Jayden Daniels and Commanders’ offense receive the boost they desperately needed heading into Cowboys matchup
The Commanders finally get some good news for Cowboys matchup.
The Washington Commanders are getting ready to kick off against the Dallas Cowboys on the road in a much-needed win in the NFC East, but they will be very short-handed today.
Injuries have had a major impact on the Commanders this season, and Sunday’s game against the Cowboys might be the worst injury report of the season. Jayden Daniels is fully healthy, which is a boost in itself, but he will be without his top-three wide receivers on the roster with Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, and Noah Brown all out against the Cowboys.
Daniels finally received some positive news before the game, as one of his other favorite targets, tight end Zach Ertz, will be officially playing after being listed as questionable as well.
Zach Ertz will play vs the Cowboys
Ertz was yet another name listed on the injury report as a late addition on Friday, and his game status was unknown heading into the weekend. He’s been dealing with a shoulder and calf injury, but he will be fighting through it to give Daniels help.
The Cowboys’ defense is one of the worst in the league, allowing a league-high 269 passing yards per game. The downside, however, is that they somehow do a great job against tight ends in coverage. They’ve only allowed 38 catches for 337 yards and one touchdown to all tight ends this season. Basically, all their big plays go to wide receivers, which is where the Commanders could struggle.
The Daniels and Ertz connection has been off to a slower start than expected, with only 192 yards through six games this season, but he has found the end zone three times. The Commanders’ offense needs him to make big plays on Sunday outside of the red zone, especially on third downs, to help move the chains. He will be one of the only real veterans playing on offense on Sunday as well.
Commanders’ youth has to step up
We’ve seen the development of Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane take a jump in the last few weeks, but this will be the biggest test for both, likely getting starting roles rather than just heavy rotational snaps. McCaffrey has had big plays downfield multiple times this season, and as I mentioned, the Cowboys’ defense will give him plenty of opportunities to add to his season totals.
Today will also show just how special Daniels is in the wide receiver room he’s playing with. The Commanders also elevated Robbie Chosen for his Commanders’ debut, and he can create some deep plays in the offense as well.
This will likely be a shootout with the Cowboys getting back wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and the Commanders need to lean on the run game to control the clock and limit offensive possessions for Dak Prescott and company.