- 4 hours ago
Washington did what it had to do on Thursday night by picking up a huge road victory over the Giants.
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00:00Commanders get the win. They absolutely had to get totally backed into a corner, a corner of their own making
00:06that with life on the line, playoff life on the line, having meaningful games going forward, life on the line,
00:13and they get it done.
00:14Jaden Daniels finds Steph Diggs, the resilience of Jaden Daniels to throw interceptions on back-to-back fourth quarter possessions
00:21and to not flinch, to not blink, to get the touchdown late, to let Washington take the lead.
00:27Good morning, Brian Mitchell. How do you do?
00:30I am good and tired as hell, Jay.
00:33I don't really want to play the tired game. I'm just going to pretend like sleep doesn't exist.
00:36It exists.
00:37Not for me.
00:38When you walk in the house at 2.30 and you can't fall asleep, man, you're up at 6-something.
00:42I walked into a hotel room in Newark at 2.30 and I'm here at 10.
00:46It was a long night. It was a wacky night. It was complimentary football in a way we haven't really
00:55seen from this team.
00:56It was close to a strong fourth quarter effort, four quarters effort, in a way we haven't seen from this
01:04team.
01:04There's plenty to pick apart from that win, but they had to have it and they got it.
01:10And I think that really shows something about the resilience.
01:15Dan Quinn opened his remarks by saying we needed that, we needed every bit of that.
01:19And, of course, it came down to the wire.
01:21And I think for a lot of Commanders fans, there was a real question if this team could win a
01:29close game.
01:29Because they hadn't done it all year.
01:32And to be able to prove they can, I don't know that it exercises any demons.
01:36I don't know how good that Giants team is.
01:38But it went the opposite way of the way these games have gone all year.
01:45And life's about perspective, right?
01:47You can look at things a million different ways.
01:50All of a sudden, Washington's won two of its last three games.
01:54And of its next three coming up, with a ton of time here to get healthy.
01:58With not just a mini-buy, but almost an extended mini-buy because they don't play until Monday night.
02:03Bengals are a tough team for sure.
02:05But then you've got at Arizona, at Tennessee.
02:07If you can win two of the next three, ultimately it becomes a race in the NFC East.
02:13Probably to get to nine wins, but at least to get to eight.
02:17Totally.
02:17And they're at least in a position where they can try to chase it.
02:23Had they lost, it was curtains.
02:26Yeah, I agree with that.
02:27But I think what you saw last night, and I'm just going to say this for the people who always
02:32say,
02:33Dan lost the locker room, team playing like that means the coach has not lost anything in the locker room.
02:40Now, they may not be playing the way they want to play or he want to play, but they play
02:44for him, I can tell you that.
02:45You know, they fight.
02:46And last night, I saw a resilience both sides of the ball, okay?
02:53And I'm going to tell you, the people that were questioning Sonny Stiles in preseason,
02:57morons, you have proven that you are a straight idiot.
03:00Well, we said so at the time.
03:03We said it then, and every game he just plays, he makes plays.
03:07That play last night, bro, he...
03:10On the third down?
03:10Oh, come on, bro.
03:11Yeah.
03:12But he made multiple plays throughout that game.
03:14Totally.
03:15You know, what did he do, Singletary as a new running back?
03:19Blew him up.
03:20He said, bro, you're not even Saquon.
03:24Just as a brief aside, Sonny Stiles and Arvel Reese for the Giants, rookie linebackers.
03:30Badass.
03:30Both of them had 13 tackles last night.
03:32How did Ohio State lose a game last year?
03:34Why did...
03:35How did they lose a game?
03:37They both were number 52.
03:38Don't they both wear 5'2"?
03:40I believe so, yeah.
03:43I thought Stiles was brilliant last night.
03:46If you're talking about the rookies, Antonio Williams only had two catches, but he made them count.
03:50Oh, hell yeah.
03:51Two catches for 42 yards.
