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Yesterday was a devastating loss for Commanders fans after Washington’s impressive 4th quarter comeback. John Keim stopped by The Sports Junkies this morning to break down his biggest takeaways from Washington’s week one loss to Philadelphia. What are some of your positive/negative takeaways from yesterday’s game?
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00:00All right, J.K., initial thoughts of this game.
00:03They obviously did not play an A game offensively until about the fourth quarter.
00:08Defensively, they really impressed me getting after the quarterback,
00:12getting after Hurts, reigning in Barkley.
00:15But, you know, you've got to make more plays in the first half.
00:19Keep yourself in the game.
00:21And we'll talk about the two-point conversion.
00:23But initial thoughts.
00:26So, they had a chance to win on the road against a very good team.
00:30And they didn't play a great game.
00:33You know what I mean?
00:34So, I think, like, there's, I would say there's, like, first of all, again,
00:38no moral victories.
00:39We're beyond that.
00:40We're way beyond that.
00:41So, this isn't about that.
00:42But it's like what you want to know, what does this mean for the season
00:45as much as it means, what does it mean for yesterday?
00:48And are there things to build on?
00:49Yeah.
00:50And I think you can start there, that you didn't, you did not play a great game
00:53and you still had a chance to win.
00:55I think that's also the very frustrating part is that you had a chance to win
00:59and you have a bad snap on an extra point that leaps to a block.
01:03Like, you get that down, you're kicking an extra point at the end of the game
01:06instead of going for two.
01:07You know?
01:08So, you had some defensive miscues.
01:10Again, like, as well as they played at times, those four big plays killed them.
01:15And you can't, like, we don't know if those players are going to be there
01:19in the next week.
01:20But, you know, in other words, like, we don't know that they're going to clean
01:22those up because I've covered, we've all seen teams here that every week you say,
01:28oh, if you just don't stop, don't let up those big plays, you'll be great.
01:31But you keep letting them up.
01:33So, they have to, they have to clean, they have to clean those up because you're
01:36playing a team this week that could kill you if you give up big plays.
01:40Yeah, sure.
01:40You know, it doesn't kill you with big plays.
01:42So, I think there's, like, there's reason to feel like, okay, you can build on this.
01:45But you all say, like, okay, but what does it mean from yesterday?
01:49Like, you know, Jaden didn't play great for three quarters and then it was really
01:51good.
01:52What does this mean for the offense?
01:53Yeah, it was frustrating too, John, because, like, you look at the past games
01:57between the Eagles and the Commanders and Barkley has just terrorized the
02:01Commanders late.
02:02And you hold him to 80 total yards and you figure that you can definitely win
02:06that game.
02:07But those chunk explosive plays, and, you know, it was a good quote from Sonny
02:12Stiles.
02:12This is in your write-up on ESPN.com, best quote from the locker room.
02:16Those four explosives determine the game.
02:18Aside from those plays, we played pretty well.
02:21But when you put those chunk plays on the table, it's hard to win the game.
02:25And he's right.
02:26For a rookie, that's pretty presciate for him to, you know, say that and realize
02:29that.
02:30And hopefully that's something that just gets corrected going forward.
02:33It has to because, you know, and this is one of the things when I would look even
02:37at, like, the secondary, for example, and, like, are they better or worse than last
02:40year?
02:41To me, it always came down to, can you put pressure on the passer?
02:44Because I think, you know, you always need that, right?
02:46And I do think this group needs that.
02:50And when you do, like, we saw that they can put the pressure on, and we saw sometimes
02:54what happens when you don't.
02:56And, like, that's the thing that you're going to have to clean up is some of the
03:00defensive assignments.
03:01Like, you know, the first, that first big play, I don't know.
03:05So, and I'm not assigning blame, because I don't know what Mikey Sanderson was looking
03:09at on that, you know, because there's a guy underneath, is he looking at him thinking
03:13he's got to come up and just loses, doesn't see the quarterback thrown, whatever.
03:16You know, there's that, there's things like that, the seam ball to the tight end for the
03:19first touchdown.
03:21Things like that, where it's like, you've got to play those better, right?
03:26But, I do think, like, if you can continue to put that kind of pressure on the quarterback,
03:30you would hope that at some point you're going to create more miscues and more turnovers.
03:35And that's, you know, something they didn't do.
03:37And, like, that's something you have to do, especially on the road, against a good team.
