Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn addressed the media on Monday following the team's 20-19 win over the New Orleans Saints to deliver some final thoughts before moving on to the Philadelphia Eagles. Here are some of the highlights from the press conference.
Health updates to key players.
The Commanders were dealing with a string of injuries heading into their matchup with the Saints, as both Austin Ekeler and Noah Brown -- two key offensive players -- are currently on Injured Reserve. Even more players got banged up on Sunday, both leading up to and after kickoff. Jeremy Chinn and Zach Ertz left the game after being evaluated for concussions, Tyler Biadasz was ruled out with an illness and Zane Gonzalez was inactive with a foot injury.
Both Ertz and Chinn are in the concussion protocol, meaning they will need to pass the proper steps set in place by the league before returning to play. Players in the protocol are typically out for at least a week, but it is possible for an earlier return. On Ertz specifically, Quinn said that the veteran tight end has a unique skill set in third down, red zone and two-minute situations that is difficult to replicate. The hope is that he will be available for Sunday against the Eagles, but if not, the Commanders will need to implement different personnel packages to find production elsewhere.
Quinn had more positive updates on Biadasz and Gonzalez. Biadasz is feeling better, the head coach said, and his fever is going down. He expects Biadasz to be available this weekend as he continues to feel better.
Gonzalez was close to playing Sunday against the Saints but was still dealing with issues in his left foot. The team didn't feel like it was the smart move to let him play, which is why they elevated Greg Joseph from the practice squad on Saturday. If healthy, Gonzalez will be the kicker while Austin Seibert is on IR.
Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders at the Caesars Superdome for their Week 15 matchup with the New Orleans Saints, Shot on Sony. (Photos by Emilee Fails/Washington Commanders)
The sign of a good game.
Cornerback Marshon Lattimore was not seen much on the broadcast Sunday and barely mentioned in his return to his former team. That's what the Commanders wanted to see from Lattimore in his first game since Oct. 27.
Lattimore was not targeted against the Saints, allowing zero receptions and no yards in the 20-19 win. For any other position, seeing zeros across the board for a player isn't a good sign; Quinn feels the situation is a bit different when it comes to a cornerback.
"When you have less attention going to you, that's the sign you had a really good game," Quinn said.
That's not quite accurate, though, because quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener were certainly aware of Lattimore's presence on the field. They chose not to throw his way, though, which eliminated an entire half of the field on Sunday. Lattimore had 35 coverage snaps and supplied tight coverage on all of them, so much so that any receiver going against him couldn't create much separation.
Lattimore is sure to be tested more against the Eagles, Falcons and Cowboys, but Sunday's win was a good start.
Better execution on run plays.
The Commanders had another 100-yard rushing day on the ground, marking the 11th time that they've hit that mark this season. Almost half of that came from Jayden Daniels' scrambling, though, as Brian Robinson Jr., Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. combined for 71 yards on 24 carries. Most of that is a credit to Robinson's 65 yards, although he only rushed for 3.1 yards per carry.
Quinn thought Robinson got "enough" carries on Sunday, but he would still like to see more from the run game. That's not on one person; rather, he charged all 11 players on the unit to do their part.
Granted, Washington's offense was dealing with injuries that hampered the run game. Noah Brown, likely out for the season, was a solid blocker on perimeter; Ekeler is still on IR; and Biadasz was replaced by backup Michael Deiter, who hadn't played much prior to Sunday.
Still, there were more yards to be had against a Saints defense that has struggled against the run all season. As the Commanders try to lock up a playoff spot in the last three games, they'll need to keep leaning on their ground attack to keep momentum in their favor. And as Quinn alluded, that will require every player to give a little more.
