A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East and the NFL in general

Washington Post (paywall)

From ‘the Dino’ to the bayou, the rookie quarterback always ends up on top. Winning in Washington is a whole different animal.

The stakes are immense. If Daniels lives up to the hype, he could jump-start the revival of Washington’s historic NFL franchise, validate its new leaders and pack a gleaming new stadium, giving it heart, making it a place for community and pride.

If not, he’ll be the latest unanswered prayer in a long, dark age, and the collateral damage could be considerable: sullied reputations, lost jobs and a new stadium that may be shiny but soulless. He’d be another name on a listless list. In 92 seasons, the only Washington quarterback who has thrown 30 or more touchdown passes in a single year was Sonny Jurgensen in 1967.

The Commanders’ new regime has, for its part, avoided presenting Daniels as the savior.

It didn’t anoint him the starter right away, as the Chicago Bears did with No. 1 selection Caleb Williams, and it didn’t send him to the draft rally to meet fans shortly after being picked. The fans who attended training camp in Ashburn, Va., saw his face on marketing material no more than the right guard and box safety. The big welcome banner featured running back Austin Ekeler.

The plan to minimize the pressure on Daniels seems to be working. He feels it was harder to follow Joe Burrow at Louisiana State than it has been to enter the NFL. “[LSU] fans were very spoiled [with] what Joe did,” he explained.

[A]t the heart of the question — Is Jayden Daniels the one? — there are two sides: The quarterback and the franchise that keeps breaking them.

“We got a special, special dude,” right guard Sam Cosmi said of Daniels. “That makes me excited to be here.”

And this:

“He’s going to be really, really good,” 12-year veteran tight end Zach Ertz said, “and it’s not going to be one of those things where it’s going to be good in a few years. He’s really good right now.”

The only one not buying into the Daniels hype is Daniels himself.

“Can’t go out there and think I’m the savior,” he said.

Still, when he steps onto the field against Tampa, he’ll be making the most anticipated first start by a Washington rookie quarterback since Robert Griffin III in 2012. Like Daniels, Griffin was the No. 2 pick and a former Heisman winner. In his debut, Griffin completed 19-of-26 passes for 320 yards and ran for 42 yards on nine carries in a win over the New Orleans Saints.

Griffin won the NFL’s Rookie of the Year that season, throwing for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns while running for another 815 yards and five scores.

“I’m anxious to watch him play myself,” offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said. “I know he is going to cut it loose. He’s a pretty laid back, chill cat, but when he steps on that field he’s trying to rip your head off. To see that competitive nature come out in his first game, and it’s not always going to be pretty … that will be a lot of fun for me to witness.”

The Athletic (paywall)

Kingsbury’s return is for a job he’s never held at the pro level, but there’s enough there to believe his football mind can tackle the gig. After all, Kingsbury was the Cardinals’ primary play caller from 2019 to 2022 and held OC duties at Texas A&M in 2012 as Johnny Manziel rolled to a Heisman Trophy. Washington’s situation might be his most challenging.

Does Washington have enough playmakers surrounding Daniels? On the surface, no. Terry McLaurin’s numbers might soar playing with the best quarterback of his six-year career. Running backs Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler will garner ample touches by land and air, though receptions typically will come near the line of scrimmage.

From there is where the wondering begins.

The remaining receivers have specific skills that are workable but lack the all-around ideal teams seek as mainstays. Dyami Brown is the intriguing deep threat. Based on his first three seasons (29 receptions, three touchdowns), that’s all the 2021 third-round pick might be.

Newcomer Olamide Zaccheaus’ route running and play-to-play strength impressed during training camp. He’s also a 5-foot-8 target and has yet to top three touchdown receptions or 533 receiving yards in a season. Rookie third-round pick Luke McCaffrey has those bloodlines and slot receiver chops, but he remains a work in progress. Noah Brown, signed last week after his cutdown day release by the Houston Texans, brings needed size and physicality. Outside of a dynamic two-game stretch last season, he also has primarily served as a blocker throughout his career.

Washington Commanders rookie offensive tackle Brandon Coleman will play during Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Dan Quinn said during his Friday press conference.

As for how many snaps Coleman will play, or whether he’ll start, Quinn is keeping that to himself. What the head coach did say was that Coleman has done “a remarkable job” in his recovery.

The other rookie on Washington’s injury report, defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton, has also dealt with his share of issue that kept him out of practice for most of August. Newton’s foot injury is not related to the Jones fracture surgery he had earlier this year, but it was serious enough that the team decided to be cautious with his recovery.

Newton was limited on Wednesday and did not participate on Thursday with “rest” being added to the report. He is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game.

“We’re not gonna rule him out,” Quinn said. “We’re gonna take him into Sunday … It was good to get him some team reps today.”

The Commanders have ruled out quarterback Marcus Mariota, who Quinn said has been dealing with a strained pectoral, meaning that Jeff Driskel will serve as Jayden Daniels’ backup.

