- 26 minutes ago
Ben Standig joins the show to break down the Washington Commanders' massive win over the New York Giants and what it could mean for the rest of the season.
Standig believes this team is showing real signs of improvement, particularly on the defensive side of the football. He makes a strong statement about Washington's defense, calling it a "clear, easy middle-of-the-pack NFL defense" and suggesting it could be ascending.
Standig believes this team is showing real signs of improvement, particularly on the defensive side of the football. He makes a strong statement about Washington's defense, calling it a "clear, easy middle-of-the-pack NFL defense" and suggesting it could be ascending.
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00:00Ben Standings with us, as he is every Monday and Friday at this time, 301, well, what am I saying?
00:07I'm looking at my phone.
00:09I got a little sidetracked there.
00:12301-230-0980 is the phone number.
00:15Ben didn't need that number.
00:16He's got the hotline number.
00:17But we will take more calls after Ben's done.
00:21But there was one play before I get to Ben that I referenced quickly in the open.
00:28But several of you have asked me, do you think it was a decision, a bad decision, for Quinn to
00:34go for the fourth and two with about nine minutes to go when they were up 17-14 trying to
00:39extend the lead?
00:40I did not have a problem with it in the moment.
00:42I really didn't.
00:44First of all, and let's bring Ben in here.
00:46You were there last night.
00:49Somebody mentioned to me that that was the end of the field where the wind was swirling and the wind
00:54could have been a factor on what would have been a 50-yard field goal or a 48-49-yard
01:00field goal.
01:00Was that the direction in which the wind was the worst?
01:04Do you know?
01:06I couldn't say for sure.
01:08But, I mean, you definitely could see, you know, some guts going through there for sure.
01:14Obviously, you know, it was not the best condition.
01:18The rain held up, I guess, a little bit as the game went on.
01:20But, yeah, no, I mean, it certainly could have been a possibility.
01:23I mean, you know, in that weather, the longer field goal, you know, I can understand that the coach was
01:29like, I'd rather go for the short fourth down.
01:31Yeah, I didn't – the answer to those of you that asked, I did not have an issue with that.
01:37I thought that that was probably – I mean, I'm going to guess the analytics said go for it in
01:41that situation.
01:43A field goal, if you convert, gives you a 20-14 lead.
01:47I'm not, you know, big into passing on field goals as much as teams do.
01:51But in that particular moment, that was a long drive, too.
01:55That was probably – let me just see how many plays into it they were.
01:58Or, yeah, they were into a 10-play drive.
02:02They had already eaten five minutes of the clock.
02:04They had converted already a third and one.
02:06They converted six third and ones last night out of seven attempts.
02:11Anyway, Ben's with us.
02:13And the way we usually do this on Mondays, but today on Fridays, we just ask Ben.
02:17And you can follow Ben on X at BenStanding.
02:20You can subscribe to his sub-stack called Last Man Standing.
02:25Give me your takeaways.
02:26You were there.
02:27What did you think?
02:29Well, I'll be honest.
02:30I really haven't thought about the game since last night because I've been on the bachelor watch all morning.
02:35On the what watch?
02:36The bachelor watch.
02:38Oh, Sam Hartman, yeah.
02:39Yeah, what perfect casting.
02:42Too funny.
02:45Will they keep him on the team as he's doing that?
02:49We'll see.
02:50We'll see.
02:52So, yeah, I mean, look, what's been so frustrating about this season in general is it's not like they've been
02:59getting blown out.
03:00This isn't like last year where, you know, they just started getting dumped on by 20, 30 points in losses
03:07every single game.
03:08Here, you know, they've been losing by one score repeatedly.
03:11But they just have looked, you know, a bit messy, especially at the end of games.
03:16And here, finally, even though it looked like we're part of the fourth quarter that it was going to be
03:22their own mistakes.
03:24I mean, Jaden D'Angelo started his first two interceptions of the season on consecutive drives.
03:29And yet, finally, they were the ones that made the play late getting the first, you know, the pass interference
03:34call on Burks.
03:37It moved them down the field, then the touchdown to Diggs.
03:41And, you know, as Dan Quinn said after the game, they definitely needed that.
03:45And there is no argument there.
