Marshon Lattimore's long-anticipated debut with the Washington Commanders was an uneventful affair. That doesn't mean he was a non-factor against the New Orleans Saints.
Lattimore, who was traded to the Commanders by the Saints in Week 10, did not record a stat against his former team, ending the 20-19 win with straight zeros on the stats sheet in targets, receptions and yards allowed. Neither of the Saints' quarterbacks, whether it was Jake Haener in the first half or Spencer Rattler in the second, wanted to test their former teammate, as almost all of their passes went in Lattimore's opposite direction.
It wasn't the most exciting day for Lattimore, but the Saints knew he was there. That's exactly the way the Commanders wanted it.
"I was just happy to be out there," Lattimore said. "I did not really get too much action. It is a great feeling just to be out there."
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)
After recovering from a hamstring injury and learning the Commanders' defensive system for over a month, Lattimore said Friday that there would be no restrictions placed on him against the Saints. Not only did he start in his Washington debut, but he rarely left the field; he played 53 of a possible 55 defensive snaps for the Commanders, ranking second on the team behind Bobby Wagner, Quan Martin and Frankie Luvu -- all of whom played every snap on Sunday.
Anyone searching for quantifiable evidence of the effect Lattimore had on the Commanders' secondary could look at how the coaching staff organized the pieces around him. While Lattimore was holding down the left, rookie Mike Sainristil started on the right and veteran Noah Igbinoghene stayed in the slot.
The Saints' offense was depleted in Week 15, thanks to Chris Olave and Taysom Hill both being on Injured Reserve along with running back Alvin Kamara heading to the locker room in the fourth quarter, but Washington's secondary largely held its own. Sainristil got his second interception on a pass Haener intended for Kamara; safety Jeremy Chinn was able to play closer to the line of scrimmage at times and recorded a sack; and Igbinoghene defended the pass intended for Juwan Johnson on the Saints' failed two-point conversion to win the game.
Meanwhile, Lattimore was on the left side of the field, keeping his man in check. Lattimore mentioned Friday that even though he has a good hold of how the Commanders' defense works at this point, he would still need to get live reps to truly know the scheme. But Lattimore looked confident in his role, and if he needed some extra pointers from his teammates, he didn't know it.
"I feel really comfortable," Lattimore said. "I've been here for a month or so, and that's enough time to get acclimated."
Lattimore was honest on Friday about making his debut against his former team. He said he would be lying if he said it didn't mean anything, and his goal was to be one of, if not the best player on the field.
He might not have gotten a game-saving interception or a pass breakup, but it was clear the Saints respected him. Neither Haener nor Rattler looked his way on 35 coverage snaps, per NextGenStats.
"I tried to stay calm," Lattimore said. "I did not try to get too hyped. If you get too hyped, then your legs can give out on you. I just tried to stay calm and get the job done. I did what they needed me to do."
The Commanders will likely need him to do more over the next three weeks as they try to lock up their first playoff appearance since 2020. The Philadelphia Eagles and their receiving duo of A.J. Brown, fresh off an eight-reception, 110-yard performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and DeVonta Smith are next on the schedule. Both Smith and Brown scored a touchdown in last weekend's 27-13 win over the Steelers and accounted for 23 of 31 total targets to pass-catchers.
Other challenges await after that, though. Drake London and the Atlanta Falcons are coming to Northwest Stadium in two weeks for a matchup that will present heavy postseason implications for both teams. The Commanders also go to AT&T Stadium to take on the Dallas Cowboys in the season finale, meaning that Lattimore will see plenty of CeeDee Lamb, who ranks third in the NFL in receiving yards (1,089) and first in targets (144).
The Commanders traded for Lattimore to give themselves a better chance against the league's top receivers. As the Commanders try to hold on to the No. 7 seed, there will be moments for Lattimore to prove why they were smart to do so. He's already looking forward to them.
"This is in the past," Lattimore said of facing his former team, "We won, but it is on to the next."
