The Washington Commanders dropped the latest game to the Detroit Lions, falling to 1-1 in the preseason slate, but the loss carried more intrigue than alarm.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels played three snaps, mainly because the defensive front flashed early, & the backup quarterback competition quietly became the most fascinating subplot of the summer.

The Commanders-Lions preseason game offered a window into where this roster stands heading toward a Week 1 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Sonny Styles is fine, and everyone needs to calm down

Firstly, let’s express gratitude that it wasn’t sloppy & nobody got hurt. With that being said, Daniels stepped into a preseason game, played his three snaps, and got out.

That alone is a win.

On defense, Commanders cornerback Amik Robertson started the game with a big play that included a big hit, smacking Lions QB Joshua Dobbs and forcing a fumble in the preseason matchup.

Commanders rookie EDGE Joshua Josephs picked it up and his effort resulted in a touchdown recovery that gave his team a 7-0 lead.

At the same time, Josephs also had a terrible read on the read option from Josh Dobbs, and everybody is picking apart Sonny Styles because he got caught up in a run block trying to roll with the running back, which was likely his responsibility.

There is a lot of false blame on Styles. By my read of the defensive play call, he made his play and followed his assignment as he should have.

Do not take stock in the idea that Styles had a bad day. He did fine. It is still my working theory that Washington is not deploying him in the preseason the way they would in the regular season.

The one idea I hope the Commanders’ defensive scheme does not have is Styles in a high-usage pass coverage position at linebacker.

That’s very Isaiah Simmons-esque. He is not a safety-linebacker hybrid, in my opinion. He is a linebacker-edge rusher hybrid. Why show your hand & tip off offenses on how Washington will use this guy in actual pass rush situations?

Right now he’s playing the linebacker position as intended. Follow the ball, flow back in your zone coverage. He looks fast. His hips look good. He still looks massive on the field.

The reaction was baffling. It’s almost like pre-bust talk, & it’s absurd. People watched one Lawrence Taylor documentary about him coming into the Giants in the 1980s and now everyone thinks you have to be the top dog, immediately.

Guess what? Styles is already first-string. But there is old hurt in Washington. People have seen the busts come in and out. The negativity is premeditated. People are trying to lower their expectations so they won’t be as hurt if it doesn’t pan out. I’m not dampening mine. He was fine.

Jayden Daniels, the offensive line, and the running game

Daniels took a sack, had a throwaway, handed off, & was done.

Thank you to Detroit & every pass rusher on that field for understanding it’s the preseason & not lifting up Daniels and planting him into the ground. Objectively, it’s a class move and his next time on the field will likely be Week1against Philadelphia.

Do I wish I had seen more before he squares up against the Eagles’ defense? Maybe a little. But the risk-versus-reward calculus is clear: A slightly rustier Daniels walking into Week 1 beats one who gets hurt in the preseason and isn’t able to use his total skill set.

You cannot win if he’s not in and able to create the magic we’ve seen thus far in his career.

Daniels spoke with DC media after the game. On the limited reps, he said, “I get paid to play football. It’s valuable reps, whether it’s in preseason or practice.”

Take it or leave it. Play me, don’t play me. You’re paying me to play football. On the offensive line, Daniels was quoted as saying it’s still a work in progress and the team will have it set in stone by Week 1. I hope so. Washington was rotating players from right tackle to left tackle, left guard to right guard. Everyone was a swing player, which is great for evaluation but terrible for cohesion. You cannot be a cohesive offensive line unit if everyone’s playing different positions all season. Set it in stone.

The running game totaled 17 carries for 35 yards, an average of 2.1 yards per carry, with a long of 11 via Kaytron Allen. There’s not much to love, there.

But with backup offensive linemen shuffling spots & stripped-down play calls, I’m not panicking. These are rudimentary game plans. Get your call, execute your assignment on simple plays. If David Blough is going to try to crack this thing open, why would you show the opposing defense the deep play action stuff you’ve been working on?

Tight ends have a nasty film session coming

The tight ends blocking in pass protection won’t have fun in this week’s practice.

John Bates got beat on a rush that led to Jayden Daniels being sacked. Look, I’ve been in some bad film sessions. The O-line coach is going to chew out these tight ends. The tight end coach is going to chew them out. Washington is going to need this group if Laremy Tunsil is down. If Washington faces a team like Philadelphia with pass rushers out the wazoo, there’s going to be a necessity for chip help from tight ends.

This tight end group has to be locked in on pass protection, or it will be an Achilles heel for the offense. It’s not a dynamic tight end room outside of Okonkwo.

When it comes to the tackles, Nicholas Petit-Frere had a rough day – his feet are not fast enough to play tackle in the NFL. I saw him get beat on the edge multiple times, doing chop steps instead of a confident, full-drop-step technique.

Scott at tackle was rough too, but keep playing him at guard where he can be protected by both sides. He is valuable to this team, just not at tackle.

Antonio Williams and Jaden Bradley are making noise

Antonio Williams was my player of the game for Washington. He finished the matchup with three catches for 41 yards on three targets and his best play was a catch where he confidently secured a ball over the middle.

In a receiver room where WR3-WR8 are fighting for spots, Williams took the stick & ran with it. His job security was already decent as a drafted rookie, but he showed why today.

Bradley might be staking a claim, too. The one-handed catch was impressive, but more importantly, his separation on other targets showed he can get open. The passes from Sam Hartman & Athan Kaliakmanis weren’t perfect, but Bradley was in position to catch the ball on most of his targets. Pair that natural separation with Daniels’ accuracy, & you’re looking at a likely catch more often than not.

The QB3 battle just got real

Kaliakmanis put on a clinic. He went 11-for-14, 162 yards, no sacks, no interceptions, & drove the ball down the field. Hartman wasn’t bad. He dropped one in the bucket in the fourth quarter to Craig Reynolds, and it was, a beautiful pass.

But Kaliakmanis has people excited, & if anyone tells you otherwise, they didn’t watch the game. His arm looked strong. He had zip on it.

With the Marcus Mariota injury, obviously Mariota is expected to be the backup when healthy. He’s Marcus Mariota. He’s won games in the NFL. But between Kaliakmanis & Hartman, preseason Week 3 is going to be a real discussion. A seventh-round pick out of Rutgers breathing down the neck of maybe a top-3 most handsome player in the NFL.

Incredible.

Good day for the fellas

The white uniforms were beautiful. They didn’t look like that mesh Arizona State stuff, didn’t look like the pajamas Miami, Atlanta, Baltimore, & Arizona are rolling out every week. Washington looked like a professional football team.

Overall, even in a loss, it was a good day for the fellas. Detroit is a good team. Washington didn’t get embarrassed, didn’t get blanked. The starters & fringe starters looked like they were hustling & played hard and that matters.

I’d put the regular season matchup at Washington winning six times out of 10. Offensive line concerns are valid, but everybody needs to buy gas if they want to drive. Philly’s coming soon. Buckle up.