03:48I mean, as we know, the season was basically over with a loss.
03:52So, for them to come back and knowing that reality, even if they weren't focusing on it in the moment,
03:59you know,
03:59I think it was a pretty massive win, to say the least.
04:03You know, it wasn't just Jaden D'Angelo, although he had a very, very good game.
04:09The tackle by Sonny Stiles to get the ball back to Washington was just immense.
04:16And, yeah, you know, who knows where this is going to go.
04:20We don't know for sure.
04:22It just truly saved the season.
04:24But it certainly saved off a lot of awkward conversations that were about to happen all over D.C.
04:29with a loss.
04:30So, huge win, to say the least.
04:33Yeah, I mean, this league, man, it is so close.
04:38And after that second interception, the conversation today, the likelihood was not only are they done, not only will this
04:47be, you know, a house cleaning potentially, certainly with the coaching staff when the season ends, but Jaden Daniels has
04:54had opportunities to close out games multiple times and can't do it anymore.
04:59It would have been really a hideous day, and it would have completely masked all of the good from the
05:07game.
05:07Because I think, you know, if they were just, say, four and five right now or five and four, and
05:13they were what we think they are, which is sort of an average team, maybe a little bit less than
05:17average, there are some real encouraging signs.
05:22And they've been building, and I'll start with the defense.
05:26This is, you know, they gave up yards, and McCarthy made some big-time plays and big-time throws and
05:32threw for nearly 300.
05:33And Scadaboo had a nice game.
05:35But overall, when they had to have it in big spots, the defense delivered.
05:40And I think now through eight games, through nine games, you know, at three, five, and one, I feel comfortable
05:47saying, even with the injuries to Kinlaw and Payne, that this is a clear, easy, middle-of-the-pack NFL
05:55defense and maybe ascending a little bit.
05:59Yeah, before the game, I was looking at the splits, the first four games versus the last five.
06:06So, sort of like when Jaden Daniels came back, not that he's playing defense, but, you know, it affects everything.
06:11And, you know, the numbers weren't too dissimilar, frankly, on some of the major stat categories.
06:16But when you looked at the last two games, the Eagles and the Rams, Washington's numbers, what are you talking
06:23about?
06:23So, you guard the lab, third-down conversions, and so on, you know, were much higher, top ten in some
06:29categories.
06:30And this was another game where, yeah, look, I mean, obviously the New York had a lot of success.
06:35Isaiah likely continues to murder them.
06:38Cam Scadaboo had well over 100 yards of combined offense.
06:44And McCarthy had a career-high passing yard.
06:46But, you know, again, they only allowed 21 points.
06:50And, you know, it seems you can move the ball, but if you don't put it in the end zone,
06:54then, you know, the defense is ultimately going to win.
06:57And they certainly kept doing that.
06:59It is amazing you mentioned the defensive tackles.
07:01I mean, part of my questioning as to where this is going to go is, like, well, how much attrition
07:06can they overcome here, right?
07:09I don't want to be disrespectful to Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw.
07:12And, again, Scadaboo had some good plays up the middle where those guys would beat.
07:17But it doesn't feel nearly as impactful out there without those guys as I might have thought.
07:23You know, the combination of Tim Settle and Charles Amenehu and Shai Tuttle and other guys have definitely, you know,
07:30stepped up.
07:30And Durante Jones, you know, obviously gets a lot of credit for how he's scheming things.
07:35And, yeah, I mean, you know, Nick Cross is playing great, sunny style, so a lot to like about the
07:41defense certainly improving.
07:43Like you said, maybe it's middle of the pack.
07:45The middle of the pack is way better than it was.
07:47Yeah, I mean, let me just say, I think they miss Kinlaw.
07:51I think they miss that kind of size, which they don't really have without him.
07:57But, yeah, no, they've played.
07:59We've had a couple of – we've had three games now, right?
08:02Three without them, and they've been solid for sure.
08:08So, I don't think this was asked in the postgame of Jaden or Quinn.
08:14Correct me if I'm wrong.
08:16But it certainly looks like Jaden at the end of the half was throwing to Diggs, not Sinnott.
08:24Was that a conversation last night?
08:27Did anybody fess up to that or not?
08:30I don't think it was asked, like you said, obviously, with a lot going on.
