The Commanders left Thursday night with a win over the Giants, and there was plenty to like about the way they fought on the road in primetime. But even in a victory, there was one problem that stood out fast: Washington still needs a short-yardage package.
That issue showed up late in the first half, when the Commanders had the ball at the half-yard line. The complaint is simple. Jayden Daniels should have scored on the quarterback lead, but the bigger point is that Washington should have leaned on its running back there instead.
David Blough’s gameplan also looked different from what Washington had been getting before, and that was a positive. The approach had more of a Kliff Kingsbury feel than a Ben Johnson one, with plenty of shotgun, tempo and chipping to help Brandon Coleman, who has been the weak link on the offensive line. The run game is still a major problem, but Blough did call a few designed runs for Daniels, which was a welcome wrinkle.
Still, the short-yardage issue is hard to ignore. Washington needs a heavy package for goal-line and other obvious power situations, especially with Daniels dealing with an elbow injury. There is no reason to want the 210-pound quarterback getting driven into a pile of 320-pound bodies by 250-pound defenders.
Marcus Mariota is another option, but he has had injury issues of his own this season, and the idea of putting him in harm’s way is not exactly appealing either.
That’s why Luke McCaffrey and Colson Yankoff make sense as possible answers. McCaffrey is 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, a former four-star quarterback recruit who committed to Nebraska for Scott Frost, played two seasons there, then transferred to Rice. He started three games at quarterback in 2021 before moving to wide receiver in 2022.
Yankoff brings a different background but a similar kind of versatility. The 6-4, 225-pound tight end was also a former four-star quarterback recruit, this time for the University of Washington. He redshirted as a freshman, transferred to UCLA, sat out the 2019 season under NCAA rules, and then switched to wide receiver/running back for the Bruins.
Both players can take a snap under center, and both have enough ball skills to handle traffic without looking like a turnover risk. They also have the size and the background to find a crease and get the yards Washington needs in those tight situations.
The ideal setup would use three tight ends, with two of them lining up in the backfield as up-backs and an extra lineman reporting as eligible to line up at tight end. The suggested look would put Luke McCaffrey or Colson Yankoff at quarterback, Andrew Wylie at left tight end, Chig Okonkwo at right tight end, Josh Bates as one up-back, and Ben Sinnott as the other.
And if Washington is going to build this thing, it needs a name of its own. The Eagles made the concept famous with the “Tush Push” or the “Brotherly Shove,” and the Commanders need their own version of that language.
In Other News...
Luke McCaffrey Spotted A Giants Loophole The Commanders Needed
Luke McCaffrey gave the Commanders a little hidden value in Sundays game against the Giants, and Dan Quinn noticed. On a kickoff that had already been ruled out of bounds under NFL rules, McCaffrey made the heads-up decision to step out and secure the ball anyway, making sure Washington got the benefit of the spot and started its drive at the 40-yard line.
For a team always looking for small edges in field position, it was the kind of savvy special teams play that can swing a possession without ever showing up in a box score. Quinns praise fit the moment, because the play was less about flash than awareness, and it underscored how much the Commanders can gain when a returner understands the rulebook as well as the coverage. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Win Is Fueling A Brutal Giants Postgame Debate
The Giants 24-21 loss to the Commanders in Week 10 has already turned into a familiar kind of postgame argument, the sort that lingers long after the locker room empties. Head coach John Harbaugh pointed to the final two throws by J.J. McCarthy, saying Washington showed zero blitzes and that the routes were supposed to be there, which only sharpened the scrutiny on how the closing sequence unfolded.
McCarthy didnt duck the moment afterward, taking responsibility for the interception on the final possession and saying he could have handled it differently. For Washington, it was the kind of finish that can make a win feel even bigger because of what it leaves behind for the opponent, and for the Giants it has become another debate about execution when the game is on the line. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Backup QB Just Landed A Wild Off-Field Spotlight
Sam Hartmans latest spotlight has nothing to do with a playbook, but it still puts a Commanders quarterback in the national conversation. The Washington practice squad passer was announced as the new lead on ABCs The Bachelor, a move that sent him from the margins of an NFL roster into one of televisions most recognizable dating franchises.
Hartman made the announcement on Good Morning America and said he came to the decision after speaking with host Jesse Palmer. A former standout at Wake Forest and Notre Dame, Hartman has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game, which makes this a particularly unusual twist for a player still trying to carve out his pro football path. [Read more 🡒]