- 6 weeks ago
We’re now just three days away from Washington’s week two clash with the Cowboys! In this segment, The Sports Junkies break down their expectations for the Commanders on Sunday afternoon. What are you hoping to see from Washington in week two?
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00:00Can you play the hail?
00:02Sure.
00:03I get a little bit fired up here.
00:04I can do that for you.
00:05I mean, we're at Thursday now.
00:06We just start to get fired up.
00:08All right, so Commanders, you know, still 0-1 after the two-point loss at Philly.
00:14Of course, they play the Dallas Cowboys Sunday.
00:17It's a 4-25 kick, much to my chagrin.
00:20Kind of wait around all the 1 o'clock boring games.
00:24Yeah, what are you going to do from 1 until 4-25?
00:26I'll watch.
00:26What's on the docket?
00:27I'll watch whatever boring games are.
00:30But I don't have near the interest.
00:32Of course, it's an opportunity for some injured guys, hopefully, to play.
00:40We've got George Armstrong, who was suspended for one game.
00:45Opportunity for him to get him back out on the field.
00:48Let me give you an update here on where we are in terms of injuries.
00:50Then we'll play some audio from DQ.
00:53Play some audio from Sam Cosme yesterday.
00:56First of all, did not practice.
00:58Frankie Louvoo and Chig.
01:01Frankie's got the groin.
01:02It's been described as a minor strain, but his availability at this point is uncertain.
01:09I've got to imagine if I was a betting person, I'd bet both miss with soft tissue injuries.
01:14Chig has the hamstring.
01:15They haven't described that as minor or severe.
01:19We don't really know at this point.
01:21But neither practice it.
01:23Practiced.
01:25Limited, you have Dorrance Armstrong.
01:27I don't know why.
01:28I guess he's still kind of nursing a knee.
01:30Of course, he missed the first game because of a one-game suspension.
01:35Casey, Kalevon Chason with a knee.
01:37He was limited.
01:38Jalen Lane with a groin.
01:39Limited.
01:40Amenahou with an ankle.
01:42Limited.
01:43Adafi Owe, limited with a calf.
01:46A lot of the pass rushers either limited or having issues.
01:49This kid's kind of scary here.
01:51That is a little scary.
01:51Deron Payne also.
01:53Limited with a knee.
01:54Full participants on guys that are kind of nursing things.
01:56You mentioned earlier in the show, Tyler Owens, the special teams superstar.
02:04Getting attention around the world for his coverage.
02:08He was a full participant with an ankle.
02:10He said he feels fine.
02:11It's no big deal.
02:12Been hurt way worse before.
02:14Ketron Allen, I guess, is kind of nursing an ankle and a knee,
02:17but good enough for him to be a full participant.
02:19Also, Chris Paul has got an ankle, but he was a full participant.
02:24Everybody's feeling something.
02:26Yeah, once the games start.
02:27But I would agree.
02:28I think Louvoo and Chig are going to be out.
02:30I think those guys will be out.
02:31Hopefully, all these guys that are limited.
02:33Good job, Jinkson.
02:34We'll be available.
02:35Jason, by talking about how he plays in 17 games every single season.
02:39I know.
02:40I was thinking about that the other day.
02:42That's all we talked about in the training camp.
02:46His availability.
02:47Does it miss games?
02:48He's bulletproof.
02:49The first game he misses.
02:50He's going to miss.
02:51He's going to miss his first.
02:52Well, he's on track to miss his first game.
02:54In his first game with the Commanders, he only plays a half.
02:56Right.
02:59The ultimate jam.
03:00The entire fan base should blame Cakes.
03:01I feel slightly responsible.
03:03All right.
03:03So, they did sign a couple guys yesterday.
03:06And you know what?
03:07One of them, shocker, a veteran guard slash center.
03:12Is that the Lucas?
03:13Lucas Patrick.
03:146'3", 313 pounds.
03:17Undrafted out of that powerhouse Duke in 2016.
03:21But he has played 113 career games.
03:23He's got 65 starts.
03:25That's a lot of experience.
