s six analysts predict Washington will make the playoffs. Nick Brinkerhoff picks the Commanders to win the division and represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, where they will fall to the Ravens. Daniels is Brinkerhoff’s MVP and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is his assistant coach of the year.
Conor Orr predicted all 272 regular season games and has the Commanders finishing 10-7 after a 6-0 start. “I built in a red-hot start for the Commanders before a bit of a slide once they reach six wins,” Orr writes. Only six of 10 MMQB analysts pick Washington to make the playoffs, and no one predicts the Commanders will return to the NFC championship game. Orr’s bold prediction: Rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt gains more than 1,000 all-purpose yards. Daniels is Matt Verderame’s pick for MVP.
Washington Post (paywall)
The Commanders will play at least five games in prime time, starting in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers on a Thursday night. They’ll have the NFL spotlight to themselves when they play in Madrid, against the Miami Dolphins, and on Christmas Day, against the Dallas Cowboys. Sunday’s opener against the Giants is an announced sellout. And Northwest Stadium, where seats were once removed because of dwindling demand, is actually being expanded, with roughly 1,500 seats returning to use this season.
While all of that translates to better vibes than in years past, players have been quick to emphasize the distinction between the external and internal.
The expectations outside the locker room, be it MVP talk for Daniels or Super Bowl prognostications about the team, all qualify as outside noise. The internal expectations between players and coaches around practice, preparation, recovery, discipline — that’s what matters.
ESPN
What we’re hearing on the Giants: The Giants lost a lot last season, including both matchups with the Commanders by a total of eight points. That gave Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels...
