University of Kwazulu-Natal

Commanders Report Card How We Graded The Washington In Divisional

Bonisiwe Shabane
-
commanders report card how we graded the washington in divisional

For the first time in 33 years, the Washington Commanders are headed to the NFC championship game. One year removed from going 4-13, the Commanders won 12 regular-season games and two road playoff games and will face the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles for the right to play in the Super Bowl. The Commanders and Eagles began playing one another in 1934 but have only met in the postseason once, in a 1990 NFC wild-card game, which Washington won. But before we look ahead to the NFC championship, let's look back at the Commanders' 45-31 divisional-round win over the top-seeded Detroit Lions. It's time for our weekly report card, where we grade the offense, defense, special teams, coaching staff and quarterback Jayden Daniels. What's not to love about Washington's offensive performance?

Jayden Daniels was not sacked. The Commanders rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 299 yards and two more touchdowns. While Washington was only four of 12 on third down, it was bolstered by converting three of four on fourth down. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury had an answer for everything. The Commanders needed to keep scoring and not punt. While Tress Way did punt — just once — Washington kept scoring.

The offense did what it had to do to win the game. A terrific performance. The only reason we aren't giving Washington an A+ here is because it did allow 521 yards of total offense. Sure, some of that yardage came late in the game when Detroit's fate was already decided, but the Commanders had no answer for Jahmyr Gibbs. Lions OC Ben Johnson should've given Gibbs 25-30 touches. He was unstoppable.

This game was the perfect example of a bend-don't-break philosophy. But, most importantly, Washington forced five turnovers, including four interceptions — three from Jared Goff. The defensive line did a good job pressuring Goff against a stout offensive line, forcing the Pro Bowl quarterback off his spot. After finishing last for two consecutive years, the Washington Commanders surged to 11th overall. The Commanders’ improved rating reflects how meaningful improvements to players’ daily experience can be achieved, even with physical facility limitations. Key to the turnaround was the hiring of Dan Quinn, who finished the season as the No.

1 ranked head coach across the league. Additionally, the team invested in the food program, improving their grade from a D+ to a B+. They also increased the frequency of family events and began providing daycare during home games which boosted their grade for treatment of families, rising from an F- to a B+. The improvement in team travel is notable, with 95% of players reporting comfortable personal space on flights, up from just 50% last year. The team’s strength coaches deserve special recognition for maintaining an A rating year after year. Despite progress, the facility itself remains a major issue.

The building is old and in need of major renovation. Players single out the locker room as the area that needs attention. When asked what the team does best, the most consistent response is clear: they are positively changing the culture—and it shows both in the survey results and on the field. The Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears faced off on Monday Night Football this week in a rematch of Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams. Last year, the Commanders took home the win after Daniels found Noah Brown in the end zone on a game-winning Hail Mary touchdown pass. This year, the ending was slightly different.

After taking a 13-7 deficit into the locker room at halftime, the Commanders seemed to come alive in the second half, scoring 10 points in the third quarter while holding the Bears to three... But the Bears simply wanted it more this year, and they took advantage of the Commanders' turnovers to get it done, including Daniels' fumble at the end of the game that led to the... Here's how we graded each unit, including Daniels in the Week 6 loss. Three turnovers are what truly hurt this grade. The offense as a whole played relatively well, but seemed to be on the wrong side of everything. The effort was there; they racked up 329 yards of offense, and it was balanced: 205 yards through the air and 124 yards on the ground.

We didn't see as much of Jacory Croskey-Merritt as we would have liked. He did get 17 touches, but averaged just 3.6 yards per carry against one of the league's bottom-10 run defenses. That's a far cry from the 6.1 yards per carry he averaged through the first five weeks. The Commanders signed defensive end Drake Jackson on Tuesday, following a loss to the Bears marked by epically poor defensive play. Quarterback pressure was nonexistent; the Commanders ended with three sacks, five quarterback hits, and five hurries. Williams still managed to record 252 yards through the air.

He spread the ball around, but the Commanders' biggest thorn was D'Andre Swift. Swift had 14 carries for 108 rushing yards, and two receptions for an additional 67 yards and a touchdown. They recorded zero takeaways. We'll cut them some slack because three turnovers put them in a horrible position. The NFC East now has more separation than any other division in the league as the Philadelphia Eagles (7-2) are the only team over .500. The Dallas Cowboys (3-5-1), Washington Commanders (3-7), and New York Giants (2-8) are all currently out of the NFC playoff picture, and time is running out.

Let’s take a look at Week 10 and hand out our NFC East Report Cards. It’s hard to knock a road win against a good team, so there’s not too much bad to say about the Eagles’ 10-7 win over the Green Bay Packers. While Philadelphia’s offense could’ve played better, their defense had their best game of the season. Now at 7-2, the Eagles have a chance to lock up the NFC East by early December. While the Packers defense is good, they’re not that good that the Eagles shouldn’t be able to score more than 10 points (including zero in the first half). Jalen Hurts and Co.

did enough for the win, but they can’t be too excited about not having a 200-yard passer, 70-yard rusher, or 70-yard receiver. The Eagles defense stepped up big in what became a slugfest as they held the Packers scoreless for 53 minutes. And on the road, no less. While they finally gave up a late touchdown to Josh Jacobs, the Eagles defense held the Packers to just seven points on the night – and they’ve averaged over 23 points per game so... We’ve come a long way from the Commanders being 3-2. After losing 44-22 to the Detroit Lions, Washington now sits at 3-7 with their fifth straight loss.