08:33But, yeah, I mean, looking at the replay, it did look like it was the case.
08:39I mean, I think if Sinnott, though, doesn't get his hands on it, it looked to me like it would
08:43probably be incomplete.
08:44It looked like the defensive back was right there.
08:46Yes.
08:47Well, you know, luck or not, it ended up being a terrific throw.
08:52But, yeah, I'm not sure it was actually intended for Sinnott.
08:57But, yeah, he obviously made that play and a bunch of other ones.
09:01He did.
09:02What was the vibe postgame?
09:05Like, do you feel – look, you've said this over and over again.
09:09And Keim has said it to me over and over again, that in your experience as a beat reporter, in
09:14his very long experience as a beat reporter,
09:19that you know what a dysfunctional locker room that is bailed on the, you know, higher-ups, including the head
09:27coach, looks and feels like.
09:29And it never felt that way last year.
09:30And it hasn't felt that way this year.
09:33But beyond that and recognizing that, do you think they felt like this win?
09:39Was there a vibe that, hey, man, this was it.
09:41We're ready to take off and be a part of this conversation the rest of the way?
09:48Yeah.
09:49I kind of think so.
09:52I mean, I asked Jaden after the game, like, I probably phrased it sort of awkwardly,
09:57but, like, you know, most games this year, you guys are getting the end of it and things go wrong.
10:04When you throw the two picks and, you know, you had the turnover on downs right before that
10:09and the Giants get the go-ahead touchdown, you know, does any part of you think, here we go again?
10:16And simultaneously with the win, do you think that, like, exercised some potential demons?
10:20And, you know, he, nonchalant as he is, he kind of acknowledged that, hey, look, I mean,
10:25this is something you can build on for sure.
10:29And I think that, you know, that was the general sentiment, without a doubt.
10:32Like, you know, like we said, this isn't, if the season wasn't about getting, you know, blown out by any
10:39stretch,
10:40I mean, arguably the, you know, three of the top teams in the NFC are the Seahawks, the 49ers, and
10:45the Rams.
10:45They beat the one, and the other two came down to one-score games.
10:49I'm not saying, again, that Washington was, is all that, and that means, like, some,
10:55it means they're some sort of a contender, but it's been close.
10:58It's just they keep screwing up in the worst way as possible.
11:02And, yeah, I do think that there's something to be said for that kind of a win to overcome,
11:08you know, not to beat the Giants, but to overcome their own flaws from this season.
11:13And I think definitely can help springboard them to more.
11:16Did you talk to anybody about how they felt Nick Allegretti played?
11:22Because I thought it was a pretty good overall night for the O-line in general.
11:25But specific to him, did you learn anything about what kind of game he had
11:30and whether or not he'll continue?
11:32I guess Lucas Patrick certainly could be back by a week from Monday night.
11:37But give me anything that you learned about Allegretti's performance.
11:42Yeah, I mean, typically when we ask questions like that, the Quinn, he's like,
11:45I've got to look at the tape.
11:46But, yeah, I mean, there was definitely a lot of praise for the offensive line.
11:52You know, I mean, obviously one of the big talking points all season has been
11:57the lack of time that Jaden Daniels has in the pocket.
12:00Some of the statistics are, you know, lack context because it just depends on,
12:04you know, what they're looking to do and the other team blitzing and whatever.
12:07But he definitely had way more time last night than normal.
12:13The Giants, you know, had been one of the better pass rushing teams in the last,
12:19certainly over the last month or so.
12:20And it just did not feel like that was a huge concern or a huge issue in the game.
12:28So, yeah, I mean, I think across the board they did well.
12:31And, you know, it's a classic scenario of when you don't hear about the offensive lineman,
12:36it's a good deal.
12:37And, you know, other than the couple of false starts,
12:40there really just wasn't much to notice in the bad way,
12:45the way we unfortunately have been for most of the year.
12:47So, yeah, the offensive line, much, much better performance.
12:51And, yeah, Alec Reddy, I mean, again,
12:53it goes back to why he didn't go to the game last week instead of Goulbin,
12:58but, oh, whatever.
12:59So, yeah, no, he definitely stood up and, you know, in the nick of time,
13:02no pun intended.
