A much shorter and much more somber than usual visit for Jay Gruden with Grant & Danny on Monday, as there was really only one topic of discussion: what went wrong in the NFC Championship Game?
“The first play of the game for Philadelphia, 60-yard touchdown, wasn’t very good, but I think the second fumble on the kickoff return was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Gruden said. “There was still a fighting chance there, but Philadelphia scored, and it got out of whack. The turnovers, a couple penalties here and there, and some uncharacteristic missed tackling.”
Gruden thought Jayden Daniels played well overall, but another bug-a-boo that the Commanders couldn’t seem to fix this season also bit them: non-Daniels runners had 19 carries for 51 yards, four of those carries and almost 10 of those yards on the final drive with Marcus Mariota at the helm when it was all over but the shouting.
“He competed his ass off and played pretty damn good, but there wasn’t a lot of help; the running game was really non-existent again, and he can't do it all on his own,” Gruden said. “He has to have some kind of running game to help him out and take the pressure off him a little bit so he gets some plays outside the pocket.”
Jay also banged the defense, who were in some tough spots after turnovers so the 55 points they gave up maybe weren’t as bad as they could’ve been – but still, 55 is 55, and you have to make some stops, even if it’s a field goal instead of a touchdown.
“It didn't look like they took away anything, which is a problem. If they're gonna try to put all hands on deck to stop Saquon, they might give up some passes, I understand that, but his first two carries were for 64 yards and two touchdowns,” Gruden said. “They did not play well in any phase; they didn't tackle very good, they took bad angles, and they were put in bad situations by the fumbles. I thought they would have to play a damn near perfect game, which they've done, but they just couldn’t do it.”
So now, the question turns to the offseason and where the Commanders must beef up, and what happens with Marshon Lattimore will determine how much of a priority the secondary is – but to Gruden, either way, there’s a clear need on both sides of the ball.
“I think defensive line, pass rush, is No. 1, and then another playmaker on offense,” Gruden said. “Terry is a great player, but there's no juice out there that can really get the big, big play other than Terry. So whether it’s a wide receiver, running back, tight end, they need a dynamic player there, and then another dynamic pass rusher that can really get home with a four-man rush and end, ideally.”
Take a listen to Gruden’s entire visit and discussion of Sunday’s finale above!