03:41And I thought, like, Jalen, learning a new offense, like, they did a really good job
03:45against him, but he can make plays.
03:47He extended them, and he just, he drops in dimes on deep throws.
03:51So, like, that's tough.
03:53But, yeah, those, those, but, you know, I think I said, I mean, I, you, you, you can say,
03:59we can say, like, take those away, but you can't take those away.
04:02And you have to make sure they're not repeated.
04:04But I will say, I think, if you put that kind of pressure on game to game, you're going
04:09to be in pretty good shape by the end.
04:12I mean, I honestly, listen, no moral victories, whatever.
04:16I don't mind moral victories, but honestly, I don't mind them, but I'm not considering
04:20yesterday a moral victory.
04:21I do think that this group is beyond that.
04:23Yeah.
04:24But I think that defensively, I was thrilled.
04:28I mean, sure, but I mean, I haven't seen a defense like that in a decade plus.
04:33You know, we're consistently making stops.
04:35It's longer than that.
04:35Yeah, maybe two decades, right?
04:37And when we hired him, I said, this is going to remind us, I think, of Greg Williams, and
04:42that's what I thought.
04:42So, I'm super excited about that.
04:44I think we can build on it.
04:46Sonny flashed a few times with some outstanding plays.
04:48I also thought that he was, you know, exposed a little bit sometimes too as a rookie, right?
04:53That happens.
04:54Offensively, I was a little bit more confused.
04:56I know people want to say, oh, if we had played two more series in the preseason, it'd all be
05:00solved.
05:00I'm not sure.
05:01I think a lot of it.
05:02Oh, it would not be.
05:03Right.
05:03I think a lot of it is more opponent-based.
05:06You know, if we played Miami, I think it would probably have a different first three quarters.
05:10But we played outstanding defense.
05:13And I think, you know, Jaden's clearly making a concerted effort to protect the football,
05:17to throw it away, to get down, to not take, you know, huge chances.
05:22He kind of did there late, but then he got down so great.
05:25I'm really thrilled with what, on the whole, I don't know how to evaluate the plate calling.
05:31Nobody really liked that call at the end, but I know they liked it.
05:34That's why they had it in there.
05:36So I take their word for it.
05:38How do you evaluate Blau in that offense?
05:42And how much of that is just, they were just against a great defensive opponent?
05:46Well, I start there.
05:49This is, because that's reality.
05:51Like, they've been one of the best defenses, and they have arguably the best defensive coordinator
05:55in the NFL.
05:56Going against a guy calling his first game, and, you know, an offense, you know, the quarterback
06:01hasn't played since week 14 last year.
06:04And, I mean, listen, even if they played week 18, it's still been a long time.
06:07But that's not the excuse, right?
06:09You are going against a very, very good D.
06:12And, you know, did you have enough guys capable of making plays in addition to that?
06:18So, you know, there were a couple drops, and, you know, they had – I think it's hard
06:23to evaluate fully.
06:24I will say, I remember when Sean McVay was here, how – that he would even say it took
06:28him a year to fully get his, you know, feel comfortable – or to get to the point that
06:33just to learn how to call plays in the NFL doesn't mean you have to be – struggle
06:37or be bad because, again, like there were plays that the Eagles called that weren't
06:42working, and Jalen Hurts made for play, right?
06:44You know, third and 18 scramble, like that was, you know, that's a guy making a play.
06:51So, you know, I think it's tough.
06:54I want to see how it plays – how it goes from here.
06:56I was a little surprised.
06:58The one game that I – some players would tell me, like the game that was most instructive
07:03going into yesterday was the Bears game that – against the Eagles last year because
07:07similar offense, Ben Johnson, David Blau, you know, similar type mindset offense, et cetera.
07:13And I didn't see as much of that.
07:16I did like how they ran the ball.
07:19You know, I think like Blau is going to take – he likes to be either creative, trick
07:24plays, whatever, so you have a flea flicker early in the game.
07:29That didn't work, and it was because the same guy who mucked up that two-point conversion
07:33has a quick move inside and screws it up.
07:37So – and I don't know that it would have worked anyways.
07:39But anyway, so he likes to be like that.
07:42You know, you'd like to see Daniels get into more of a rhythm early.
07:45Are there things you can do to help with that?
07:47Now, there were also a couple drops early in the game, but there also weren't some – there
07:51were some throws that were just a little bit off compared to what we've seen from him.
07:55So could you get him into more of a rhythm early in the game?
