The commanders no longer marched past saints but asked questions in chaotic order

NEW ORLEANS – The story of the two halves against the New Orleans Saints could tell the rest of the story of the 2024 Washington Commanders.

The first 30 minutes were mostly filled with good stuff. Jayden Daniels maintained his standard of highly efficient performances, finding Terry McLaurin for two touchdowns. In Marshon Lattimore’s debut, Washington’s defense fended off New Orleans’ attack in every way possible, helping to create an overall dominant possession advantage.

Fast forward to the finish line. With the 20:19 win, the Commanders retained the NFC’s third and final wild card spot at 9:5 and set the franchise’s first winning record since 2016. Image aspects. Washington has far exceeded all realistic expectations for this campaign and the long-term ceiling is significantly higher thanks to Daniels’ advantage.

Go deeper

Aldridge: The Commanders’ victory in New Orleans was important, but not a major success

For those focused on the present, there were plenty of concerns in the second half, particularly on offense. Not the kind that’s limited to a single game. Well, outside of the chaotic final seconds in which Washington clung to a seven-point lead, a game official’s error stopped the clock, giving the Saints time to shoot the ball, call a play and allow a 1-yard touchdown pass complete tight end Foster Moreau as time expired.

Only an incomplete and potentially game-winning two-point conversion attempt by rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler against tight end Juwan Johnson suppressed cries of robbery from the guests’ locker room. The mood wasn’t exactly celebratory either.

“Wonderful game,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said after a game in which he touted a mixed bag of crucial moments. “Good and bad. Solid, but not at the level we need.”

The problems, some of which became apparent in the first half before multiplying in the third and fourth quarters, could keep Washington from joining the list of conference contenders. Those concerns, including nine penalties and eight sacks allowed, cannot be ignored heading into next week’s rematch and deciding game against the Philadelphia Eagles, an NFC East rival, and the final period.

Upon his return to Louisiana, where he played for LSU, Daniels completed 25 of 31 passes for 226 yards and two touchdown passes without an interception. The rookie didn’t see open receivers often. When he did, the passes were completed. When he threw to the unstoppable McLaurin, they usually turned into touchdowns.

McLaurin was positioned on the right side of the Saints’ 16 and ran out quickly, only to realize that the play had turned into a scramble and Daniels was heading toward the left sideline. McLaurin embodied the passing game mantra “The ball finds energy” and ran to an opening in the middle of the end zone. “(I) threw my hand up and he threw a rocket,” McLaurin said.

THAT’S 10 TDs FOR @TheTerry_25 #ProBowlVote

📺 #WASvsNO FOX pic.twitter.com/ehNbHChUrT

– Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 15, 2024

Scored a 3-yard touchdown with 5:38 left in the first half and McLaurin extended his career-high in touchdown receptions to 11 with his fourth two-touchdown game of the season and second in as many games. He scored all six in the 14-0 first half as Daniels completed 17 of 19 for 140 yards and had a QB rating of 132.5.

“My very first game at LSU was here on a Sunday and we lost by one point,” Daniels said, referencing LSU’s 24-23 loss to Florida State in September 2022. “So it felt good to win by one point (Sunday). ).”

McLaurin finished the game with seven receptions on 10 for 73 yards and those two scores. Crown Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase or another tandem as the league’s best quarterback-receiver combination. More than fair. What Daniels and McLaurin cooked this season definitely needs to be on Emeril Lagasse’s menu.

Washington held the ball for 40:50 of the game and McLaurin repeatedly fired up the defenders. Of the pair’s three incompletions, Daniels threw two to the wide-open receiver in the second half, which were likely touchdowns. McLaurin had a chance in the third, but Daniels threw it too late and the receiver couldn’t field the contested deep ball.

The Saints’ impressive pass rush destroyed other attempts. Using an offensive line without center Tyler Biadasz, who was late due to illness, New Orleans repeatedly pressured Daniels. Two of those eight takedowns were made by former Washington edge rusher Chase Young. Some were on Daniels.

Whether he was waiting for the non-McLaurin receivers to create space or failing to recognize the danger surrounding him, Daniels ran into traffic as often as he lost tackles or ran away from them. He finished the game with 66 rushing yards on 11 carries, but Washington lost 37 yards on those eight sacks. Quinn said he wanted to watch the film before explaining what went wrong. Daniels didn’t need any more time.

“That’s what I put on, not the O-line,” Daniels said.