13:04I was fearful going into last night's game because I just felt like just there's a vibe
13:11about right now this organization that says it's really teetering, you know,
13:16on because you and I have talked about a lot.
13:18It wasn't just the record of 2-5-1 heading into last night.
13:22It was the context around the record where people didn't just think they were a bad team.
13:28They thought they were an incompetent team, and that can weigh, you know, on a franchise.
13:34That's almost like double the weight on the record, you know,
13:38then what they're saying about you as to why you've got that record.
13:42And I was looking to see if they were going to be tight heading into a game
13:48that obviously was to keep their season alive.
13:50I never felt that way.
13:52I thought that they were ready from the jump, both sides of the ball.
13:56Well, the defense has been flying around all year, but you were there.
14:00Did you get a sense that they really – that, you know,
14:04any sort of nerves just didn't really exist?
14:07Yeah, I didn't get that sense.
14:09I mean, you know, they've obviously had – whether it's slow starts or tough finishes,
14:15you know, they definitely have not played full four quarters.
14:17I've talked about that a lot.
14:18But from, like, an intensity standpoint, it did feel like this was the closest
14:23they've come to that for sure.
14:28You know, the players, there's – I don't know.
14:32This group I just don't feel like is a group that's going to fade in that regard.
14:38And obviously, you know, so much of it starts with the quarterback.
14:41You know, this was the first comeback win and first, like, fourth quarter, you know,
14:48game-winning drive he's had since his rookie season.
14:50Obviously, last year was a mess because of the injuries primarily,
14:53and this year they just haven't been winning.
14:55And you and I have talked about this a lot.
14:57Like, it's not like – you know, when we were – during that stretch
15:00when Kurt Warner was talking about him needing to be a little more aggressive
15:03and things like that.
15:05And we were all saying, like – or you and I were saying, at least, I think,
15:09hey, he's playing pretty well.
15:10But where are the plays to, you know, to sort of put you over the top
15:15that define a quarterback at his level?
15:18And that just hadn't been coming.
15:19So to do that after his first two interceptions of the season
15:24just is a reminder that this kid is incredibly tough mentally.
15:29Nothing seems to ever faze him.
15:31And, you know, it goes the other way, too.
15:32Even when there's a lot of success, he remains very level, which is, you know,
15:37a huge deal, not just for the individual, but the message it sends
15:41to the rest of the team.
15:42So, you know, I mean, he's not the only one that has that –
15:46I mean, with that mental toughness.
15:47I mean, a guy like Amik Robertson, I think you could put in that category.
15:52Stephon Diggs, I think you could put in that category.
15:54And, you know, a bunch of other guys, too.
15:55So, you know, I didn't – starting with Jaden, I never sensed any nervousness
16:00or that they were, you know, reeling even at the end of the game,
16:05you know, even the last couple minutes when, you know,
16:06they've got to come back to win.
16:09Yeah, I thought he had – and I don't know who asked the question,
16:14but I thought he had a very interesting answer to – and maybe, Max,
16:19you can find this.
16:19But when he was talking about now playing, by the way, you know,
16:24consecutive games in a row, which just didn't happen last year.
16:27I mean, he didn't play more than – he only played two consecutive games
16:31start to finish in a row twice last year.
16:34And now he's played five consecutive games in a row.
16:39And he said he feels like he's back into a rhythm.
16:43He's feeling comfortable.
16:44There's a lot to be said for that.
16:46There was no chance last year, you know, in the limited – do you have that?
16:51Play that for me, Max, real quickly.
16:53Hey, Mary, you said –
16:58You said a lot in the offseason that you never got in a rhythm last year.
17:02Do you feel like you're in a rhythm now this season?
17:04I do.
17:05I think I'm starting to get into that rhythm.
17:06And it shows, like, the more games you play consistently, the more reps you get,
17:10the more of a flow and rhythm that you can.
17:13And it was tough last year being in and out of the lineup.
17:17And trying to catch a rhythm.
17:18Like, you know, football, you practice more than you play.
17:21So you can practice all you want.
17:23But it's nothing that can replicate the game reps.
17:26Yeah, there's no doubt about that.
17:28There was no opportunity to ever get in sync or into rhythm.