07:59But I don't – like I said, it's really hard.
08:01For a first game, it's just hard because of the opponent, and we know how good they've
08:05been, and so, you know, what – like Dallas – how does it look Sunday against Dallas?
08:10I think we'll get more of a feel, but you do need guys sometimes just to make plays
08:17because you're going to – that's how this – that's how the NFL is.
08:20As far as the two-point conversion, it's like I've never – I've never been a big fan
08:25of the shovel pass.
08:26I can see, like, when you – when I went back and watched the play, they do get the end
08:31to widen.
08:31The gap technically is there, but two guys – like the, you know, the Ojoro bin move
08:39inside and beats Allegretti, and then it looks like Chris Paul – well, the linebacker's
08:43beating Chris Paul.
08:44So it was two guys were going to get him.
08:46If you make the blocks, it's a touch – it's two-point conversion, but they didn't, so it's
08:50not.
08:51And so, you know, I know someone else, like, well, you know, it's John Bates.
08:54I get it.
08:55If it's – listen, John Bates can run two yards if it's blocked.
08:58So, you know, but I – but I've never – it's – to me, that's one of those calls
09:03where it's like, oh, you make it.
09:04It's like, oh, great call.
09:05If it doesn't, it's like, what the hell?
09:06Yeah.
09:07You know?
09:07That's right, yeah.
09:07But I – so I get that.
09:08Like, I'm not – like, I've never – I've just – I've just never have been a big fan
09:13of the shovel pass, but, again, like, you know, I don't know.
09:18It's –
09:19What can they do, John?
09:20Every – every good – I would say this.
09:22Every good coordinator is going to have a call where it's like, what are you doing?
09:24And that's like Ben Johnson sometimes, like, oh, you got – did you get too cute there?
09:28That Kyle Shanahan, when he was here, you'd hear that.
09:31But there's so much other good, so let's see how this plays out with him.
09:35I still – I don't have a lot of fears over David Blau, to be honest, based on being around
09:41him, based on what you heard, based on how he's done this.
09:44So I don't have a lot of concern that he's not going to work.
09:48I think a lot of it is opponent-based.
09:48It's just damn tough opponent.
09:51Yeah, I agree.
09:52But – yeah, very.
09:53Well, how do they get Terry involved earlier, even if they just force it?
09:56Just have him stand there and throw it to him?
09:58Because he seems to be a spark.
10:01Yeah, why could –
10:01There were a couple throws – there were a couple throws early.
10:03One was he dropped one.
10:05Yeah.
10:05Could have had a little bit better ball, for sure.
10:07There are a couple of those that run – you know, so it's like both, you know, better pass,
10:11yeah, still could have caught it.
10:12And it was low when he dropped it.
10:14And then there was another dig route that he ran where he slips.
10:18Yeah.
10:18And that was in the second quarter.
10:19So, you know, you – and I don't know if that ball would have been in there or not.
10:23It looks, you know, not bad coverage, but certainly is going to give yourself a chance.
10:28So, but – so in other words, like, there were a couple chances early to get him a couple throws.
10:34They did move him around.
10:35I think there was, you know, so one couple times it could be pressure-related.
10:40Like, I thought the O-line did a decent job, but there are definitely times where it's like,
10:44okay, guy loses a block, but the ball's coming out, right?
10:47Maybe the ball's coming out a little bit quicker, or maybe you have to get off a target sooner because
10:52of that.
10:53But – so maybe that's part of that.
10:56But, yeah, I agree with you, though.
10:58And you look at Terry's track record when he gets – doesn't need a lot of targets.
11:03He doesn't need a lot of catches early.
11:04But when he's involved early, it makes a difference for this team.
11:08It's a lift.
11:09And, yeah, he's an emotional, passionate guy.
11:13If you can find a way to get – and remember, you know, they wanted to get him 10 targets
11:18a game,
11:18which is very, very difficult to do.
11:20Only three guys had that last year at receiver.
11:22So it's tough to do.
11:23But, you know, career-wise, you could get him to the eight-and-a-half, nine-per-game range.
11:28And so, like, you need to get that.
11:30I think the other part of that is, okay, if they're doing X, Y, and Z to Terry,
11:34somebody else has to make some plays.
11:35Like, that's why you go out, you get Diggs, you get Okonkwo,
11:39you need someone else to make some plays.
11:42And did they really – you know, they didn't get enough of that early.
