The Commanders’ upset of the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks came with a twist: Washington did it without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, and it instantly put new offensive coordinator David Blough in the spotlight.
That attention wasn’t exactly coming from nowhere. Two weeks ago, Blough’s play-calling debut against the Philadelphia Eagles looked rough, with the offense stuck until the fourth quarter and his attempt at a game-tying two-point conversion falling flat. Now the conversation around him has flipped hard.
Instead of wondering whether the promotion was too soon, people around the league are already talking about whether Washington could have a bigger issue on its hands - keeping Blough.
Blough fits the profile teams chase in a modern head coach. He’s young, he’s offense-driven, and he played in the league while learning under some of the game’s top schemers. That combination has already pushed his name into the mix for future openings, even after just this early stretch in Washington.
Head coach Dan Quinn and the Commanders took a calculated gamble when they elevated Blough, who was the assistant quarterbacks coach a year ago. His rise has been so fast that Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell was considering hiring him for the same job, and Washington clearly believed it couldn’t afford to lose him.
Now the irony is that the Commanders may have to brace for the same kind of attention again this offseason.
Still, it’s hard to see Blough walking out after only one season as offensive coordinator. He’s 31, and the youngest head coach in the league is Joe Brady at 37. Even Sean McVay stayed three years as Washington’s play caller before leaving for the Los Angeles Rams, and plenty of people thought he wasn’t ready at the time.
Blough is going to have his ups and downs this season. More experienced names will probably get the first calls when head-coaching jobs open up. But that doesn’t mean his name won’t come up in the next cycle.
And if he keeps looking like this, Washington will have to start thinking about what comes next. That could eventually mean Blough as Quinn’s successor.
It’s the kind of NFL problem teams dream about and dread at the same time. If Blough is getting head-coach buzz in January, that likely means the Commanders had a strong season. And if that’s the case, there may not be any urgency to move on from Quinn anyway.
So whether it’s this year, next year, or after that, Washington may eventually face a tough call on just how much Blough means to the organization.
For now, though, the Commanders can live with that. There are worse problems to have.
In Other News...
Commanders Suddenly Have A Bigger QB Question Than They Wanted
Marcus Mariotas relief turn against the Seahawks did more than steady the Commanders for a week. It also put him in the same conversation Jayden Daniels had been owning all season, as Mariota was voted FedEx Air Player of the Week after stepping in for the injured rookie and helping keep Washington on track.
Mariota completed 19 passes for 183 yards and 3 touchdowns with a 110.0 passer rating, and he even added a key rushing first down late in the game. Daniels had already won the same award three times during his rookie season, which is what makes this latest honor feel a little more complicated for Washington as it waits to see how the quarterback picture settles going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders May Have Found The Protection Answer Jayden Daniels Needed
Against a tough Seattle front, the Commanders offensive line turned in one of its more encouraging outings of the season, keeping Jayden Daniels upright and giving the offense a fighting chance. Washington allowed only two sacks and handled the pass rush well enough that the game never felt like it was slipping away because of protection issues, which has been a real concern at times this year.
The improvement came from a mix of schematic tweaks and cleaner individual work up front, and that combination mattered against a defense built to punish mistakes. For a team trying to maximize Daniels impact, Sunday offered at least a glimpse of a more workable formula, even if the bigger question is whether Washington can make that level of protection hold up once opponents have more film on it. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels Injury Outlook Just Became A Real Commanders Concern
Jayden Daniels has been working through another layer of discomfort as Washington prepares for the Colts, practicing with a large brace on his left arm to guard against further elbow dislocations after injuries last year and again earlier this season. The Commanders quarterback has opted to put surgery off until after the season, if he needs it at all, and his availability for Sunday remains part of the weekly uncertainty around a team trying to keep its season on track.
Daniels said the brace does limit his range of motion, but not his throwing motion, which leaves Washington in the familiar spot of balancing caution with urgency. He is taking things day by day, and for a Commanders team already watching closely, his status against Indianapolis now looms as one of the more important storylines of the week. [Read more 🡒]