Podcasts & videos

We’re Here | Commanders Log: Season 3, Episode 5

Dyami Brown “STRAIGHT WORK” 2024 Off-Season Documentary

Tumultuous night for both QBs. Jalen Hurts’ night couldn’t have started much worse: He threw an interception on Philadelphia’s first drive, then fumbled away a premature snap, resulting in two giveaways on two possessions. He settled in eventually, leading four straight scoring drives of 62 or more yards, but still took unnecessary risks, appeared panicked in the pocket at times, and threw an awful interception in the end zone with a chance to put the game away in the fourth. Jordan Love had a similarly up-and-down evening, tossing a few long passes and firing a touchdown pass to Christian Watson while also taking a few peculiar risks, including one that was intercepted by Reed Blankenship, and missing open targets. If anything, we were reminded it’s still a new season for some of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, and we should be prepared to ride the roller coaster — which became more worrisome when Love exited with an apparent lower leg injury in the game’s final seconds.
Explosives everywhere. The fans in Sao Paulo received a treat Friday night in the form of plenty of exciting plays. Three touchdowns came from 33 or more yards (including a 70-yard Jayden Reed catch, his second score of the night, and a 67-yard sprint to the end zone for A.J. Brown), and until the Eagles’ final clock-bleeding possession (which lasted 7 minutes 25 seconds), no possession cleared 5:30. It was a game filled with shorter, less remarkable plays — Hurts completed 18 of 22 passes under 15 air yards for 193 yards, per Next Gen Stats — and massive, highlight-worthy gains that produced points or put each team in prime scoring position. That made for a great viewing experience and plenty of clips, and while coaches will strive for more consistency between the big plays, it sure was fun to watch live.
Running backs make statements in debuts. Saquon Barkley arrived in Philadelphia as its prized offseason addition, and his value was quickly noticeable Friday night. Barkley opened the scoring for the Eagles, making an acrobatic catch inside the pylon for Philadelphia’s first touchdown, and showed off fantastic burst throughout the night, powering the Eagles’ ground game to the tune of 24 rushes for 109 yards and two touchdowns while overcoming an offensive line that didn’t do a great job of clearing space for him. Josh Jacobs, meanwhile, put together a quality first start with the Packers, sticking to his reputation as a tackle-breaking machine — ripping off runs of +16 and +25 rushing yards over expected — on his way to 84 yards on 16 carries (plus two catches for 20 yards). Both the Packers and Eagles upgraded at the position in the offseason, and it was obvious on Friday night.
Philly defense steps up in clutch. While explosive plays defined the night, and the numbers don’t quite support this observation, the Eagles did an excellent job of stiffening in the most important moments. Green Bay entered the Philadelphia red zone twice in its first three possessions in the first quarter, and twice was turned away and forced to settle for field goals. Blankenship’s second-half interception gave the Eagles a chance to respond on the scoreboard and take a five-point lead into the fourth, and when the Packers again threatened to regain the lead, the Eagles stopped them again, forcing another Brayden Narveson field goal. In the final moments, the Eagles’ ability to recover from yet another long pass to Reed helped them secure the win, an encouraging sign for a defense that crumbled down the stretch in 2023.
Early season sloppiness pervades Brazil game. Whether it was the Packers’ poor tackling, the combined 17 accepted penalties (for 128 total yards), the poor decisions made by both quarterbacks, or even the quality of the playing surface, this game definitely wasn’t clean. It’s typical of Week 1, especially for a game that required flights of more than nine hours to arrive at the host city. But it will undoubtedly be a focus for both teams going forward, because while the big plays were thrilling, these coaches are seeking consistency, which neither team displayed frequently enough to make them feel good. The good news: It’s only Week 1, and they’ll be back in the States soon enough.

Next Gen stat of the game: After struggling against the blitz in 2023, Jalen Hurts improved in Week 1, going 6 for 7 for 91 yards and a touchdown while averaging a time to throw of 2.46 seconds against the Packers’ blitz Friday night.

NFL Research: With two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown, Saquon Barkley became the first Eagles running back to score both via the air and the ground in a game since Miles Sanders did so in 2019.

NFL league links

Coach Matt LaFleur provided no details during his postgame news conference about Love’s injury.

“I don’t know,” LaFleur said. “I don’t know.”

Love remained on the turf after the play and was helped off the field by members of the Packers’ medical staff. He exited the game with six seconds remaining and backup quarterback Malik Willis played the final two plays. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts came over to check on Love as he sat on the Packers’ bench at game’s end. Love was able to walk off the field alongside Packers tailback Josh Jacobs and a member of the team’s medical staff.

No one will know the truth until there’s a full and proper diagnosis.

One thing is true. The video shows a popping in Love’s left knee, as he was being brought to the ground.

The sudden movement is obvious, similar to the visible snapping of the Achilles tendon of former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins last year.

The two women who allege kicker sexually assaulted them on a charter flight last season refiled and included their names.

The amended complaint was filed in response to a judge’s order to dismiss without prejudice their original complaint that was filed with the pseudonyms Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II on the grounds that the circumstances of the case did not meet Florida court rules for anonymity. Had the plaintiffs not responded within 10 days, the case would have been dismissed.

In the amended complaint, the plaintiffs allege the Jaguars’ flight had two seating areas on the two-level plane — one for “those wishing to rest and follow the rules” and another for “those wishing to be loud, drink to excess, play cards or dice, and party.” The NFL prohibits alcohol at team facilities and during travel to or from games, a rule it emphasized in a 2022 memo after then-Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke was photographed with a beer in his hand during a postgame flight.

The amended complaint claims the team failed to enforce league policies and federal aviation safety rules and enabled the alleged sexual assault by giving “implicit instructions to the flight crew to not intervene.” It also alleges Jaguars leadership “knew McManus was a heavy drinker to the point of being sloppy drunk.”

Discussion topics

CBS Sports

Owners voted in December to authorize the league to host eight games internationally each season

“The ownership’s approved eight games already,” Goodell said before the NFL’s first game in Brazil. “I hope to get that to 16 at some point in the future. Let’s see how that goes.”

Goodell was interviewed on Peacock ahead of the streaming service’s telecast of Friday night’s matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, the first NFL game in South America and one of five international matchups on the 2024 schedule.