03:26He's got 28 career starts at center.
03:31And he's got 37 career starts at guard.
03:35So, I like it.
03:36He's played with the Packers, the Bears, the Saints, the Bengals.
03:40And then he was in camp with the Giants.
03:42They let him go.
03:43Apparently, he has maybe a knee issue or something that maybe was a contributing factor why the Giants let him
03:49go.
03:50They did sign him for depth behind Allegretti, Cosme, Chris Paul.
03:53So, I like that.
03:55I like that signing.
03:56They also signed two guys to the practice squad, including Marvin Jones, the outside linebacker.
04:01He's an undrafted rookie, son of the former Jets linebacker Marvin Jones.
04:04Marvin Jones Jr.
04:05Played at Georgia on that national championship team in 2022.
04:09He's described as an athletic edge rusher with length and explosiveness.
04:15He signed with Seattle as an undrafted free agent.
04:18Was waived to cut.
04:19Spent a short time on the practice squad.
04:21And then he signed with Washington.
04:25Austin Keys, another linebacker.
04:27Played at Ole Miss.
04:29And Auburn went undrafted in 2025.
04:33Made the Vikings' initial 53-man roster last year.
04:38Appeared in 11 games with seven tackles and a sack.
04:42Mostly on special teams.
04:43Then he later spent time with the Cardinals before an injury settlement.
04:48They added him for potentially some special teams depth, etc.
04:53After Jordan McGee's IR move.
04:56When they signed these guys, did they have to release guys?
04:58Yes.
04:58They released DJ Johnson and Darius Rush earlier in the week to create some space.
05:05Some space on the practice squad, right?
05:06Yeah.
05:07So, unfortunately, injuries, you know, part of the game is going to factor into this game.
05:16Valdez, I know we have some audio.
05:18Let's play Sam Cosme's first, if you have that.
05:22I think Sam was kind of asked about some of the criticisms of the offensive line.
05:26And he got a little testy.
05:27We're going to have to prove the whole world wrong.
05:30Like I said, I like being underdogs.
05:32So, you know, I really don't care what other people believe about us.
05:36I know what we have in our group and how hard we put and, you know, how hard we work
05:39and the work we put in.
05:41So, I don't really care about what people don't.
05:45People don't know, like, the ins and outs about what's in the game plan.
05:49You know, they see things and they're like, oh, my gosh, this, that, and the other.
05:51It's the most annoying thing.
05:53People just need to shut up sometimes and just, they don't know game.
05:56They really don't.
05:56So, just watch the tapes and shut your mouth.
06:00Wow.
06:00See, calling people non-ball knowers out there.
06:03He's right.
06:04He's probably right.
06:05He's right.
06:06For the most part.
06:06He and his, you know, line mates, they know way more about playing offensive line than we do.
06:12He's right about that.
06:14True, but we can also tell if a guy misses a block.
06:17Absolutely.
06:18And a play gets stuffed.
06:19Yeah.
06:20You don't have to be a football coach or a former player to know that.
06:24You don't have to be an insider.
06:24No, you can see the basics.
06:25But the other stuff, yeah, he's right.
06:27But, like, you watch a guy like Logan Paulson.
06:28Logan does the Take Command pod with Grant, you know, and I watch those guys and listen
06:33to those guys.
06:34And when you hear him talk ball.
06:35You have to be a Paulson to be in on it.
06:36Apparently, you do.
06:37When you hear Logan talk ball about, and he's using all the Mike Linebacker and this and
06:42the Will and, you know, I know those are terms we've all heard.
06:45But you could get kind of, like, he's watching it at a different level than the rest of us,
06:53right?
06:53He's noticing things and nuances that the rest of us just don't notice.
06:57He has a much more trained eye.
06:59Is he noticing mistakes and weaknesses on the line?
07:02Or is he being very positive?
07:04Specific to the offensive line?
07:05Yeah.
07:06I don't remember.
07:07I think overall his characterization of the offensive line was they held up pretty well.
07:12I think he defensively, I listened to a lot of defensively this week, and they were kind
07:20of focused.
