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Nothing ever comes easy in the NFC East, but the Commanders have their work cut out for them this weekend. In this segment, The Sports Junkies discuss what Washington needs to do on both sides of the ball to ensure they get the win. What are you hoping to see from the Commanders on Sunday afternoon?
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00:00Chig is the biggest question mark right now.
00:02Chig's.
00:03I think Lou Vu.
00:04I think both.
00:05Both guys questionable.
00:06They're out.
00:07You think out.
00:08They're not going to play him.
00:09They didn't practice yesterday.
00:10They didn't practice on Wednesday.
00:12If they have hamstrings and they're missing a couple days before the game,
00:15a lot of times those guys miss.
00:17Especially with this staff.
00:18Like Nico Collins for the Texans.
00:20He's missed the last few practices with a hamstring.
00:22He's probably not going to play over the weekend.
00:24In week two, yeah.
00:25You don't want to push it.
00:26You don't want a Pyrrhic victory, right?
00:28I learned that.
00:28Pyrrhic, a good word.
00:30Solid word.
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00:39All right, let's hit the skins, EB.
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00:41I've got to get fired up here.
00:42Yep, I can do that.
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01:02All right.
01:03As Jason mentioned, the skins visit the Cowboys on Sunday.
01:08The 425 kicks.
01:10You've got to sit there and twinkle your thumbs.
01:11They're in the 1 o'clock.
01:12Just wait and wait and wait and wait.
01:15Or just watch the other games and enjoy.
01:18No, it's just like purgatory.
01:20Like, I watch them, but they're not that enjoyable.
01:22Yeah, but you're not a fantasy guy.
01:24You're not betting on the game, so he's not going to enjoy them.
01:26I actually did a couple of money line parlays.
01:28But, you know, whatever.
01:29Well, there you go.
01:30There you go.
01:30That gives you some incentive.
01:32A little bit.
01:32Both teams are 0-1 after NFC East losses.
01:38Dallas, of course, is the home favorite.
01:40About 3.5, 4.5 points.
01:43Before I go a little bit deeper into the injuries,
01:45JP did bring up something that was interesting during the break
01:47about Dak Prescott and his record.
01:50This is crazy.
01:51Shout out to Bucky Bolin for sending us the tweet.
01:53Well, after you said it, I just, you know.
01:56Verified?
01:57Well, I think I did.
01:58This is a crazy number if it's true.
02:00Dak Prescott has been exceptionally dominant at home against the NFC East
02:05since he took over in 2016.
02:07He's 22-2.
02:09This kind of scares me now.
02:11Now I don't feel quite as good.
02:12Yeah, this is an independent event.
02:14You've got to just knock all that other stuff out.
02:16Don't worry about it.
02:16He's 22-2, but let me give you some things.
02:17He's 22-2 at AT&T Stadium against the Eagles, Giants, and Commanders,
02:22a 9-17 winning percentage.
02:24Wow.
02:24Okay?
02:25That's the highest home winning percentage by any quarterback
02:28against his own division since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
02:34In other words, no quarterback in football has been as dominant at home
02:39in division as Dak Prescott.
02:41That's great.
02:41Now, I don't have any playoff wins to show up for it or anything,
02:43but that's not the issue right now.
02:46The issue is.
02:47Oh, you're playing regular season.
02:48All right.
02:49He has not lost.
02:50I can't believe that number.
02:51Think about this.
02:52We're in 2026, correct?
02:55I think so.
02:56I haven't got full-blown dementia yet.
03:00He has not lost a home NFC East game, Cakes,
03:03since November 19th of 2017.
03:06Wow.
03:07Okay?
03:07That's like, I don't even know how many years.
03:09That's like nine years.
03:10I might have to flip my pick.
03:11Yeah.
03:12I mean, now I'm thinking it's hopeless.
03:14He hasn't lost at home against an NFC East opponent in practically nine years.
03:19Cakes, I might have to switch it.
03:21I didn't realize that number.
03:23You were on the Commanders.
03:24I was.
03:24Really?
03:26He doesn't listen.
03:27Consecutive home division wins.
03:28I told you last week.
03:30I might have to flip it.
03:33Recent years.
03:35He hasn't lost in nine years at home in the division.
03:3719 consecutive.
03:41That's scary.
