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Displaying little concern for draft-round status once again, the Washington Commanders cut another high pick. But they still have the playoffs in their sights. With a Washington Commanders Week 17 game scheduled against the Atlanta Falcons, the Commanders hope to clinch a postseason birth. Ahead of the Commanders-Falcons game, we’ll be making our Commanders Week 17 predictions.
The game got flexed to Sunday Night Football and will display a pair of rookie quarterbacks. Washington’s Jayden Daniels is 10-5 on the season while Michael Penix Jr. earned a win in his first NFL start last week.
Carrying a record of 10-5, the Commanders can clinch a playoff spot with a win. They also had a chance to earn a postseason berth if Tampa Bay lost earlier in the day to the Panthers. Meanwhile, the Falcons carry a record of 8-7 and still have a shot to win the AFC South Division title.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels will top 270 total yards
He may not rush for the 81 yards he accumulated against the Eagles last week, but Daniels should be in the 50-plus range. And he has thrown for over 220 yards three times in his last four games. The one game he didn’t reach that mark came against the Titans in a blowout win where the Commanders didn’t need to rely on the passing game.
It should be a game where Daniels wants to show his stuff with another rookie quarterback dueling against him. Daniels said Penix is a talented player, according to espn.com.
“I'm happy for him — he waited his time,” Daniels said of Penix. “He's a phenomenal player in my eyes, and I'm excited to be able to match up against him.”
Penix said he’s glad to have the chance.
“The reality is that you fight, you fight, you fight and you put yourself in a position to go out there and win your division,” Penix said. “You put yourself in a chance to get yourself to qualify for extra play. We’re right in the mix of doing that, and we’ve got to go do it and finish.”
Daniels should be plenty motivated to provide his head coach with a good effort. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn will meet one of his former teams after losing earlier this year to the Cowboys.
The Commanders have put Daniels in a good spot this season. And he thrived in the clutch against the Eagles last week. Daniels said he took advantage of an opportunity, according to Sports Illustrated.
“It just gave me another opportunity to go out there and win the game,” Daniels said. “There really weren’t any coaching points or anything. We were in four-down territory the whole way. Let’s go win the game.”
Daniels said the team gained confidence with that win.
“It means a lot for us, playing a team that’s been on a win streak and fighting for a No. 1 seed, that’s going to be in the playoffs,” Daniels says. “It means a lot to go compete and know that we can put up big-time wins against these guys.”
Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. will score a touchdown
Over his last four games, Robinson has been able to reach the end zone only one time. That’s a far cry from the seven scores he had in his first nine contests.
Robinson will be motivated after a pair of fumbles against the Eagles nearly cost his team a shot at the victory. Quinn said Robinson is working through the recovery from the disappointing performance, according to commanders.com.
“He was clearheaded about what to do and how to take care of it,” Quinn said. “So he was mad, but I thought he did allow it to go and get onto the next one.”
Quinn said the Commanders need to get the ground game going, according to Sports Illustrated.
“Over the last two weeks, it's really important to us,” Quinn said. “We knew from Philadelphia there might be some runs that were not there to allow some play passes to get extended that way. But, it is one of the areas that we got to dig in hard on, as we said, ‘When we get to the truth, what's the ones to improve upon? Going into it. That's, that's one of our areas for sure.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin will add to his TD total
It has been a terrific season for McLaurin, who has his fifth straight 1,000-yard season. And this year has added touchdowns to the mix with 12 scoring receptions. His previous career high came in his rookie season with seven. Over the next four years, McLaurin didn’t get more than five. But he has scored five times in the last three weeks.
Quinn said McLaurin is a top receiver in the league, according to Sports Illustrated.
“He's got a knack on a deep ball of tracking it that not everybody has,” Quinn said. “He has that going for him but his ability to track the deep ball and the connection already with Jayden has been a big one.”
McLaurin also opens things up for other receivers, Daniels said.
“It means a lot just to have people step up and make plays,” Daniels said. “Obviously, Terry gets a lot of attention, rightfully so, but those guys in these types of moments they have to step up and make plays and they did.”