07:20I didn't realize this.
07:21The Commanders really struggled.
07:24Obviously, it's a big stat that people pay attention to, but I didn't.
07:28They really struggled on third down.
07:30A lot of their explosives were given up.
07:33At least three of them were on third down.
07:36Saquon's 42-yard run was on third and two.
07:40Devontae Smith's 31-yard catch was on third and five.
07:44And then Hurts, the big scramble that we all talked about, that was the third and 18 in
07:48the fourth quarter.
07:49That was just absolutely devastating.
07:52Of course, you also had Goddard's 17-yard touchdown on third down.
07:57I guess technically that's not an explosive.
07:58It was like under 20 yards.
08:01Seemed pretty explosive to me.
08:02But seemed pretty explosive.
08:04Overall, the Commanders allowed the Eagles to convert 42%, almost 43%, on third down,
08:116 of 14.
08:12They got to do a little bit better there.
08:17Speaking of defensively, I know that Logan feels like a guy like Mikey, who's been in
08:25the league for a couple years now, has put enough good things on tape.
08:27They know how competitive he is.
08:29He played at a very high level, obviously, in college.
08:31That he can do this, but he needs to be a little more honed in on his technique.
08:37He needs to be a little bit more locked in sort of on what his overall responsibility
08:41is.
08:42And I know that Coach DQ was asked about Mikey, and he also echoed some similar sentiments.
08:49And then with Mikey, a guy who's been a starter for a while, you seem to make a number of
08:53great plays over the years.
08:55Has this rough game.
08:56How do you sort of balance, you know, giving him, like how long is a leash, I guess, essentially
09:01on, how long do you give him to really improve it and show what he can do versus, you know.
09:06Yeah, I've got a lot of confidence in Mike.
09:08I really do.
09:08I love him.
09:09And I'm certain that he'll be one leveling up, you know, on plays that he knows can be
09:15controlled.
09:16Somebody makes a beach on a good play, man, we tip our hat and say, you know, good space
09:20to go.
09:20But that's the spot that we want to see, just, man, staying in constant things that
09:25he can control, the call, the technique, and that.
09:27And I've got a lot of confidence in him.
09:29I'm certain that'll get done.
09:31So I was, you know, he was pretty critical of him.
09:34He's not typically, particularly, you know, open about criticism of his guys, like naming
09:41guys.
09:43And, you know, basically talked about how unacceptable it was.
09:46But, you know, obviously a lot more complimentary, a lot more confident.
09:50You know, I don't know if those are real words or what, but the fact of the matter is with
09:54Mikey, and this is what I think people struggle with, he has made big plays for this team.
09:59You know, he does have a nose for the football.
10:02He's just got to play better.
10:03And they don't have Trey Amos.
10:05They're going to face two great receivers this week.
10:08So he's got to step up.
10:09Well, it just seemed like he was a little lost, maybe.
10:13And the way Logan described it was that sometimes, you know, you're just kind of worried about
10:18everyone's responsibilities where, in instance, like, you've got to really lock in and do
10:23your job.
10:24Focus on your responsibility only.
10:28Yep.
10:28And let everything else take care of itself.
10:29Don't worry about what everybody else is doing.
10:31You've got to lock in on whoever you're covering.
10:33Lock in 100% on what you're doing.
10:35You can't cover for everybody.
10:36You can know exactly where you're supposed to be.
10:39You're going to probably take a little extra time in your playbook and in your studying
10:44this week to really, really make sure your position and your responsibilities are covered
10:50to the best of your abilities.
10:52You're going to get beat.
10:53That's just the nature of the position.
10:55Me, you can still do all that and still just get beaten by a player of more talent, which
10:59is generally what's going to happen when you line up against CeeDee Lamb and Pickens.
11:04Correct.
11:04Yeah, but you don't want Wicks spinning you like a top.
11:07Yeah, that's a bad look.
11:09Yeah, I mean, he made Wicks look like Jerry Rice.
11:11I understand.
11:12I saw it.
11:13I know you saw it.
11:14By the way, on the flip side for Dallas, they've got a couple of injuries on the defensive
11:19side.