03:53You don't want to be hyperbolic in the moment, and nobody slept, and we just watched this game,
03:58so it's super fresh in our brain.
04:01David Blau, third and short, lines up under center, runs play action.
04:06Jaden throws a strike to Williams.
04:08Williams makes a hell of a play to turn that upfield, stay in bounds, go in for six.
04:12It might have been Blau's best play call of the year.
04:14His strength to get in the end zone, too.
04:16It's just like, but that kid has shown a lot.
04:21He's just a pro.
04:21It's the point now where rookies come in, and you want to put stuff on them, but you don't want
04:28to overload it.
04:29It's time to start seeing how much his main friend can handle.
04:32Because I think all he does is pass tests, and he can make plays.
04:36How about Steph Diggs?
04:38I mean, Diggs was having a good night, but to play at the end, and then how he entered the
04:44end zone,
04:44like it's the Steph Diggs experience.
04:46I have no problem with how he entered the end zone.
04:48He could have, like he said, he could have pulled Deshaun Jackson to take some more time off the clock.
04:54He fell into the end zone.
04:55It's just like diving or running through it.
04:57I got no problem with that.
04:59Certainly.
04:59Like, it's the least of my concerns.
05:02I mean more to make the play.
05:03You make a big play like that at the end?
05:04Yeah, I want to enter it like, hey, what's happening?
05:07To make the play, I mean, two Giants defenders trying to tackle him run into each other,
05:12which lets him just scoot free to the end zone.
05:15And, you know, last week we talked about this mythical fight between Diggs and Blau on the sideline,
05:23which, one, we don't know if it existed.
05:25Two, if it did, it's probably pretty damn normal because receivers get mad when they don't get the ball.
05:30And for Steph to respond, and then I don't know if you saw it, he gave Blau a big hug
05:34at the end of the game.
05:35Like, that's just football, dude.
05:36He's a competitor, and what happens is guys who know they can do a lot to help their team
05:45will always have an issue with coaches.
05:48You know what I'm saying?
05:49Because when you're looking at things happening and you know you can do better than what others are doing,
05:55you're like, yo, man, lean on me.
05:57You know, give me a damn chance.
05:58And people want to call it arrogance and cockiness.
06:01It's athletic arrogance.
06:03When you believe you can make a damn play, that's the guy I want to try to make it.
06:07I don't want people on my team wanting the ball.
06:10Like, I'm trying to get the ball to you, but you don't act like you don't want it.
06:16How about Rasul Douglas last night?
06:18So he's from East Orange.
06:20He's from just down the road, right?
06:22And on second and ten.
06:24I was at West Orange, Jay.
06:25I know about East Orange.
06:26Man, you don't want to spend a whole lot of time in East Orange.
06:29That's where I hung out at, dawg.
06:30My peeps.
06:31I've spent too much time in Newark over the last 48 hours.
06:34I ain't going to East Orange.
06:35It was, I mean, the end of this game was just so crazy.
06:39You get J.J. McCarthy on second and ten from the Commanders 48,
06:45throws deep down the right kind of seam, and the ball's just an absolute moon ball.
06:51It was floating.
06:51It was floating.
06:53And Rasul was in perfect position for it and somehow doesn't bring that interception down.
06:58He jumped too soon, and then he started coming down before the ball got to him.
07:02And that's, you know, you ever done that before a basketball rebound?
07:06Yeah.
07:06You jump, the ball hit the rim, you jump, and you come and die like, oh!
07:10It's a little weird.
07:11But he said, I already missed one.
07:14I wasn't going to miss the second one.
07:15So it was just, it was crazy because, and maybe we'll do a segment on this because I
07:19think it'd be interesting to hear if Commanders fans tell us the truth, how they thought the
07:25end of game scenario would go.
07:27Because I've gotten so many texts from people that were like, I was confident they were going
07:31to give up a field goal or McCarthy would get a touchdown or whatever, right?
07:34And it didn't go bad.