03:42In 2023, they had wins over Washington on Thanksgiving.
03:47In Philadelphia, these are some that did jump out of it.
03:50Cakes, I'm sticking with it.
03:51I like it.
03:52Last year, 40-37 win over the Giants in overtime.
03:56I think I vaguely remember that.
03:58A 24-21 win over the Eagles.
04:03In those three 2025 home division games, he completed almost 70% of his passes,
04:08seven touchdowns, just two interceptions.
04:10He's got a quarterback rating of 107.3.
04:14So.
04:15It does concern me that George Pickens looked kind of lackadaisical
04:18and booted some easy balls against the Giants.
04:21Yeah.
04:22That just makes me feel like he's going to be locked in for a big game
04:25against secondary that struggled against the Eagles.
04:30Specifically, Mikey.
04:31Yeah.
04:32Last week.
04:32JP mentioned the injuries, and injuries are already this early,
04:37playing a factor in these games.
04:39Of course, you've got Frankie with the groin.
04:42Didn't practice Wednesday.
04:43Didn't practice Thursday.
04:45I don't think he's going to play.
04:46I think we all agree.
04:47Chig, same thing.
04:49He's got a hamstring.
04:50Did not practice on Wednesday.
04:52Did not practice on Thursday.
04:54Now, this one was news to me.
04:57Javon Kinlaw, he's got a back.
04:59He did not practice yesterday.
05:01That's scary.
05:02What about Wednesday?
05:03I think he did.
05:04Okay.
05:05So, maybe he tweaked it.
05:06Maybe it's sore.
05:06Maybe it's just give a veteran rest day.
05:08I don't know.
05:10Other commanders that are sort of in the mix that were limited,
05:14Dorrance Armstrong, who's expected to make his debut cakes.
05:17Adafi Owe still nursing something.
05:20KC, K-Levon Chason, Amenahieu, Jalen Lane.
05:24They were limited in practice.
05:27Jason mentioned, I think, the first segment, Jordan McGee's on IR.
05:32Now, from Dallas' perspective, Dallas has some injuries, too.
05:36They have Malik Hooker, who has a forearm fracture.
05:40I think he's having surgery this week.
05:41He's only expected to miss a week or two.
05:43They say he's doubtful, but, I mean, he had surgery.
05:46He's pretty much out.
05:46I don't think he's going to play.
05:48Then they have linebacker DeMarvion Overshawn.
05:51He's got a hamstring.
05:52He's not going to play.
05:53He's got this Wednesday and Thursday.
05:54He, of course, is expected out at least one to two weeks.
05:58So, they've got some injuries also.
06:00Yeah, because those are two starters.
06:03That's good on a defense that looked shaky against the Giants.
06:07To be down two more players, that's advantage commanders.
06:11Let's look at Dallas and sort of what they did well and what they struggled with.
06:15Offensive line-wise, did pretty well.
06:18Zero sacks allowed, Cakes, against a pretty tough Giants pass rush, right?
06:26Third down and red zone, very efficient.
06:29They converted 72% on third downs.
06:32They were three for three in the red zone.
06:34I don't know if I heard this correctly, but did they only have the ball twice in the second half?
06:39That's correct.
06:40And they scored both times.
06:42Yeah, they scored both times.
06:44I don't know how the Giants did such a great job.
06:47I mean, man, if we can do that, if we can limit them to two possessions in a half, we
06:52should be sitting pretty.
06:53They just because they had the ball forever.
06:55And the Giants also did a good job of containing Javante Williams.
06:58Now, he scored twice, but he only averaged 3.4 yards per carry.
07:02And Dallas, as a team, averaged 3.8 yards per carry in the game.
07:06And that ties into their kind of the opposite of what Washington did.
07:10Washington played well defensively, but we all know they gave up too many explosives.
07:16Dallas, no plays.
07:17No explosives, really.
07:18No plays of 25-plus yards.
07:20Okay?
07:21So that was a big deal for them.
07:22Yeah, but the Giants had the ball for 37 minutes.
07:26Yeah, I know.
07:26That's big.
07:27That's big.
07:27Yeah.
07:28Obviously, that's a difference in the game.
07:30There was a ton of penalties in that game, too.
07:32Big safety, Caleb Downs, had a pretty good debut.
07:35He had a sack.
