Commanders Vs. Chiefs (Preseason Game Two) - Studs and Duds

Game two of the “new” preseason should be the tune-up for teams... ie, some coaches like to play their starters for a full quarter or two. Both Andy Reid and Ron Rivera had their starters (or what was left of them health-wise), in the game for over a quarter of football. Being that this is still preseason, and all certainly was not equal (Washington was missing three starting offensive lineman), it’s tough to put too much stock into the first half of this game, but for those who were able to watch the action, things didn’t look good for the Commanders.

There were certainly some suspect calls by the refs, including one egregious pass interference against William Jackson III that even left announcer Trent Green scratching his head. That one call allowed the Chiefs offense to stay on the field after what SHOULD have been a punt situation, and the next play saw Justin Watson burn Kam Curl for a 39 yard gain setting up Kansas City’s first touchdown. That drive set the tone for the rest of the game.

Below are my Studs and Duds of the game, followed by some Notes.

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Studs:

Brian Robinson - Robinson started the game in the backfield for the Commanders. It’s very evident that’s he’s a true running back with a good combination of vision and explosion. He had eight carries for 31 yards behind a makeshift offensive line, but the runs he had were quite impressive.

Antonio Gibson - It now may be time to use Antonio Gibson as what he really is - a WEAPON. Forcing Gibson into a true running back role may not be fair for the former converted wide receiver, but when used to his strengths as a pass catcher either out of the backfield, or from the slot, he’s a true mismatch nightmare. Gibson caught three passes for 37 yards in about a half of football.

Jahan Dotson - Dotson caught his first passes of the preseason yesterday against Kansas City, and the rookie looked smooth and explosive in doing so. He had two receptions for 23 yards in just over a quarter of work.

Montez Sweat - Sweat was disruptive against the Chiefs’ starters Saturday afternoon. There were times where he generated quick pressure and almost looked unblockable. His motor was running on high throughout the first quarter.

Jamin Davis - It’s been reported that Davis has made massive strides this camp, and Saturday’s game showed some of that. I thought Davis was solid against the run and was EXCELLENT (minus one play where I think he was in a Green-Dog and missed his assignment out of the backfield), in coverage. Overall, REALLY good game for the second year linebacker!

Shaka Toney - I understand this was against the Chiefs’ reserves, but Toney looked lightning quick out of his stance and got pressure (including 1 ¹⁄₂ sacks) on the afternoon.

Kendall Fuller - Fuller did give up a touchdown early in the game, but his coverage was good - just happened to be a perfect thrown by Mahomes to a big receiver. Aside from that, Fuller was pretty damn good!

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Duds:

Keith Ismael - In my opinion, there is no way Keith Ismael makes this football team. He’s just not very good, and that was on full display again Saturday. He’s a human traffic cone.

Sahdiq Charles - I’m starting to have my doubts, even with his position flexibility, that Charles makes this football team. He’s been massively inconsistent, and in my opinion, has been outplayed by the rookie Chris Paul - who also has position flex.

Kam Curl - Kam is one of my favorite players on this football team, but I think we can all agree that yesterday’s performance wasn’t his best. He still showed some moments, but the bad outweighed the good.

Danny Johnson - For the second week in a row, Danny Johnson is a dud. He just looks lost out there in coverage and is getting abused by the Little Sisters of the Poor.

Corn Elder - For someone fighting to make this roster, dropping an easy interception in the endzone isn’t a good look. He’s done nothing special through two games that makes me say he should make the 53.

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- Carson Wentz, playing behind an o-line missing three starters, look just OK. What I do think he did a nice job of was taking what the defense gave him and not forcing anything.

- Taylor Heinicke was typical Taylor Heinicke. He threw some nice balls, but also threw his receivers into what could have been big trouble. The one to Dyami below was a good example of this.

- Overall, the defensive interior played well against the run. I saw Allen, Payne, Mathis and Wise all flash during the game.

- Jeremy Reaves continues to play undisciplined football. He made some really good plays, but also needs to understand when to hold up.

- Cam Sims hauled in a heck of a touchdown catch from Heinicke in the back of the endzone.

- Sam Howell wasn’t a dud this game, but he was no where near as sharp as he was last week. The interception was bad, and he SHOULD have had an easy touchdown to Dyami Brown that he underthrew.

- I haven’t been impressed with Cole Holcomb at MIKE. He looked a bit slow and a bit lost in coverage yesterday.