Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn addressed the media on Monday following the team's 42-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals to deliver some final thoughts before turning the page to the Cleveland Browns. Here are some of the highlights from what he had to say.
Some injury news on Nick Allegretti and others.
The Commanders emerged from the first four games of the season mostly unscathed by injury, although some players are still banged up. Add Nick Allegretti to that list, as he injured his ankle during Sunday's game. Quinn said Allegretti and the team are in the early stages of evaluating the severity of the injury, so he couldn't provide much of an update. Allegretti will be monitored throughout the week to see how much work they can give him.
As far as players who could receive the "return to play" status, which includes quarterback Marcus Mariota and rookie linebacker Jordan Magee, are concerned, the team will provide updates on Wednesday. Mariota was placed on Injured Reserve at the start of the season and is eligible to return starting this week. Magee's injury occurred before the season began, but Quinn said at the time that the injury was not season-ending.
There was no update on running back Austin Ekeler, who was placed in the concussion protocol last week. Ekeler will be eligible to return if he is able to clear the protocol during practice this week.
Check out the top photos of Washington Commanders at State Farm Stadium during their Week 4 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, shot on Sony. (Photos by Emilee Fails/Washington Commanders)
Third downs helped swing the game.
The Commanders had one of the best third-down conversion rates on offense but the worst on defense heading into Sunday's game. The offense performed as expected by keeping the chains moving on nine of 12 attempts. For the first time all season, the defense matched that production, limiting the Cardinals to just four conversions.
"Third downs [were] the real thing that changed it for us," Quinn said.
After struggling to allow explosive plays in the first four games, as well as most of last season, the Commanders didn't allow the Cardinals to convert a third down until there were two minutes left in the second quarter. It wasn't as if the Commanders made it easy for them, either; the Cardinals needed at least nine yards to convert on five third-down attempts and didn't succeed on any of them.
The Commanders' offense did not face such difficulties. They often found themselves in more manageable third-down scenarios, which gave Jayden Daniels plenty of options, whether it was finding Olamide Zaccheaus for 16 yards or handing it off to Brian Robinson Jr., which he did three times.
Washington's offense has proven that it can handle itself, but the fact that its defense held a top offense 36% on third downs is a sign that the unit is slowly starting to figure things out.
The Commanders have had to lean on Brian Robinson.
The Commanders were once again dominant on the ground against the Cardinals, putting up 216 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 37 attempts. About half of that came from Robinson, who had his second 100-yard game this season. Relying on the third-year back has become the norm for the offense.
"We've leaned on him, and we had to lean in a little more even [in] this game with Austin not being there," Quinn said.
Robinson had 113 total yards and a touchdown on Sunday, averaging 4.7 yards on 24 attempts. He is the team's most consistent and productive weapon, as he leads his teammates with 375 scrimmage yards and 17 first downs, but he's also stacking up well with the rest of the running backs in the NFL. Robinson is 10th in rushing yards (307) and yards after contact (118) with four broken tackles.
The best part about Robinson: he never really gets tired.
"He's definitely built differently," Quinn said. "He is that tough. He is that strong."
Jayden Daniels "works his ass off."
The Commanders were already aware of what Daniels could do, but now the rest of the league has become aware of the rookie quarterback over the last month. Most people who follow the Commanders know the stats by now; he has more scoring drives than incompletions, and his 82.1 completion percentage through four games is the best stretch in NFL history.
Here's the not-so-secret ingredient to that production, according to Quinn: "He absolutely works his ass off."
"It's not a magic that's going into this," Quinn said.
Quinn praised Daniels for how much time he spends getting prepared for each game. There have been many nights where he has noticed Daniels in the quarterback room with his teammates and coaches going over plays and concepts multiple times to make sure he has firm grasp of them before kickoff. As good as Daniels has been, he's also had several people supporting him as he goes through his first season.
What that extra time has yielded is a way of figuring out how Daniels can best use his teammates by highlighting what they do well. It's why players like Zaccheaus led the team with 85 receiving yards on Sunday and the connection between Daniels and McLaurin has improved over the past two weeks.
Like most people, Quinn couldn't have guessed that Daniels would have gotten out to this good of a start, but he knows that the rookie has earned it.
"If you're around him, you feel this work ethic," Quinn said. "There's no magic pixie dust that we're throwing into him. It is absolutely grinding, working, and a lot of confidence comes from that."
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