07:36He had a forced fumble.
07:38I thought I heard he played something like 90% of the snaps.
07:43Heavy, you know, snap count, obviously.
07:46So very, very good debut for him.
07:47How was he graded in pass defense, though?
07:50You'd have to look that up.
07:50I don't have his PFF grade.
07:52That would be...
07:53Yeah, I saw that he had the sack, but, you know, New York was just throwing the ball, too.
07:57All right, what did they struggle with?
07:59I wonder if they targeted him.
08:00So, Dak, you know, had okay numbers.
08:03He only threw for 175 yards.
08:06They got off to a slow start, three and out early.
08:10They had limited second half possessions that we talked about.
08:14The Giants dominated time of possession, especially after halftime.
08:18The defense couldn't get off the field.
08:20They allowed a first down or a touchdown on every Giants possession.
08:26So the Giants had no three and outs, Cakes.
08:30That's great news for Jaden Daniels in the offense.
08:32Hopefully, the commanders have the same sort of success.
08:35They gave up 29 first downs, okay?
08:39That's a big number.
08:40That's a huge number.
08:41If we come in and we have another offensive sort of dud through three quarters, then I'm
08:45going to acknowledge we have an issue.
08:46Okay?
08:47So, 29 first downs, almost 400 yards, 165 yards on the ground.
08:53So there's going to be an opportunity for Bill, an opportunity for maybe Batman.
08:58So maybe there's a lot of over-talking about how effective the free agency spending and the
09:03drafting for the defensive side of the ball was for Dallas this offseason.
09:07So far, it hasn't paid off.
09:08It's one game.
09:09It's one game.
09:09The Jackson Dart was good.
09:12He was 23-29 for 230 yards.
09:14He had 134.2 passer rating, Cakes.
09:18Their third down defense was poor.
09:21They had penalties, all right?
09:23So this Dallas team, nine flags, 90 yards.
09:27They had a costly, unsportsmanlike penalty after a touchdown.
09:31Of course, we had one, too.
09:32If you remember, it was Stephon Diggs.
09:36Isaiah Likely was slicing and dicing them in that game.
09:40To the point where Dave Richard put Likely at number two on tight end list when he ranked
09:45them.
09:45I didn't realize he was that high.
09:46Yeah.
09:47But you know what?
09:47The Giants could use that with Malik Nabors getting his way back to 100%.
09:53Yeah.
09:53He was effective, too.
09:54Also, remember earlier we mentioned the Giants' approach against Dallas was heavy under center.
10:01It helps, I think, when you have a lead.
10:02I think you'll be under center more if you have a lead.
10:04But also their approach.
10:06I think that's going to be a horrible approach a lot with two tight ends, with a fullback.
10:12We might see some more of that because I think the passing game's going to take a hit
10:18without Chig, even though he wasn't a big factor in week one.
10:21I mean, they're planning on him having a big year and a big impact.
10:24That's where you lean into Terry, Diggs, and Antonio Williams.
10:28Antonio Williams.
10:28There's just going to be more on their plates.
10:30Of course, he was one of the standouts.
10:31I believe he was the rookie of the week in week one.
10:36Pepsi rookie of the week.
10:37Pepsi rookie of the week.
10:38Yeah, you've got to get that soda sponsor in.
10:40He led the team with four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.
10:45Almost had two.
10:46Steph Diggs also had four for 55 in his score.
10:49Now, Steph also had a couple drops, so I think that'll tighten up.
10:51I don't think last year he was credited with more than three or four.
10:54I think he had a few drops last year, and he had a couple in week one.
10:57Obviously, we need to get Terry more involved early on.
11:01The defense, I was generally thrilled with the defense.
11:06He had three sacks.
11:07They limited Hurts to 203 passing yards.
11:10And Saquon, other than the one big run, they pretty much kept him in check.
11:19He was a nothing burger in the passing game.
11:21Usually, he beats up the commanders in that aspect.
11:24He had one catch for negative three yards.
11:26Special teams coverage for Washington, I thought, was excellent.
11:29Of course, Tyler Owens was making international headlines with his play.
11:35And, you know, even though he was nicked up, he'll be back.
11:38So, that's good.
11:40What did Washington struggle with, though, Cakes?
11:44Offensive efficiency in the first half.