It’s also fair to question whether Daniels will consistently find open targets against stingier defenses. Washington began the game without wide receiver Noah Brown and running back Austin Ekeler, both on injured reserve. Then the Commanders lost tight end Zach Ertz to a concussion on the back end of a brilliant 19-yard one-handed catch at the Saints’ 3-yard line in the second quarter, setting up Daniels’ second touchdown pass.

These three pass catchers represent Washington’s all-time leader in receptions after McLaurin. Teams fight back against the injury excuse, but the “next man up” mantra only goes so far.

“It sucks letting guys down, but it’s part of the game,” tight end John Bates said. “We have great people on the team and no one will shy away from it.”

Go deeper

NFL Week 15 Takeaways: Who Leads the MVP Race: Allen or Lamar? Assessing the NFC Super Bowl contenders

Perhaps feeding leading rusher Brian Robinson Jr., a logical approach against the league’s worst rush defense entering Week 15, would have given the Saints’ pass rushers a break before rushing over the line. On the other hand, Robinson managed 65 yards on 21 carries – just seven carries in the first half. That average of 3.1 yards per carry against a defense that allowed an average of 5.0 in 13 games – and Michael Deiter replaced Biadasz – perhaps explains why offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury called for passes or Daniels rushed.

Midway through the second quarter, Robinson was denied an attempt on third-and-1 from the Saints’ 1-yard line. Instead, Daniels jumped outside and was dropped for a sack on the scheduled play, leading to the first of two made field goals by new kicker Greg Joseph. Joseph, who was added to the roster this week to replace the injured Zane Gonzalez, made a 41-yard field goal on the opening play of the fourth quarter after a miss at the end of the third quarter did not count because time expired.

As the tension grew in the second half, Daniels remained calm. Immediately after the final missed connection with McLaurin, the quarterback delivered a chain-moving 6-yard pass to Bates. Two plays later, Daniels completed a 13-yard pass to Olamide Zaccheaus over the middle on second-and-12. Then came a 23-yarder to Dyami Brown at the Saints 10-yard line. Great – left guard Nick Allegretti had to hold. Three plays later, Quinn favored the odds that Joseph would attempt a 54-yard field goal rather than punt from the 36-yard line. The kick went wrong and set up the crazy finish.

Defensively, cornerback Mike Sainristil’s second-quarter interception at midfield caused the game’s only turnover and led to McLaurin’s 3-yard touchdown. On the other hand, New Orleans rarely looked Lattimore’s way in its first game since the Nov. 5 trade that sent the ex-Saint to the Commanders.

“I haven’t seen too much action, but I’m happy to be out there,” the four-time Pro Bowler said after Washington’s second straight win. “It was a great feeling.”

The commanders changed defenders frequently. Whatever the group did worked early on, but they were less certain in the second half when the Saints replaced the overwhelmed Jake Haener with Rattler. After 38 net yards and two first downs before halftime, New Orleans outscored Washington 207-161, scoring on all four possessions in the second half. Safety Jeremy Chinn had one of the team’s three sacks before exiting with a possible concussion. He wasn’t on the field for the most controversial finish.

With 17 seconds left, Rattler completed a 7-yard pass to Moreau on fourth-and-3 from Washington’s 8-yard line. As the Saints began to push toward the 1-yard line, the official closest to the play signaled for the clock to stop. The scoreboard operator complied, but restarted the clock after a few seconds had passed. Otherwise, Rattler’s spike might not have happened. Daniels was one of several players who didn’t know about the clock issue until meeting with reporters.

Speaking to a pool reporter, referee Shawn Hochuli acknowledged that “the clock shouldn’t have stopped,” but added that the situation was not reviewable. Although Quinn was frustrated by the scenario, he refrained from expressing his thoughts because he had not heard from the officials at the time of his postgame press conference. “I’m going the right way,” he said, before channeling his inner Bill Belichick. “On to Philadelphia.”

Pool report about the brief interruption of the clock with nine seconds left. (H/T @ByLukeJohnson).

Not verifiable… pic.twitter.com/ccMM1vQWTa

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) December 15, 2024

To their credit, the Saints, now 5-9, created obstacles, but the Commanders had plenty of chances to eliminate the home team. You can’t expect those chances to continue to be plentiful against conference heavyweights. But as McLaurin watched New Orleans try to eke out a win, he thought about the ongoing internal discussion about big moments.

“I know I have faith that we can get through these moments. “That’s what we talk about all the time, these defining moments,” McLaurin said.

The final scoreboard showed the commanders had made enough of it. However, they might not be so lucky if they make similar efforts in the coming weeks.

(Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)