07:36I think because of the bad endings so many times this year, there were a lot of people anyway
07:41expecting that.
07:42So Rasul Douglas does not make the game-sealing interception on second and 10.
07:47Instead, it's incomplete.
07:48Then it's third and 10.
07:50McCarthy, almost to a similar spot.
07:54Excuse me.
07:55Rasul Douglas then makes the interception.
07:58And on a night where it was like so much perseverance by the Washington squad, I thought that was so
08:06emblematic of doing it again.
08:09Because he had kind of the gift-wrapped INT, couldn't get it down, and then on the next
08:14play, had to make a better play to get the INT to seal the game.
08:18I'm going to tell you where the play was made.
08:21Those two guys standing on the sideline next to each other, Wilks, and I mean Jones and
08:26Wilks, make sure I put it in the right order.
08:28Those two dudes heating them up.
08:31Sure.
08:31See, what happens ordinarily in a situation like that, people drop back and allow, you
08:37allow a quarterback, an NFL quarterback, and I don't give a damn who he is.
08:41JJ looked pretty good.
08:41He did.
08:42You allow an NFL quarterback to drop back and be comfortable, he will find a way.
08:49Because if he don't get pressure, he's throwing that ball into the end zone.
08:53And I think, what you call them, neighbors has a chance then.
08:58But the last two passes, his arm was hit on both of them.
09:03I would say this, the pass thrown down the left side, I mean the one that ends up going
09:08into the end zone, I think, when they hit lightly.
09:12Yeah.
09:12Now, if Nick doesn't, if he doesn't hesitate, he runs full speed, that's not a completion.
09:20You know, and I think the thing about, like.
09:23Why do you think he hesitated there?
09:24Do you think he was scared of a roughing call, or do you think he thought JJ might run?
09:26I think guys have gotten so many roughing calls, and that roughing call come with a
09:31hefty penalty.
09:32Sure.
09:33That guys are, like, when JJ ran to the sideline, and you saw Frankie slow up, then he turned
09:40up, I'm going to tell everybody on defense, blast their asses every chance you get.
09:46Because, look, the players know you're slowing up, and they're going to cut up on you.
09:51Hit him.
09:51He was upright in the field to play.
09:54Take him out.
09:55Well, and Cross, when Washington's defense had a really bad couple games there is when
10:02Luvu and Cross were out.
10:04And I think when you lose those two players, they are clean tacklers, they're good blitzers,
10:09really athletic.
10:10They're energy guys.
10:11Right.
10:11Like, Cross has been really good for this team.
10:14That's why, and he's an aggressive thumper.
10:16Like, he wants to come downhill on you.
10:18I was so surprised to see that from him in that moment.
10:22JJ throws a laser, likely makes a good play.
10:25That's football, right?
10:26I think even if you just keep full speed and leave the ground to jump in the air, you make
10:32him have to hold that adjusted.
10:33I think the concern with that, with stay full speed and go up, if you come down and
10:38make contact with that helmet, you get the flag.
10:41Which sucks.
10:42The way quarterbacks are refereed and protected.
10:45Yeah, it sucks until they hit our quarterback in the head.
10:47Sure.
10:48And then they pick the damn flag up.
10:50But I thought, to your point about speeding JJ up, particularly on that last drive, one,
10:57it worked.
10:58They got the turnover, so success.
11:00But the thing that I think you're so correct about, if you don't speed him up, is JJ maybe
11:06able to get to the end zone?
11:07Certainly.
11:08But if they start playing underneath and the Giants are able to pick up a couple chunks,
11:13two first downs there, they can still kick to tie.
11:16Yeah.
11:16And I think you want to shut it down.
11:19Dude, does that team last night want to go to overtime with that team again?
11:23I'm going to tell you who didn't want him to go to overtime.
11:25This dude right here.
11:28Cosby joked about it last night.
11:30He's like, we really didn't want to go to overtime with you guys.
11:32Listen, JJ, after two bowls of gumbo, I was fighting, bro.
