Olamide Zaccheaus' key to Commanders' success? 'Playing as hard as we can and being ready when your number is called'

Olamide Zaccheaus had just one catch for 10 yards on Sunday, but it was a big grab – he made a huge move to gain those yards and turn a 3rd & 13 into a 4th & 3 at the Cleveland 40 with just under five minutes to go in the first half, and the Commanders went on to convert on fourth down and go on to score a TD to make it 17-3.

Zaccheaus also recovered a fumble that kept the team from wasting a 50-yard Austin Ekeler run, so two huge plays set up a pair of scores in the 34-13 win, and just another day in an offense that is rolling, but to a man says they all have some things to work on.

“I feel like we handled it pretty well; obviously, we have things that we got to clean up, like protecting the ball and staying on the field third down, but overall we did pretty good,” Zaccheaus said. “At the end of the day, it really just comes down to us being able to execute and stay on the field. We left things out there in the first half, a little bit in the second half too, but we prepare very well and very intentional during the week, and we just got to keep going and keep carrying it over, because that really matters.”

It seems like it’s someone new every week being the ‘star’ of the show, but it’s almost everyone making at least one key play a game – like, say, Dyami Brown this week, as his 41-yard TD catch late in the second quarter put a bow on their 24-point half.

“Everybody’s just being ready; everybody in this room can make plays. It may be somebody else’s ‘turn’ each week, but at the end of the day, it just comes down to just playing as hard as we can to get the win and just being ready when your number is called,” Zaccheaus said. “I’m happy for (Brown), so happy that he just stayed patient and stuck with it, but we don't have a selfish room; we just wanna play hard and just get the win.”

It’s clear to everyone though, Zaccheaus included, who the real star is: that No. 2 overall pick at QB leading the way, under the guidance of the new offensive coordinator.

“I think you can't take that for granted, him being a young quarterback in the NFL, but it’s something that we just got to continue to build on,” Zaccheaus said. “He's been handling it pretty well, and we all have things that we have to get better at; we’ll just continue to help him as he continues to grow, and go out there and execute the game plan. Kliff has been doing a really good job of calling great plays and then we've been going out there and executing it.”