17:31Not to mention that when he was on the field last year,
17:34it was a different group out there with him every single time.
17:38But I'll tell you what I thought really helped last night, Ben.
17:41And we talked about this the last few weeks, and I wanted to see more of it.
17:44But I think that they are much more effective when they go no huddle.
17:49Whether it ends up being fast-paced or not.
17:52But the no huddle, he seems to really be comfortable in.
17:56What do you think?
17:58Yeah, no, at one point there in the first, I think it was in the first quarter
18:02or the first half at least, you're like, oh, wait a minute.
18:05They just look familiar.
18:07They're kind of not huddling.
18:08They're kind of hurrying up.
18:10He's on shotgun.
18:12And, you know, you're right.
18:13I don't know how much of that was because Jaden feels more comfortable with that
18:16or how much of that was scouting the Giants, having just played them a few weeks ago,
18:21that they wanted to keep them in a certain personnel package, what have you.
18:25But, yeah, I mean, they definitely had it going.
18:28And, look, I mean, approach long-term or consistent over the course of a season,
18:42I guess people can debate that again.
18:44You know, similar to what we talked about last year,
18:46that nobody else in the league was running anything close to what Washington was running,
18:50you know, that much.
18:51So I don't know what necessarily is the best way to go, but for this quarterback,
18:57especially at this point of his career, and maybe even to what you were just saying,
19:02that he hasn't been playing a lot, you know, until the last, you know, few weeks here,
19:06that maybe this was a really good way to get him and help him get more into that rhythm.
19:13So it was definitely working at, you know, curious to see some of the numbers,
19:19you know, what happened there, you know, or not.
19:22I mean, I still kind of wince when I see shotgun on, like,
19:27go on the balls at the one-yard line.
19:29But, okay, other than that, you know, hey, it definitely seemed like it was working for him.
19:33Yeah, you see that a lot in the league, especially with quarterbacks like him.
19:37But I actually, and I don't know what the numbers are,
19:40but I'm going to guess that last night was one of their higher percentage of under-center games.
19:48It felt that way to me.
19:50It's still not, you know, up to what the Rams do in some of the other teams,
19:53but I felt like they had probably as much under-center last year,
19:58last night as they had in any game this year.
20:01All right, what else?
20:02What else do you have in your notebook here to let us know about?
20:08Yeah, well, I mean, I think first off, you know, we often talk about the schedule.
20:12You know, it's a when you get somebody sometimes.
20:15The Giants are playing well, but this was a great opportunity to play a division opponent, I think.
20:20Right?
20:20I mean, because it's always, you know, the throw out the record bit is real, I always think.
20:26Right?
20:26We've seen that over the years.
20:27And they just played the team a few weeks ago, obviously, the infamous tie.
20:31So I really think facing a team that they've already seen,
20:34that you got the division deal, not to mention the Giants in first place,
20:37I think really was perfect timing for what they needed to get done.
20:45You know, Diggs and Jayden Daniels talked after the game about on the touchdown pass
20:52that Jayden saw that the Giants were going to go zero blitz,
20:57and he signals to Diggs.
20:59You can see it in the replay.
21:01If you look tight, you can see that he, you know, gives him a look,
21:06and then Diggs, you know, comes off the line of scrimmage, good footwork,
21:11gets some space towards the middle, runs a slant,
21:13and that's where Jayden hits him, and the rest, as he said, was history.
21:17And, you know, I mean, it's just the little things, you know,
21:20Diggs wouldn't cop to whether that was a change of the route or just stay the course.
21:24But nonetheless, you know, it's, you know, I know we do the things you maybe expect,
21:29but this is also the type of thing that a guy like Diggs allows you to do
21:34to make whatever adjustments on the fly.
21:36The trust is clearly there with him, and even, you know,
21:40he may be slowing down or whatever, but, you know,
21:43he looked plenty quick on that play.
21:47And, you know, again, it's not just about the physical, the athletic part.
21:51It is about the mental part, and they recognize what was coming,
21:54and, you know, it paid off.
21:57All right, thanks.
21:58Appreciate it.
21:59I'll talk to you on Monday.
22:00Of course, man, too.
22:02Ben Standing, everybody, at Ben Standing on X.