With Jayden Daniels likely out for the season with a dislocated elbow, the Commanders have an uphill battle as they’d likely need to run the table for a shot at the playoffs. If someone told you that the Washington Commanders would make it all the way to the NFC Championship after finishing 4-13 a year ago, you wouldn't have believed them. However, that's exactly what happened as the Commanders bought into the new setup and blazed themselves a trail to get good as quick as possible. Because of this, the Commanders received an "A" from Bleacher Report writer Maurice Moton's report cards. READ MORE: Commanders make statement regarding DMV plane crash "Head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels have set the foundation for the franchise's bright future," Moton writes."Like he did with the Atlanta Falcons, Quinn assembled a quality coaching staff that helped expedite...

The rookie signal-caller threw for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions with an impressive 69 percent completion rate and ran for 891 yards and six touchdowns."As Quinn and coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. coached up the defense, Daniels put together jaw-dropping performances that included multiple game-winning drives. With his calm, fearless demeanor, Daniels led the Commanders to two road playoff victories, knocking off the No. 1-seeded Detroit Lions in one of those contests."Washington far exceeded expectations. The Commanders' one-year rebuild opened their Super Bowl window." The Washington Commanders fell to 3-4 on the season after Sunday's 44-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

It was another game marred by injuries for Washington, with quarterback Jayden Daniels suffering a hamstring injury and defensive end Dorance Armstrong leaving with a knee injury. There is good and bad news on those injuries. Daniels' hamstring injury is only a minor concern, but Armstrong's knee injury is season-ending. That's a huge blow to an already struggling defense. Armstrong leads the Commanders with 5.5 sacks and has nine sacks in his last 10 games. As for Sunday's loss, Daniels never really had a chance with his top three receivers out.

That allowed a bottom-five Cowboys' defense to load up to stop the run and dare the Commanders' receiving corps to beat them in man coverage. Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense did the rest. Before we turn the page to Week 8, let's grade Washington's loss to the Cowboys with our Week 7 report card. Pass protection wasn't a major concern. The final stats looked solid for the running game, but 69 of the 136 yards came on scrambles from quarterbacks Daniels and Marcus Mariota. Rookie Bill Croskey-Merritt managed just 33 yards on 13 carries.

Overall, not a great day for the running game, despite respectable statistics. To see Washington's ratings from 2023, click here. Josh Harris purchased the Washington Commanders in July this past year. The organization received low marks across the board last year, so there is no shortage of issues that need marked improvement after years of neglect. The one bright spot for the club is the players’ ranking of the Commanders strength coaches, with 98% of player respondents saying that they get the best possible individualized plan. The survey data reveals a long list of items with the workplace that continue to be problems, and players expressed that they have grown tired of the deficiencies.

To start, the locker room is small and in desperate need of renovation, with players reporting multiple sewage leaks. The training room is significantly understaffed, with only 52% of players saying they receive an adequate amount of one-on-one treatment time for injury recovery and prevention. Equipment in the weight room and training room was described as below the standards required of a professional sports franchise, and the Commanders are one of seven teams where players believe the club’s facility... When asked what the number one issue respondents want to prioritize for fixing, most players couldn’t come up with just one. Instead, the common answer was the entire facility. The players understand that the new club ownership didn’t create these current problems, and they are hopeful that the new team ownership is willing to do what it takes to fix them.

People Also Search

For The First Time In 33 Years, The Washington Commanders

For the first time in 33 years, the Washington Commanders are headed to the NFC championship game. One year removed from going 4-13, the Commanders won 12 regular-season games and two road playoff games and will face the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles for the right to play in the Super Bowl. The Commanders and Eagles began playing one another in 1934 but have only met in the postseason once, in...

Jayden Daniels Was Not Sacked. The Commanders Rushed For 182

Jayden Daniels was not sacked. The Commanders rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 299 yards and two more touchdowns. While Washington was only four of 12 on third down, it was bolstered by converting three of four on fourth down. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury had an answer for everything. The Commanders needed to keep scoring and not punt. While Tress Way did punt — just...

The Offense Did What It Had To Do To Win

The offense did what it had to do to win the game. A terrific performance. The only reason we aren't giving Washington an A+ here is because it did allow 521 yards of total offense. Sure, some of that yardage came late in the game when Detroit's fate was already decided, but the Commanders had no answer for Jahmyr Gibbs. Lions OC Ben Johnson should've given Gibbs 25-30 touches. He was unstoppable.

This Game Was The Perfect Example Of A Bend-don't-break Philosophy.

This game was the perfect example of a bend-don't-break philosophy. But, most importantly, Washington forced five turnovers, including four interceptions — three from Jared Goff. The defensive line did a good job pressuring Goff against a stout offensive line, forcing the Pro Bowl quarterback off his spot. After finishing last for two consecutive years, the Washington Commanders surged to 11th ove...

1 Ranked Head Coach Across The League. Additionally, The Team

1 ranked head coach across the league. Additionally, the team invested in the food program, improving their grade from a D+ to a B+. They also increased the frequency of family events and began providing daycare during home games which boosted their grade for treatment of families, rising from an F- to a B+. The improvement in team travel is notable, with 95% of players reporting comfortable perso...