The Washington Commanders fell to 0-2 in the preseason after losing to the Cincinnati Bengals 31-17.
Jayden Daniels and a pair of rookies were bright spots, but a lack of depth at a key position should have fans a bit worried heading into a big year for Washington.
Jayden Daniels is Still Really Good
Daniels only played the opening drive against the Bengals, but he made it count.
The first two plays from scrimmage saw Deebo Samuel get his first touch as a Commander, which went for 19 yards, followed by a 40-yard rush by Chris Rodriguez. Washington quickly found itself in the red zone.
Once there, Daniels reminded the world how dangerous a runner he is and scrambled up the middle for a touchdown, brushing off Cincinnati’s Jordan Battle in the process.
Strong Outing from Rookie Pair
Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jaylin Lane looked sharp for the Commanders on Monday Night. Croskey-Merritt, with the help of excellent blocking by the offensive line and John Bates, capped off a three-play drive with a 27-yard touchdown.
The seventh-round pick Croskey-Merritt has been one of the shining stars in training camp and showed why with his excellent breakaway speed. With the rumors of Brian Robinson Jr. being traded or even released, a performance last night by Croskey-Merritt may have made that decision that much easier for the front office.
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Lane, the fourth-round wide receiver out of Virginia Tech, had a solid game too. He showed off his 4.34 40-yard dash time with some crisp routes in tight coverage.
His best catch came on 3rd & 4 in the red zone. Lane had to battle through a jersey pull by the Bengals’ Bralyn Lux to pick up a fresh set of downs, setting up the eventual Matt Gay 27-yard field goal.
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Commanders May Need New Third Quarterback
Josh Johnson and Sam Hartman took on the bulk of the quarterbacking duties, and neither looked particularly inspiring against the Bengals’ backups. Hartman especially had a difficult time sustaining drives and putting points on the board. His biggest blunder came at the end of the first half.
After a Bengals touchdown with just 49 seconds left in the second quarter, Hartman proceeded to throw into triple coverage and was easily picked off by Barrett Carter.
To compare, Bengals backup quarterback, Jake Browning, made a brilliant throw to Mitchell Tinsley, who caught his second touchdown in as many plays.
Johnson was not much better. He threw an errant pass to Lane that Tycen Anderson easily picked off.
The Commanders finished with just 85 passing yards as a team.
Washington will play their final preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.
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