Hogs Haven
Washington continues to rise
The Washington Commanders went into their home game with some uncertainty, at least outside the building, about whether Jayden Daniels was playing after suffering a rib injury the previous week. He started the game and played until well past the final second to deliver a miraculous Hail Mary to retake the lead, and seal the victory.
This was billed as the game between the top two picks in this year’s draft, and the two favorites for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Jayden Daniels might have locked that award up with that throw, and he gained more ground on NFL MVP for lifting his team, and his community, up with his play.
Washington is now 6-2, and they still have sole possession of first place in the NFC East. FanDuel had them at 6 1⁄2 wins before the season started, and that over could hit on Sunday against the New York Giants. Washington is still not the favorite in the division, despite having one more win(and game played), than Philadelphia. The Eagles look like the Commanders only competition for the NFC East division title, and the two teams won’t meet until a Week 11 Thursday Night Football game in Philly.
High: 3
Low: 12
Average: 7.0
Going all week with uncertainty at quarterback, the Washington Commanders were very happy to have rookie QB Jayden Daniels back in their lineup. Leading a low-scoring game through the first three quarters, the Commanders needed a miraculous, game-winning Hail Mary to go their way – and it did.
Connecting with Noah Brown on the final play of the game, the Commanders pulled a lucky rabbit out of a hat at just the right time, as they comfortably sit atop the NFC East with a 6-2 and undefeated home record. Last week: 4
Last week: 7
Full thoughts on the Commanders here. I’ll follow with this: I did not see a holding call, or at least one that you would unholster the flag for, on that final drive. Sure, by the letter of the law, there was a hand on the back, but this was a coaching issue on Chicago’s part. Washington took advantage. And, I’ll credit Dan Quinn here. People make fun of his Pete Carroll-reminiscent relentless positivity, but boy does that resonate when you’re trying to get into position for a one-in-a-million Hail Mary and you have to do a ton of little things right. Last week: 6
When Jayden Daniels is named Offensive Rookie of the Year, we’ll look back at Sunday’s Hail Mary as the moment he really pulled away. Daniels — who seemed unlikely to even suit up for the contest throughout much of last week — outgunned Caleb Williams for most of the game, but still needed the rabbit to come out of the hat. There was luck, sure, but Daniels also made that...
