Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury dubbed it as "the whitest mistake ever," but for the first two months of Olamide Zaccheaus' tenure with the Washington Commanders, he referred to the receiver as "Oz" rather than his preferred nickname of "O.Z."

"Nobody would tell me that his name wasn't Oz, even him," Kingsbury said. "So, one day, Dyami [Brown] comes up to me and says, 'Yo, dude, he really doesn't like Oz.' I'm like, 'It literally says O-Z,' and he goes, 'It's O.Z.'"

Zaccheaus has since forgiven Kingsbury of the phonetic faux pas, but regardless of whether he's known as "O.Z." or "Oz," he has helped the Commanders fill the gap at wide receiver since Noah Brown suffered a season-ending kidney injury. Over the past two weeks, he has 13 receptions on 18 targets for 155 yards and three touchdowns.

The Commanders haven't exactly danced through life over the last two games, which were decided by a combined nine points, but there's no doubt that Zaccheaus has had a direct influence on winning those matchups.

"His number's been called with Noah going down," Kingsbury said. "The opportunity's been there."

The Commanders faced a problem when it was determined that Brown was likely out for the season following his injury against the Tennessee Titans. Brown, who was acquired after training camp, is still fourth on the team in targets and receptions despite having not played since Dec. 1. He proved himself as a vital piece of the offense with plays like the Hail Mary catch against the Chicago Bears and the 34-yard reception in Week 2 that helped Washington beat the New York Giants.

Replacing Brown with his 6-foot-2, 225-pound frame has been more of a group effort for the Commanders' receivers, but Zaccheaus has been a popular option for quarterback Jayden Daniels. He's used the proper ploys to get open, regardless of whether he's working on the outside or in the slot, and it's earned him some extra reps on the field. He led the team in targets in receptions against the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons -- two of his former teams -- and even had an eight-yard carry that resulted in a first down in last Sunday's overtime win against Atlanta.

But Kingsbury has known for a while that Zaccheaus was capable of being a bigger contributor. He was "blown away," he said, by what Zaccheaus put on display during training camp and OTAs.

"Great person, works really hard, and it's good to see him take advantage of his chances," Kingsbury said.

Daniels relationship with Terry McLaurin has been one of the best in the NFL, as Daniels has a 138.6 passer rating when targeting the receiver, but Zaccheaus has trumped that over the last two weeks. Daniels had a 143.1 rating when targeting Zaccheaus against the Falcons and a 130.2 against the Eagles. Of course, it also helps that three of his catches in that span have gone for touchdowns, two of which closed the gap and took the lead against the Eagles. On the latter, Zaccheaus took advantage of a busted coverage and worked around two Eagles defenders for a 49-yard touchdown.

Daniels knows that teams are going to put even more attention on McLaurin, not just because he's "an outstanding player," but also because of the injuries at the receiver position. Zaccheaus has been one of the players to step up, and Daniels said he had "a huge game" against the Falcons. Zaccheaus finished the night with eight receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. Five of his receptions resulted in a first down.

Head coach Dan Quinn said that Zaccheaus is "a classic example" of players getting the most out of their opportunities.

"He sometimes raises the level of competition just by the way that he goes after it," Quinn said. "And I think somebody might have said it's eight catches or somewhere in that spot and he'll beat himself up for the one that didn't happen at the end."

Twenty-nine percent of Zaccheaus' targets and 30% of his receptions have come in the last two weeks. It took until Week 16 for him to score a touchdown, but his patience has paid off, both for himself and the team. Take away his contributions, and the Commanders could possibly be on the outside of the playoff picture.

The Commanders don't have an unlimited source of options at receiver with Noah Brown out and Dyami Brown missing the Falcons game, but Zaccheaus has helped them make do with what they have this late in the season. He's become a player on whom the Commanders can rely to make play in pivotal moments. Seeing as how they've already locked up a playoff berth, the team certainly appreciates the extra effort.

"To see other players step into that space knowing that they can be called upon, that's a really big deal," Quinn said.