Commanders Vs. Lions (Playoff Game Two) – Studs and Duds

What a win Saturday night on the road in a hostile environment against the NFC’s number one seed!

Washington came to play, and although not everything was perfect (the defense allowed a whopping 201 rushing yards and three touchdowns), Joe Whitt’s unit had five turnovers and the offense put 39 points on the board to come away with a convincing 45-31 win to advance to the NFC Championship game at Philly against the Eagles next Sunday.

The magical season continues…

Below are my Studs and Duds of the game, followed by some Notes.

Studs:

Jayden Daniels – Daniels was absolutely incredible, passing for 299 yards and two touchdowns while adding 51 yards on the ground. Most importantly, he took care of the football all game. In a hostile environment, he remained cool, calm and collected and never let the moment get too big for him. He is a special talent who is having a special season!

Terry McLaurin – As he’s done all year, Terry stepped up big and made some HUGE plays for the offense. He had a beautiful catch and run on a quick screen where he took it to the house from 58 yards out.

Brian Robinson – Robinson has had a really rough past five weeks, however he stepped his game up against Detroit, rushing for 77 yards on 15 carries and scored twice. He displayed good vision and burst on the evening and looked like the Brian Robinson of old.

Dyami Brown – Brown led all Washington receivers with six receptions for 98 yards. He’s really stepped up over the last four weeks, including both playoff games, and is beginning to look like a legit NFL receiver.

Mike Sainristil – Sainristil is becoming a frequent member of the Studs list – and for good reason. The rookie had another excellent game defensively recording five tackles and two HUGE interceptions, one of which happened in the endzone against Jameson Williams right before halftime.

Jeremy Chinn – Chinn led the Commanders in total tackles with 12 and recorded a game-ending interception off Goff. He’s been very good down the stretch and may have played his way to a new contract in D.C.

Quan Martin – Martin has quietly put together a very nice season. He had a big interception that he returned for a touchdown. That play set the tone for Washington’s defense.

Dorance Armstrong – Armstrong made an impact for the Washington defense all evening, recording three tackles, two of which were sacks (one a strip sack which Frankie Luvu recovered) and two pressures.

Brandon Coleman – The rookie has had a pretty rough season at left tackle, but he looked the part and played the part against the Lions, showing well in both pass protection and run blocking. It was one of his best games of the season.

Duds:

There will be no DUDS names in this playoff edition of Studs and Duds.

Notes:

• Frankie Luvu was making splash plays all game, including a fumble recovery and a big hit on Goff during Martin’s interception return.
• Zach Ertz continues to show his value for the rookie Daniels in this offense. He had five receptions for 28 yards and a score.

• Austin Ekeler played a big part in the game as both a runner and receiver. He averaged 7,8 YPC on six attempts and caught four passes for 41 yards.

• Dante Fowler recorded a nice TFL, a QB hit and two pressures in the game.

• Again, Daron Payne recorded no meaningful stats.
• Unlike his counterpart, Jon Allen was getting pressure on Goff and caused some hurried throws.
• I was surprised to see Trent Scott play well when he came in for the injured Sam Cosmi at right guard.

• Marshon Lattimore had a pretty nice game against Detroit’s receivers and looked like he’s not reeling anymore from the hamstring issue.
• Bobby Wagner is the leader of this defense but make no mistake about it – he’s a liability in coverage.

• Tress Way punted just once in the game and landed the 48 yarder inside the 20.
• Prayers for a speedy recovery to Sam Cosmi who suffered a torn ACL.