11:45Right.
11:45And so I think that's the other part of the equation is you want them to stop paying attention to
11:49McLaurin.
11:50Others have to make plays.
11:51Like, Devontae Smith, did he make many plays early?
11:55No.
11:55He just had – he had the one big one.
11:57Yeah.
11:57He had the one big one, yeah.
11:58But you had other guys.
11:59You had the quarterback making plays, and you had –
12:01And Goddard.
12:03Yeah, and Goddard.
12:03Right.
12:04So that's what – you know, you want to get them out of that, do that.
12:07That's why you build a certain roster because you need to – you can't put all the pressure.
12:12Well, if we don't get Terry McCoy on the ball early, then we're screwed.
12:14You can't have that.
12:15It can't be like that.
12:17Hey, I don't know if you talked to Coach Jones or DQ or asked them about this,
12:20but on the Goddard second touchdown that ended up giving them the win,
12:24and they – there seemed to be some miscommunication.
12:27There was a bunch of guys on the line for the commanders.
12:30Sonny Stiles and a bunch of other guys started pointing at Goddard
12:33because they thought it was a false start, but it wasn't.
12:35Right.
12:35And was Goddard his original assignment, or was there miscommunication about who's going to cover him?
12:42Well, so it's not only they point to him, the false start.
12:47They didn't go hard because they thought it was a false start.
12:50Right.
12:50That was – to me, that – like, forgetting the miscommunication, that was the big deal, right?
12:54Because Goddard goes, and they kind of like, oh, the play's going.
12:59Correct.
12:59And I don't – like, the way – I'm just going to go by the way Sonny Stiles reacts.
13:05The way he reacts to it is, like, that's going to be his guy.
13:08Like, that would make sense because it was – I think it was Owe next to him.
13:12Owe's not going to be covering him.
13:13So Stiles is going to be responsible for that, and that's a rookie situation.
13:19Like, you can't – you don't hear the whistle.
13:20You don't see a flag.
13:21You've got to play.
13:22So that was on him.
13:22That was on Sonny.
13:23Okay.
13:24That's how I – that's how I would assess it without – like, they didn't say directly.
13:29Yeah, yeah.
13:29But based on his movement on the play, yeah, and then based on the movement of the play,
13:34based on the coverage, yes, that would be where he'd go
13:37because he goes immediately over to him, tries to reroute, you know, tries to jam him,
13:41and by that point –
13:42He was already behind him.
13:43He was out of position.
13:43Yeah.
13:44So, like – but here's the other part of it.
13:46Make the tackle behind him.
13:48Yeah, true.
13:49So instead of a 43-yard touchdown, now it's a 20-yard gain.
13:53Bad, but mitigate the mistakes.
13:55They couldn't bring him down.
13:56I know.
13:57I know.
13:57It sucks.
13:57Correct.
13:57Hey, I know you won't find out real quick.
13:59You won't find out until today probably, but Luvu and Chig, they left the game because of injuries.
14:04And Tyler Owens.
14:04And Tyler Owens.
14:05How serious are those three?
14:07Do you know?
14:07Don't know.
14:08When I saw Frankie after the game, he seemed okay, and he said he was okay,
14:13but with a groin, that could mean – still mean a week or two.
14:16I don't know.
14:17Right.
14:17So we won't find out today.
14:19And I think the Owens one with the ankle – I'd be curious to see you there.
14:22Like, that dude was a stud yesterday.
14:24Oh, that's awesome.
14:24And, you know, that – yeah, it was like – and that's one thing I would say,
14:27but what I saw from them yesterday that I think that carries from game to game.
14:31They were physical, and they played with a lot of energy and passion.
14:34And, like, that stuff, to me, matters.
14:37And I think that he kind of – you know, he certainly embodied a lot of that,
14:41especially on that one clip of him on the tackle.
14:43That was incredible.
14:44And what about Chig?
14:45But we'll find out about that later today when we talk to Quinn.
14:47And even then, you know how this works.
14:49Like, he's going to say, like, well, you know, we'll find out.
14:52We'll know more on Wednesday.
14:53We'll know more Wednesday.
14:54All right, John.
14:55Thanks, as always, for the time.
14:56It's John Kahn.
14:57Thank you, buddy.
14:57Commander for ESPN.
14:58We'll talk to you again next week.
15:00When we come back, we'll do the Junkies Blitz.
15:02Take you around to Wild Week 1 in the NFL.
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