Washington’s first real glimpse of how defenses plan to deal with Terry McLaurin came fast, and it didn’t take long for the Commanders to see the challenge ahead.
Offensive coordinator David Blough spent the offseason talking about a new attack built around McLaurin, even laying out the vision in plain terms: "This thing's going to be built around how do we get Terry 10 targets a game and get him explosive receptions after explosive receptions to kind of flip the field." Against Philadelphia, though, McLaurin’s production was limited to four targets, two catches, and 14 yards. Two of those looks came on Washington’s final drive.
That wasn’t simply a matter of the Commanders failing to feature him. Philadelphia clearly made removing McLaurin from the equation a central part of its plan, forcing Jayden Daniels and the rest of Washington’s offense to look elsewhere.
Dan Quinn addressed that approach on Monday and explained how defenses that don’t lean heavily on man coverage can use a corner to cloud a specific receiver. "Yes.
It's not so unique. So, you'll hear like somebody trying to take somebody away.
If you don't play a lot of man-to-man, it's usually a corner that clouds to that person. You try to move somebody around.
The best defenses, like Philadelphia, can move that around if you're outside, inside. It does create moments and opportunities if you're gonna be extra strong in one area where other ops are available," Quinn said.
He added that Philly’s plan was aimed at keeping McLaurin from the deep ball: "But it was certainly, that was part of their game plan, was to say, ‘Hey, this is the person that we wanna prevent from the deep balls down the field.’ And that kinda leans into some of the other players."
Quinn also made clear the Commanders don’t see McLaurin’s quiet night as proof they can’t still find answers. "It doesn't mean that you can't still win and still beat him, and we certainly have ways to go do that."
The bigger issue now is how Blough adjusts when the first counterpunch arrives. Chasing a 10-target total just to chase it isn’t the point; the offense has to take what the defense gives. Still, if McLaurin is going to be the engine of this attack, Washington needs ways to get him involved earlier and force opponents to defend him differently.
That’s the next test in front of Blough, and Dallas will provide it. If Philadelphia showed the Commanders what a defense looks like when it decides to take McLaurin away, the Cowboys will show whether Blough already has a response.
Dallas also comes into the matchup with some injury issues on defense. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said safety Malik Hooker and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown are both expected to miss a couple of weeks after getting hurt in Week 1 against the New York Giants. Hooker fractured his forearm and will have surgery Tuesday.
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