11:34I was fighting that itis, bro.
11:36I was like, bro, if we're in this studio any longer, I am going to be sleep on the floor.
11:43So, no, I was like, but nah, I just, I was impressed by that.
11:48You've heard me say that for years.
11:49I'm always, in that situation, you light a quarterback up.
11:53How many times have we seen them not do it and go the other way?
11:55Bro, I see, listen, I have probably.
11:57Lots of teams.
11:58I've watched thousands and thousands of games.
12:00And I'm, last night, and in a few times I watched the Minnesota Vikings play, is the
12:05only time I see people light them up.
12:06But, yeah, I think, I mean, going into this game, you and I said we're really starting
12:10to build some confidence in this defense.
12:13It seems like Durante's really starting to figure it out.
12:15They're also healthier.
12:17Like, having, the games where Cross and Luvu were out, I might actually go, I don't know
12:21when I'm going to have time to do this, but, like, go and chart this because it makes
12:24a huge difference when those guys are playing when they're not.
12:28And, Brian, one thing we talked about, I guess, yesterday or maybe two days ago, commanders
12:35offensively have been terrible on third down.
12:37They do not extend drives.
12:39Last night they converted 50% of their third downs.
12:42I'm with that.
12:42Seven for 14.
12:44At halftime of this game, if you remember, the Giants had that crazy 16-play, seven-and-a-half-minute
12:50drive.
12:51Long damn time.
12:51Dude, at halftime, the Giants were up almost 2-to-1 time of possession.
12:55I think it was like 17-to-13 in the first half.
12:59Washington clawed their way back to make it even.
13:01The commanders finished holding the ball 30 minutes, 22 seconds.
13:04The Giants had it 29-38.
13:07I just thought it was a really impressive effort from a number of players.
13:13How about Ben Sinnott?
13:14How about a Ben Sinnott breakout game?
13:17That's a guy you and I know a little bit, and you want to root for him, and it just
13:20hasn't
13:21clicked.
13:21But you hear him last night, and you think about that interview we had with him.
13:25He talked about the sports psychologies and all that type of stuff.
13:28You know, you can see all of it starting to come to fruition for him, and he's starting
13:32to visualize and see what's going on.
13:34As he stated, though, he said, hell, Jaden made it easy for me.
13:38He said, the football stuck to my face mask.
13:41On the touchdown throw?
13:42That was a damn good play.
13:43Do you think that was to him or to Diggs behind him?
13:46It was to whoever he had.
13:48Listen, when he let it go, he had a big dude right in his face.
13:53So that took some coolness right there for Jaden to do that.
13:57I'm so happy they won, scored on that drive.
14:01Before you finish, that little play right there, did you hear Jameis Winston?
14:08Oh, yes.
14:10Who let the dogs?
14:13This is what he's doing in the middle of a football game?
14:16Did they think the game was over?
14:18Because I understand trying to draw people offside, but that's not going to draw nobody offside.
14:26I, the Jaden stuff for me, is that just performative at that point?
14:30No, that's who he is.
14:32I don't know.
14:32Bro, J, on TV, it was probably even more clear than what you all heard.
14:39He actually said, who let the dogs out?
14:42I have since heard it.
14:43Woo, woo, woo.
14:44Bro, it was, I am like, what the hell is going on with this dude?
14:49When I first heard it, I didn't believe it.
14:51And then they replayed it, and it was clear as day.
14:54Oh, I've heard it.
14:54It's obvious that's what he's saying.
14:56But as soon as you saw the play, I'm like, they are not snapping this.
15:00You can see them, all that movement.
15:02They were snapping it.
15:03But when he took it to that point, listen, I'm not lying.
15:06Like, Harbaugh's going to have to say, look, bro, this is too serious for the jokes.
15:11Speaking of the jokes, and speaking of the dummies in there, did anybody get hot dogs?
15:15We got a hot dog bet, right?
