Defenses are reportedly making specific adjustments to slow down the Commanders' Jayden Daniels-Terry McLaurin combination.
Although the Washington Commanders are still very much in contention for the NFC East title, Washington has lost its last two games. And part of that may be due to adjustments defenses are making as they see more of the Jayden Daniels-Terry McLaurin connection that spurred the Commanders to a 7-2 record.
McLaurin is on pace for a 1,000-yard season this year, but that pace has slowed considerably in the past three weeks. Since the beginning of November, the sixth-year receiver, who averaged 72.4 yards per game through the first eight games of the season, is averaging just 47.3 yards, a number buoyed by a 113-yard game vs. the Steelers two weeks ago. Against NFC East rivals New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, McLaurin tallied 19 and 10 yards, respectively.
The decrease in McLaurin's production over the past few weeks is part of a concerted effort by opposing defenses to limit how much the Commanders' rookie quarterback, who could still be dealing with a rib injury as well, can look to his favorite option.
“Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has faced back-to-back quality defenses in the Steelers and Eagles, who held him to a total of 393 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception. After talking to NFL coaches, the sense is defenses are trying to be more physical with Daniels, who is nursing a rib injury,” ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote. “They are also trying to blanket receiver Terry McLaurin and make Daniels beat them with targets to tight ends, running backs and the other wide receivers. So consider this a natural progression for Daniels as teams get more tape on him.
‘He will adjust with no problem — he's going to be a superstar,' said an NFL defensive coach who recently prepared for him. ‘Very savvy and poised.'”
Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin have been dynamite for Commanders
Daniels, as the No. 2 overall pick, came into the season with a sufficient amount of hype. But very few could have predicted how well the LSU product would do in his rookie season.
Through the first six games of the season, Daniels completed 75.3% of his passes, threw for 6 touchdowns, and ran in another four. But in Week 7, after attempting just two passes, Daniels exited the game vs. the Carolina Panthers. Although Washington cruised to a 40-7 win, Daniels did not return due to a rib injury.
His play, as expected, has dipped somewhat as a result, in addition to the fact he has faced some of the toughest defenses in the league in recent weeks. In the four games since getting injured against Carolina, Daniels is completing just 59.5% of his passes and has, possibly more importantly, stopped running nearly as much.
Before the injury, Daniels averaged nearly 11 attempts and 54 yards per game on the ground. In the last four games, he is down to fewer than 7 attempts and 28 rushing yards per game. He has also not rushed for a touchdown since Week 4; he scored all four of his rushing touchdowns in the first four weeks of the season.
While Daniels likely can still run effectively, it may prove to be too much of a risk for the rookie and the Commanders, who could make their first playoff appearance since 2020 with a few more wins down the stretch. However, Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Daniels is no longer injured, so any issue might just be a thing of the past.
Daniels and the Commanders next face the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas, despite its record and porous secondary, has the highest hurry rate of any defense this season. Additionally, the Cowboys are one of the best teams in terms of pressure percentage and above average in knocking down the quarterback, which could make it a tough game for Daniels if that trend continues.