OPINION:
Game ball — Adam Peters.
When the Washington Commanders take the field, all eyes are typically on quarterback Jayden Daniels, last year’s rookie sensation. He gets the lion’s share of the acclaim when they win and scrutiny when they lose.
So when the Commanders turn in a dominating performance like their 41-24 victory Sunday over the Las Vegas Raiders before a sold-out crowd at Northwest Stadium with Daniels as a spectator, it speaks to the roster Washington general manager Peters has built quickly after inheriting the losing pieces former coach and personnel boss Ron Rivera had accumulated in five years here.
It speaks to the football organization Peters and coach Dan Quinn have constructed when the offense can roll up 400 yards while Daniels — the engine that drives this race car — is sidelined with a knee injury.
Or else it speaks to the crazy NFL, where the Green Bay Packers, who manhandled the Commanders two weeks ago at Lambeau Field on “Thursday Night Football” 27-18, lose Sunday to the previously winless and hapless Cleveland Browns, 13-10.
No matter. Sunday, when I was listening and watching the Commanders, I heard organizational victory talking.
“I think it speaks to the entire team,” said Quinn, sporting a bloody nose after his quarterback, Marcus Mariota, ran into him on the sideline and knocked him to the ground.
It spoke to me when Mariota, who could have went to a number of other teams this offseason to compete for a starting job, chose instead to return to Washington to be Daniels’ backup and be ready when the organization needed him, like it did Sunday — 15 of 21 passes completed for 207 yards, one touchdown, plus 40 yards rushing on six carries and another touchdown.”I love this team,” Mariota said after the game. “I think I’m here for a reason.”
It spoke to me when two of the team’s senior citizens corps, linebackers Bobby Wagner (35) and Von Miller (36), combined for three of the impressive Commanders defense’s five sacks, making life difficult for Raiders quarterback Geno Smith.
“What we did today, I think we could do that throughout the rest of the season,” Wagner said.
We’ll see. It’s a 17-game season and this was Week 3 The voices we heard Sunday were still fresh.
It spoke to me when running back Jeremy McNichols took off on a remarkable second quarter 60-yard touchdown run, and along with the rest of the running back room — Chris Rodriguez and rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt — combined for 153 yards rushing when their No. 1 back, Austin Ekeler, is out for the season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the Green Bay game.
“I was super proud of Jeremy on the long touchdown run,” Quinn said. “You don’t know who’s going to take that step and make the one, but when you have consistent performers and they’re ready to go, I think he’s kind of the epitome of the Commanders standard.”
It spoke to me when guard Chris Paul, one of the few players Peters kept that he inherited, got the start over one of Peters’ 2024 draft picks, Brandon Coleman, along with the general manager’s first-round 2025 draft choice, tackle Josh Conerly, also kept out of the starting lineup for yet another player Peters kept after he arrived, Andrew Wylie.
“We’re still in the early days here to get going and competition is part of who we are in all ways,” Quinn said.
The successful moments, typically delivered by Daniels, were spread throughout this Peters roster — his trade for Deebo Samuels, who returned the opening kickoff 69 yards to set up the first Commanders touchdown; Jaylin Lane, picked in the fourth round of the 2025 draft, returning a third-quarter punt 90 yards for a touchdown.
“When you can capitalize and win on field position, a long return, keeping them pinned back, those are winning football moments,” Quinn said. “When you do that, the story almost writes itself.”
Not yet it doesn’t coach. It’s not Artificial Intelligence pounding out this prose.
Oh, yes, and Peters’ roster bailed out his boss, owner Josh Harris, who got chesty on the pre-game show on the NFL Network and said, “You know, we’re going to be 2-1 after this game.”
They are, and Daniels had nothing to do with this win. That said something — although I doubt anyone would like to try to make a habit out of it.
• Catch Thom Loverro on “The Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.