You can go through the minutia of the Commanders’ last-second win over the Cowboys Sunday that gave them their first 12-win season since 1991, but the reality is that game was played, and coached, by both sides in a much different manner than it would’ve been at any point this season before Week 18.
However, there were two big things that happened in that game, the first being Jayden Daniels resting in the second half with what Dan Quinn called ‘leg soreness’ – code for something else, Jay Gruden?
“I think he took some shots early, took a couple of sacks, and then got twisted up in a pile one time, so maybe Coach Quinn's like, you know what, this isn't worth it, we need him next week,” Gruden told G&D Monday, “and let’s let everybody else play because it's an important game to the fans of the organization, but more important to make sure our quarterback stays healthy, because he did take a couple of shots early. And, let’s get Marcus Mariota some reps in here, he had a good week of practice, and go from there. He’s been a good player for a long time, and he’s in a great place right now backing up Jayden Daniels because he’s got the same skill set as Jayden, so if something happens to Jayden, they don't have to change much in their offense.”
The other is that the win guaranteed them the No. 6 seed minutes before the Bears topped the Packers to make the result in Dallas moot, but whatever; now it’s on to Tampa, where the Commanders will hope to finish the Bucs’ season where they both began theirs in Week 1, Jayden Daniels’ playoff debut coming against the same team he made his NFL debut against back in September.
“They’ve changed backs, and I like Rachaad White, he’s a good player, but Bucky Irving is a difference-maker at the running back position, both on the perimeter inside and in the passing game, so that helped a lot,” Gruden said of the Bucs’ offense. “Losing Godwin hurt, but Jalen McMillan has done a good job filling in for him, and he and Mike Evans are very good players.
Those two and Irving are the three you have to stop somehow, but Bucky is the key; he’s a dynamic runner, and hopefully Lattimore plays and can match up with Mike Evans, which is must-see TV when they get together. If he doesn’t, we’re gonna have issues defending both on the outside.”
But, is there a vulnerability the Commanders can exploit?
“I watched the game against New Orleans and they looked terrible on offense and defense; Spencer Rattler looked like Joe Montana against the defense and their offense wasn't doing anything,” Gruden said. “Baker sometimes struggles, he holds on the ball a little bit and tries to make a big play because he's very athletic and can move around in the pocket and buy time.
That’s what he's really good at, but sometimes it costs him negative plays, so you have to try to force him into some terrible decisions by getting after him and making him move his feet.”
And defensively, what will Jayden and company see on the second time around?
“I think the key is to attack them on first and second down and get after their secondary, because they're not very good. They don't have much edge pressure, so Todd Bowles has to manufacture with some different fronts and a lot of stunting,” Gruden said. “That’s very tough to defend, and they'll throw in some blitzes and some different looks in the perimeter that you have to account for, so your backs better be good in protection. If they can do that and Jayden can break contain a couple of times, there's some big plays to be had outside. That’ll be the biggest issue, and hopefully they don’t get to a lot of third and longs, because they’re tough to contend with. So, run the ball, play action, avoid third and long is the key to a lot of defenses, but especially against Tampa Bay.”
Take a listen to Gruden’s entire visit, which, in addition to Dallas talk, looks at the Commanders’ running game issues and how they can fix them, and much more!