Loading ...
Cancel the funeral arrangements for the Washington Commanders 2024 season.
On a day when they would have taken any win, the Commanders (8-5) delivered a dominating performance, scoring on their first four possessions en route to a 42-19 victory over the Tennessee Titans in front of 63,144 fans at Northwest Stadium.
“We talked about the urgency and what we wanted to see and really dedicating the performance to one another,” head coach Dan Quinn said in his postgame press conference. “That’s really what we talked about. I thought [LB] Bobby [Wagner] was the catalyst at the very beginning of the week and talking to his teammates, which he doesn’t do very often. So, for him, I knew there was something there that he wanted to share. And it’s so impactful when it can come from a teammate. And I thought he was the one that set this week off and set it in motion.”
The offense, the focus of intense scrutiny over the past three weeks, ran wild, literally and figuratively. Washington ran for 255 yards, the most since 2012.
Brian Robinson Jr. got it started on the game’s third play when he took a handoff on 3rd down and short and turned it into a 40-yard touchdown to give the Commanders an early 7-0 lead.
“You could feel the sideline, what they brought to it and the downhill style of runs,” Quinn said. “When Brian can kick through and step and get onto the next level, he’s really difficult to tackle. I thought, especially the offensive line tonight, that’s the one I’m looking forward to watching on tape. I thought they had some really good blocks and good design, the whole way through.”
After stopping Tennessee on its next possession, Daniels drove the offense 80 yards on 11 plays, capping the drive with a four-yard touchdown run to go up 14-0.
The Titans did their part to make the day easy for Washington.
On second down from the 19-yard line, Titans running back Tony Pollard fumbled, and the ball was recovered by Washington rookie Mike Sainristill. Three plays later, Daniels floated a perfect pass to Terry McLaurin from the 15-yard line to stretch the lead to 21-0.
“I know going into this week, talking to DQ [Head Coach Dan Quinn] and [Offensive Coordinator] Kliff [Kingsbury], you know they wanted to try to get me going a little bit earlier and give me opportunities to make plays,” McLaurin said. “And, you know, that’s all I ask for. You know my teammates look to me each and every week, in practice as well, to make a play to get us going. And, the other receivers in my room as well do a great job of just encouraging me and pushing me to be the person that they know I’m capable of being. And so, I just try to stay patient, you know what I mean. I know it’s not all about me at all, but I feel like I try to bring a certain attitude and feel to our team and this offense that you feel it when I make a play. And I don’t do that by myself.”
Daniels finished the game 25 of 30 for 206 yards, 3 touchdowns, and one interception. He also ran for another score.
“Losing sucks. Losing is never fun,” Daniels said. “I don’t think any competitor will ever think that’s fun but you have to go out there and– the talk that we had. Be able to sacrifice something for the betterment of the team and what are we willing to give up because we have something special in that locker room. We have to go out there each and every week and prove it.”
It got worse for the Titans. Jha’Quan Jackson fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Washington recovered on the Tennessee 34-yard line. Daniels would hit McLaurin again, this time on a 3-yard pass to make the score 28-0.
Tennessee cut the lead to 28-7 just before halftime when quarterback Will Levis connected on a 27-yard strike to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. The Titans added two third-quarter field goals to cut the Commander’s lead to 28-13.
That would be as close as Tennessee would get. Daniels followed his interception with a 9-play, 72-yard drive ending with a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz.
Tennessee managed a fourth-quarter touchdown but the Commanders ended any hopes of a miracle comeback when Chris Rodriguez (13 rushes, 94 yards) scored with 3:36 left to make the final score 42-19.
With the win, Washington goes into its bye week with a record of 8-5. It’s the second time the franchise has won 8 or more games in the last nine years. The Commanders are also in a prime position for a playoff spot. Two wins in their final four games will almost certainly clinch a postseason birth for the first time since 2020.
“We needed to get a win. That’s it, we just needed to get a win,” linebacker Bobby Wagner saud. “We understand that we let three games slip away and no one wants to go into the bye week losing so this was a good one to get a win. We can still build on some stuff and take some time to reassess where we’re at and make the necessary changes.”
Leave a Reply