The Washington Commanders have grown through field goals since their 21-18 victory over the New York Giants. This week, the Giants will see that.
Besides their 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and Sunday’s win against the Chicago Bears, Washington has scored 30 or more points per game since Week 2. They’re going into Week 9, coming off a magical win at home, but are still dealing with injuries. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is still dealing with a rib injury, is still scheduled to play. This week, they’re back on the road playing at MetLife Stadium.
Commanders Injured List: Most Participated In Limited Practice Thursday
According to the Washington Commanders-Giants Injury Report, Tackle Cornelius Lucas, Linebacker Frankie Luvu, and Defensive end Clelin Ferrell (knee) did not practice Wednesday and Thursday. According to head coach Dan Quinn, Luvu is progressing well and should be good to go Sunday. “Today he was able to look more like himself, ” Quinn told media after Friday’s practice.
Offensive tackle Brandon Coleman, who suffered from a concussion, went from limited to full practice by Thursday. Fellow OT Cornelius Lucas, who’s dealing with an ankle injury, did not practice. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) and WR Olamide Zaccheaus (hamstring) had limited practice this week.
Daniels’ Rib Injury Still Under Wraps
Quinn was vague about Daniels’ status Friday but took his motivation and drive as good for the team. “There’s stuff that guys battle through that maybe no one else knows about…there was just a little bit of attention on that last week,” Quinn said. That attention in Sunday’s win included Daniels being wrapped in between ball possessions. “The locker room notes, and when you demonstrate that type of toughness to your teammates…those are impactful moments,” he said.
That may be true, but the question of how healthy Daniels is before Sunday’s game is still unanswered. Daniels took some hard shots from former Commander, now Bears defensive lineman Montez Sweat. Earlier this week, Daniels told the Associated Press, “It’s just how I feel daily, how I wake up, and how I’m able to move around. And the organization here has a great plan, so I’m trusting that and following it.” While that still doesn’t give an accurate update on how healthy he will be for Sunday’s game, he did practice this week, so there’s that.
Commanders Have Areas For Improvement, says Quinn
Even with going into Week 9 at the top of the division on what could be Washington’s best run since 2022 when they went 8-8-1, Quinn noted there are still areas for improvement. “As a team I’m always digging on the turnover margin,” Quinn said. “As we sit here at plus four, that’s something, for us to become the team we want to be, we can increase upon that, so that’s a big deal for us. The tackling and the breaking tackles is a big deal for us, and the situation football. Those are three that come to mind right off the bat as an entire team,” Quinn said.
Another area the Commanders should be concerned about are the red zone attempts. They were 0-3 in the red zone in Sunday’s win, and they can’t depend on fate to keep winning games. In addition, if it weren’t for the kicking accuracy of Austin Seibert, things could have went the Bears way. Seibert is 23/25 in a season that started chaotic in that area for the Commanders.
Quinn: Commanders, Giants, Different Teams Since Week 2
The Commanders also go into a situation where they’re facing a team that’s yet to win a home game. The Giants are 0-4 at home, winning only two games this season thus far. Quinn said he was impressed defensively with the Giants. “They’ve been able to really generate pass rush in just about every category. They’ve been really strong…lot of respect for what they’re doing defensively,” Quinn said. “Both teams have improved since Week 2. Now seven weeks later, it’ll be fun to go battle with them again knowing that both teams have gotten better in this stretch.”
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