11:47J.D. was just 6 or 16 for just 43 yards passing in the first off.
11:51That's pretty much unacceptable, right?
11:53It's got to be better than that.
11:55David Blau acknowledged that from top to bottom, starting with the coaches all the way down to the players and
12:00their execution.
12:02Terry basically didn't have a catch until very, very end.
12:06He had two for 14 when it was all said and done.
12:08They had the failed two-point conversion where no one liked the play call.
12:12No fans liked it.
12:16And a lot of coaches, they tried to justify it, but nobody liked it.
12:19Brady didn't like it.
12:20That was the shovel to John Bates.
12:21Yeah, Brady, I thought he had an excellent point.
12:23In those critical moments, you want to go with players, not plays.
12:26I thought that was an excellent point.
12:27If Terry doesn't have, like, eight or nine targets in this game, I'm going to be shocked.
12:32I think there's going to be a concerted effort to get the ball in his hands early in this contest.
12:37Eric, I'm sure you'll get to this.
12:38Do you see that the commanders activated someone from their practice squad at corner?
12:42Isaac Yottam, who was a former third-round pick, and he was with the Saints most recently?
12:48No, I didn't even have that yet.
12:51Yeah, they put him on the active roster.
12:54I don't know if that's for special teams depth or if that's because of Sandra still.
13:00You need another guy.
13:01We need another body in case of Mikey struggles again.
13:04Although everybody says that he's capable.
13:07We've seen him have big games.
13:08I mean, I do feel bad for him.
13:10He's a nice kid.
13:10Everybody likes him, but he's got to play better.
13:12And that's part of their issue in Week 1.
13:15Too many chunk plays, cakes.
13:19Coverage breakdowns.
13:21Mental errors.
13:22So here's the question I want to throw out to the listeners.
13:26So you're always going to have flaws.
13:28You're never going to have a perfect game.
13:30Maybe that playoff game against the Lions is about as close to perfect as you can get, right, in 24.
13:37Yeah, that was a great game.
13:38That might be as close to perfect.
13:40But most games aren't like that.
13:41Most games you're going to do some things well.
13:43You're going to do some things poorly.
13:45In Week 1, the offense efficiency was trash, right?
13:50Didn't come to life until the fourth quarter.
13:52That's got to get better.
13:54Defensively, I love the pressure.
13:56I love that they forced seven punts, but the chunk plays killed them.
14:01If you could only have one of the two, what do you want?
14:05Do you want better offensive efficiency or do you want fewer chunk plays?
14:09I want to answer first.
14:11I think to win the game, you've got to have fewer chunk plays defensively.
14:16I think it's almost impossible to win if you give up like six explosives the way they did.
14:23It's very difficult.
14:25I agree.
14:26Fewer chunk plays.
14:27But for my sanity, I want the offense to be more explosive.
14:31What's the number on explosive?
14:3325 or more?
14:34Yeah, it's like 20 or 25.
14:36You can't have Pickens streaking down the sideline for a 50-yarder in the first quarter.
14:39If you see that, it's going to be a long day for the commanders.
14:42So I think, even though, the thing is, is they did still force seven punts.
14:47So for me personally, I think it's very difficult to win given up explosives.
14:51For me personally, I'm going to have a lot easier week next week if we score more points.
14:56They had a lot of great team stats that they wanted.
14:58But the fact that they gave up those big chunk explosive plays was the massive difference in the game.
15:03I feel like the offense is going to take some gradual steps, but the defense, they need to lock down
15:10those big explosive plays.
15:11I think to win the game, they need fewer chunks.
15:13If they do that and they force seven punts, I think they can win the game strictly with defense.
15:18Yeah.
15:19Possibly.
15:20But for my personal sanity, we need to score some points next week.
15:24Yeah, that would help too.
15:251-800-636-1067 is the number.
15:29I want to hear from you.
15:29Big game as the commanders face the Cowboys here in week two.
15:34Both teams 0-1.
15:35Both teams 0-1 in the division.
15:37What do the commanders need to do better?
15:40They need to do both better.
15:41Efficiency or prevent the chunk plays.
15:46Both were problems in week one.
15:491-800-636-1067.
15:51We'll take your calls next year on a football Friday presented by Adios Premium Can Margaritas.
15:57Say hello to Adios DC.
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