5 winners for the Commanders in road win over Chargers include young players’ breakout seasons happening before our eyes
The Commanders needed to see these steps from the youth of the roster.
What a massive win for the Washington Commanders, who finally proved they can win on the road, and against a quality opponent in the Los Angeles Chargers.
Head coach Dan Quinn said it took a whole team effort and complementary football to get the win, but it also came with some impressive individual performances worth noting. Of course, we saw the impact of Jayden Daniels in his return, and how much of a steal getting Deebo Samuel was, but there were some young players who made the most of their opportunities on Sunday as well.
RB Bill Croskey-Merritt
Sunday was the Bill Croskey-Merritt breakout game we have been begging for. It wasn’t that Croskey-Merritt hadn’t done anything yet; it’s that the Commanders simply didn’t run the ball enough, despite being second in the league in rushing yards going into Week 5. That changed against the Chargers, and Croskey-Merritt should be the lead back the rest of the season.
Croskey-Merritt now has more rushing yards and touchdowns than Saquon Barkley after his 111 rushing yards and two touchdown performance on Sunday, and he doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon.
WR Luke McCaffrey
The 2025 season had been exactly what Luke McCaffrey needed with his development and opportunities. The absence of Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown has led to a bigger role for McCaffrey, and he made sure he made the most of it. After back-to-back touchdown games, McCaffrey showed he can be a deep threat after catching a 50-yard bomb from Daniels.
He showed the ability to adjust and catch through contact, which is something the coaching staff needed to see in his development. McCaffrey is turning into a real threat on offense, as well as one of the best kick returners in the league.
CB Mike Sainristil
It’s been a rough start for Mike Sainristil, who was one of the best rookie corners in the league last year, but Sunday may have changed things for him. He did jump offside on the Chargers’ field goal attempt, but that fired him up for the rest of the game to play better. Sainristil had his best game of the season in coverage, allowing just three catches for 23 yards. The highlight of the day came when a tipped pass came his way, and he brought in an interception at the goal line to keep the Chargers from scoring.
LB Jordan Magee
Another thing we’ve been dying to see this season is some of the younger linebackers getting actual playing time after Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu saw 100% of snaps against the Atlanta Falcons. Although he didn’t see the field a ton, Jordan Magee finally got a shot on 12 snaps, and he showed what he’s capable of.
Magee was brought on a blitz, and even though he didn’t get the sack, the pressure moved Herbert into a sack by Johnny Newton. He also had a big-time tackle for a loss in the red zone on a run by Omarion Hampton, and hopefully, we get to see more of that moving forward.
DT Johnny Newton
Johnny Newton is someone flying under the radar this season, but I’ve already mentioned him twice in this article on the big plays he made on Sunday. The tip that led to the Sainristil interception in the red zone saved the Chargers from scoring, and it would’ve been only a 20-17 game with over seven minutes left. He also had four pressures, three hurries, a sack, and ended up being the second-highest graded defender for the Commanders.
It’s very encouraging to see younger players step up in their development, and also get the actual chance to show what they can do, and it made all the difference in the world on Sunday. The Commanders will need this trend to continue for the team to get the most out of their roster and fight for a playoff spot down the road.
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