11:19So, DeMarvion Overshone, who's their starting, I think he's a middle linebacker.
11:24He's got a hamstring, right?
11:25Yeah, he was crying on the field against the Giants.
11:28That doesn't look good.
11:29Because he's had a bunch of injuries.
11:30He just can't escape it.
11:31He's a good player.
11:32He's always hurt.
11:33And then Malik Hooker, their free safety, he also got hurt.
11:36So, they've got a couple of guys.
11:38Yeah, I think he had a forearm surgery.
11:41Yeah, so they've got a couple of guys.
11:43So, Dallas allowed 134.2 passer rating to Jackson Dart in week one.
11:53There's an opportunity there.
11:54I know that Terry, you know, they're going to want to make even more of an emphasis, I
11:59think, this week, Cakes, of getting him the ball, especially early.
12:02He and Diggs might have an opportunity.
12:04The challenge is going to be converting it.
12:07The commanders themselves were five of 15 on third down.
12:11So, we've got to be better on third down defensively, and we've got to be better on third down offensively.
12:17Of course, they also failed the two-point attempt.
12:20No one liked that play.
12:22They left too many points on the field again last week.
12:28Yeah, and you just want to see the offense come out firing on the first drive.
12:32Not have it, you know, wait until it's urgent in the fourth quarter to really get, you know,
12:37like some steam behind them.
12:39Like, you don't want to see, you don't have to wait until the second half to see some offensive fireworks,
12:44especially if Dallas is down some key defensive players.
12:47You need to take advantage of all of that.
12:48So, one thing that also that I, when I listened to Logan and Grant, Logan emphasized is I guess Dallas
12:56actually did,
12:57even though they struggled defensively, somehow they did knock the football out four times.
13:05I think the Giants just picked all of them up, right?
13:09So, they're active.
13:11They're going to try to create turnovers.
13:12You just have one or two of those go in your favor.
13:16Could be a different game.
13:17Totally different game.
13:18You're flipping the game completely, right?
13:21So, that's something I think also that Washington will have an emphasis on, right?
13:28Going to try.
13:29Whoever wins the turnover battle, Cakes is going to be huge.
13:32It always is.
13:33It's going to be the second straight NFC East road game at AT&T Stadium.
13:41One good thing is Washington did win the time of possession.
13:45They did win the first down war.
13:48I mean, there were a lot of things you could point to that went well for Washington.
13:52Need that same formula to hit.
13:56Need Bill to hold on to the football.
13:59But I thought he was pretty effective when he was in there.
14:02I'd like to see a little bit more from Rashad White.
14:06I'd like to see a few more snaps, obviously.
14:08I think all of us would, from Antonio Williams.
14:11Let's get the ball to Terry a little earlier.
14:14If Chig's not going to be here, who's going to be your tight end that catches a few balls?
14:18Is it a safety valve?
14:19Who's it going to be?
14:20You'd like to see the Commanders replicate what the Giants did.
14:22Dallas only had two offensive possessions in the second half in that loss.
14:27Yeah.
14:27They couldn't stop them.
14:28Two in the second half.
14:29If you're able to dominate the ball like that and keep the ball away from them, that would be a
14:34great sign for the Commanders.
14:35The Giants rushed for $1.65.
14:39Jackson Dart had, what, 11 carries, I believe?
14:41Yeah, 11 for 54.
14:42Yeah, so he was heavily involved.
14:44Yeah, Eric, you're right.
14:44I mean, Tyrone Tracy was the only fumble out of the four that they actually lost.
14:48Yep.
14:48Likely fumbled one, they recovered it.
14:50Dart fumbled one, they recovered it.
14:52And Scadaboo, he also recovered one.
14:55That's impressive.
14:56I mean, they knocked those balls loose.
14:58They did.
14:58Remember.
14:59But the Giants were able to jump on them.
15:01So it's going to be interesting.
15:02We'll talk more NFL next.
15:03Brian Baldinger from Odyssey, analyst for NFL Network.
15:07He will join us next here on The Fan.