The Washington Commanders hope to have running back Brian Robinson Jr. back in the mix while quarterback Jayden Daniels continues to attack defenses with his athleticism and sharp mental processing. With the Panthers up next, here are some bold predictions for the Week 7 contest.
Although the Commanders defense appears to have a long way to go, the offense has been hitting most cylinders throughout the season. Even in last week’s loss to the Ravens, the Commanders racked up 305 total yards despite only 24 minutes of possession. The Ravens’ powerful offense totaled 484 yards in 36 minutes for 13.4 per minute while the Commanders averaged a comparable 12.7.
This week, the Commanders face a Panthers defensive unit that has given up 380 yards per game for 29th in the NFL. The Panthers are No. 23 against the pass and No. 30 against the run. They gave up 33.8 points per contest to be dead last.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels will account for three touchdowns
With the Panthers struggling against both the run and pass, the door is wide open for Daniels to make big plays in both directions. The benefactor through the air should be wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who caught a 55-yard catch from Daniels in Week 3 against the Bengals that drew rave reviews from head coach Dan Quinn. Commanders head coach Daniels said causing hesitation in the defenses and create great games from it, according to commanders.com.
“Yeah, it’s both things,” Quinn said. “I was happy to see … specifically on the deep ball that we had to (McLaurin) and (Daniels) stay as passers, stay alive, and then absolutely throw a dime on the run. This, for me, is when everything falls into place. Because I think early in the season he maybe came out of the pocket and made someone miss and gained a few yards, but not 55 of them.
Quinn said Daniels opened his eyes daily with the commanders, according to the Commanders YouTube page via Athlete Sports.
“For me to have the chance to be around great quarterbacks and see what it’s like and know that we have a great quarterback here, it’s fantastic,” Quinn said. “I would say the common thread through it all is the relentless work ethic and I saw that with Jayden. Back to Dak (Prescott) and Matt (Ryan). It’s a trait that definitely resonates with me. There is so much preparation that can go into finding the right balance between decision-making, competition and the flow of games. This is a trait that strikes me. There is so much preparation. I love Jayden and what he brings to us. I can’t wait to see him grow, man. He is absolutely relentless about it.
Commanders are favored, but should not be overconfident
Daniels said commanders would not take the this opponent goes without sayingaccording to Sports Illustrated.
“For us, we just have to go out there, play our game and execute,” the Commanders rookie quarterback said. “At the end of the day, it’s the NFL. On any given Sunday, you could lose any match against any opponent. It doesn’t matter who you play; you have to go there, follow the same process, respect the process, respect the work and do your best.
Quinn echoed Daniels on the subject.
“We don’t overlook our opponents, and the reason is because there’s so much focus on us,” Quinn said. “Like we have a lot to do.” And we’re absolutely going to improve our game as hard as we can, knowing that it will pay dividends in the future. But no, we’re absolutely moving forward as hard as we can and we want to see those leaps and those advancements happen and that’s what we certainly intend to do.
The Commanders would also do well to think about where they stand in the eyes of the NFL ahead of their four-game winning streak. It’s not like they are — or even if they are — the NFL’s elite. They were considered a lower level team and they have benefited from a soft schedule so far. It’s another winnable game, but suddenly considering Commanders a prohibitive favorite doesn’t seem logical, even with Daniels playing well.
WR Terry McLaurin will have his second consecutive two-touchdown game
After two weeks, it looked like a lost season for the Commanders’ standout receiver. Daniels couldn’t find him and McLaurin totaled just 39 yards on eight catches. That put him on a season pace for 68 catches for 332 yards. Yeah, it’s horrible.
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But since then, McLaurin has caught fire. He has totaled 317 yards over the last four games. That gives him a total of 356 yards for the season, bringing his pace to 1,008 yards. Wow. What a difference.
Week 7 should provide more good numbers for McLaurin for two reasons. The Panthers should have trouble covering him, and commanders should try to pepper him with targets. Fantasy managers take note.
McLaurin played with 10 different quarterbacks during his career with the Commanders. He still managed to post four consecutive seasons of over 1,000 yards. McLaurin and Daniels have connected for a 67.4 completion percentage and Daniels has a 114.1 rating when throwing to McLaurin.
Of course, the Panthers won’t go away easily. They are 1-5 and hungry for a win. Head coach Dave Canales said it’s back to the drawing board, according to charlotteobserver.com.
“We’re going to tackle the fundamentals and the basics, because if we can just make the story as simple as that, can we improve the fundamentals?” » Canales said. “Just the basics of what we do, how we adapt to different types of running styles and that’s the challenge for us, just to continue to take the next step and improve our football.”
Perhaps one area of concern for the Commanders is their run defense, especially with Allen no longer in the middle. Washington ranks 22nd in the NFL against the run, and Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard has rushed around the 100-yard mark in four straight games.