15:17Nah, I was blasted last night.
15:19I don't have my ears in.
15:20Jeff, we know.
15:21We know.
15:22Jeff said no, he was blasted.
15:23He was blasted.
15:25Jeff love us, bro.
15:27I do.
15:27When Jeff get on the text stream and say, I love you guys, we know he's there.
15:32All right, so Jeff had a big night.
15:33I was being appreciative of my friends.
15:35White Bryant's not going to bring in his own hot dog punishment.
15:37Stallion picked me up.
15:38We got a hot dog place.
15:40I'm ordering a hot dog.
15:40I'm putting extra stuff on it, too.
15:42I bet CVS sells hot dogs.
15:43No, no, no, no.
15:44We're going to get a hot dog with chili and everything.
15:46We're going to have White Bryant with a hot dog.
15:48So the bet now is White Bryant owes four hot dogs, right?
15:51It was a four-point win?
15:52It was a three-point win.
15:53Three-point win.
15:5424-21, you're right.
15:55Yeah.
15:56Every time you say numbers, University of Maryland and Joystown, they probably crink.
16:02Speaking of hot dogs, you talk about John Harbaugh might have to tell Jameis to cool it a little bit.
16:07How about Cam Scadaboo barfing during the game because he ate a pretzel-wrapped hot dog pregame?
16:13Like, the kid's a moron.
16:15And he's a good runner.
16:16Last night he was good.
16:17I find it very hard to believe he's going to stay healthy all that long.
16:19See, some guys.
16:20Showing up in the Iron Man mask when you know your coach is pissed off at you, what are you
16:25doing?
16:26Bruh, did you?
16:26All right, I'm going to say this.
16:27What are you doing?
16:28Did you not see – you watch the game, you see his commercials.
16:32Being a meathead is what sells for him.
16:35He has the commercial with State Farm and then the other commercial where he's sticking his head through walls and
16:41stuff.
16:41What's that one with?
16:42No idea, but we get the point.
16:44That is selling for him.
16:46That's why he does all that.
16:47But the ultimate thing – listen, I played in New York with Rich Soybert.
16:52And I'm going to tell you, every game, before the game, he let it fly.
16:58And one game, we walk into the field.
17:00He hadn't done it in the locker room at that point yet.
17:02I'm like, yo, man, Rich okay?
17:04And I wasn't messing yet.
17:05Or he'll throw up.
17:06And right before we go to the field, it was a trash game right there.
17:09Bruh.
17:10He let it go.
17:11I point – there are things you can't measure.
17:16There's no empirical data for resiliency by a quarterback that throws back-to-back picks and then comes back and
17:21responds.
17:21Like, there's a level of grit in that game last night that is immeasurable.
17:27There's a couple measurable things that I point to that make a massive difference.
17:31And they've been on the wrong side of this stuff throughout most of the season.
17:35Third down offense, I already mentioned, 50% conversion rate.
17:38714.
17:38And you know it's a huge part of that.
17:40Now, granted, they had one early.
17:41They cut the penalties way down.
17:43They had four penalties.
17:46Somebody can track this for me.
17:48They've averaged nine or ten per game.
17:51Last night is the first night they've won the penalty battle.
17:55They had four.
17:55The Giants had six.
17:57Possibly all year, but certainly in the last month, six weeks.
18:01And Brandon Coleman had the false start early.
18:04Credit to Nick Allegretti, who's had a lot of ups and downs.
18:08Nick played, bro.
18:08I think – I never understood the angst with Allegretti because I thought he could get it done.
18:14Then they signed Patrick, bench him.
18:16Then they go to Goulbin when Patrick gets hurt.
18:18Like, organizationally, they haven't been true to the words they said about Allegretti.
18:25But last night, he got the chance to be on the field, and he played really well.
18:27I think his calmness and that veteran presence made a world of difference last night.
18:34That's what I believe happened.
18:35100%.
18:35It's not that long maybe I dont know it's gonna set.