Daily Slop – 24 Dec 24: Olamide Zaccheaus, Jamison Crowder & returner Luke McCaffrey unlikely stars of Week 16 victory

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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

Breaking down the Commanders game winning touchdown drive

Taking a closer look at the Commanders game winning touchdown drive against the Eagles

The Commanders remarkable 36-33 victory over the Eagles on Sunday was capped off by an almost perfect two-minute drive by the offense. The Commanders got the ball at their own 43 yard line with 1:53 remaining on the clock and one timeout left needing a touchdown to win against the top defense in the NFL. The Commanders proceeded to march 57 yards down the field on nine plays and scored the game winning touchdown with six seconds to spare. It was a fantastic drive worth looking at in more detail, so here is how they did it.

Play 1

Situation: 1st & 10 at Washington 43, 1:53 remaining.

Analysis: To get the drive started, the Commanders kick into gear with one of their common quick game concepts. They begin in a two by two formation but tight end Zach Ertz motions across to the left of the formation before the snap. From there, Ertz runs a deep stick route, often referred to as a branch route (branch because it’s a longer version of stick). In the slot, outside of Ertz, Terry McLaurin runs a slot fade while Jamison Crowder runs a hitch on the outside. That combination of three routes is often known as Patriot and is one of the Commanders favorite ways to get to a slot fade. On the right side of the formation, the single remaining receiver is Olamide Zaccheaus. He runs a spot route while running back Brian Robinson swings to the flat as a checkdown option.

The motion from Ertz draws a reaction from linebacker Zack Baun, who follows Ertz across the formation and to the slot. That leaves just linebacker Nakobe Dean and cornerback Darius Slay to the offensive right side of the field. As Daniels drops back to pass, he spots Dean opening his hips and working out to the flat to match Robinson, so he knows there will be a big hole underneath for Zaccheaus. With Slay playing off coverage, he also knows a good throw on time will get the ball to Zaccheaus before Slat can do anything about it. So Daniels doesn’t hesitate and quickly gets the ball out. Slay closes as quick as he can but the ball arrives first and Zaccheaus makes the catch for a seven yard gain before Slay makes the tackle.

Play 2

Situation: 2nd & 3 at the 50, 1:34 remaining.

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Washington Post (paywall)

Inside the Commanders’ dramatic final drive to beat the Eagles

Washington went 57 yards in the final two minutes, scoring the winning touchdown on a play called “Fiesta.”

Several Washington Commanders knew, deep in the red zone with just nine seconds left, they were about to run “Fiesta.”

“We’ve repped [it] hundreds of times for that situation,” tight end Zach Ertz said. “We knew the play that was going to be called … before the coaches even called it.”

In fact, they had run Fiesta during practice Friday, and it had played out exactly as it did Sunday afternoon at Northwest Stadium: The defense lined up in a two-high-safety look; quarterback Jayden Daniels anticipated the middle of the field would be open; and slot receiver Jamison Crowder cleared a linebacker and broke toward the middle, opening a small window for the touchdown throw.

8. First and goal from the Philadelphia 9, 11 seconds remaining — Daniels spikes the ball to stop the clock.

Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter dived between the center’s legs to try to intercept the spike. He started trying that last year after he saw a Colorado high school player pull it off.

9. Second and goal from the Philadelphia 9, nine seconds remaining — Daniels passes short middle to Crowder for nine yards and a touchdown.

With the offense down several key skill players, two wide receivers — Crowder and Zaccheaus — stepped up with two touchdown catches each. The final touchdown was particularly memorable for the 31-year-old Crowder, who missed much of the past 2½ months with a calf injury.

“It means a lot,” Crowder said. “It sucked to miss time.”

“Guys like that may not get all the attention, but [it’s important to] have a vet in your room like that,” McLaurin said. “He’s been great for our young guys. He’s been great for me. He pushes me every single day to be the best I can be. … I’m so happy for him.”

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Commanders.com

Game Balls | Four standouts from Washington’s win against Philadelphia

Olamide Zaccheaus

There were some questions about who could step up as other go-to options for Daniels in the air for this game. It was unclear whether Zach Ertz, ranked second in the team in receiving yards, would be available as he worked through the concussion protocol. Noah Brown, ranked third in receiving yards, is out for some time after receiving what was later determined to be a kidney injury against the Titans.

Yesterday, Zaccheaus stepped up and finished as Washington’s receiving yards leader with 70 yards on five catches. And it gets better; he also recorded two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter as the Commanders mounted their comeback.

On the first, he broke away from his defender and was able to get his hands under Daniels’ throw while sliding to the ground. The four-yard pass was Zaccheaus’ first touchdown of the season. The second was the Commanders’ next scoring play. The wideout once again found a good deal of space away from his defender and collected a downfield bomb from Daniels. There was still a lot to be done to get into the end zone after securing the pass. Zaccheaus shrugged off a defender and skipped away from another to take it home and tie it up for Washington.

The last time the wide receiver recorded two touchdowns in a game was in Week 9 of the 2021 season. Doing it again in an important win against your former team? Clutch.

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ESPN

NFL Week 16: Biggest questions, takeaways for every game

Commanders

Does Sunday’s win lock up rookie of the year honors for quarterback Jayden Daniels? It should — by a large margin. It’s hard to imagine a rookie offensive player doing more than Daniels, who started off strong yet is doing more down the stretch. He now has 22 touchdown passes, including five to beat the Eagles and nine over the past three games. He also rushed for 82 of the Commanders’ 114 yards on Sunday. Washington’s offense did not have a lot going for it with five turnovers, but Daniels bailed it out with big pass plays, including the 10-yard winning throw with six seconds left.

Describe the game in two words: Unlikely comeback. The Commanders had no business winning after turning the ball over five times, which led to 13 points for the Eagles. Yet Daniels made all the difference. And the Commanders also contained running back Saquon Barkley to 27 yards on 16 carries in the second half.

Biggest hole in the game plan: The run game. Washington’s run game was all or nothing — and the all was its rookie quarterback. The Commanders’ line couldn’t move the Eagles’ front all afternoon. This has become a reoccurring issue, as Washington’s running backs rushed for only 34 yards against the Saints last week. — John Keim

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Riggo’s Rag

Commanders key numbers, Week 16: Washington overcomes mistakes for miraculous win

Jayden Daniels delivers an early Christmas gift for the Commanders…

1.95: The game was a polar opposite of the Week 11 match-up for the Eagles run game. In that clash, Saquon Barkley took over late to put the game away. The Commanders’ defense held him in check after early success.

Barkley had 109 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including a 68-yarder at the end of the first quarter. He was only able to manage 37 rushing yards on 19 carries the rest of the way for an anemic 1.95 yards per carry.

12: After only having one reception for 10 receiving yards in the first meeting with the Eagles, McLaurin finished the game with five catches for 60 yards and his 12th receiving touchdown of the season. He is now tied for the franchise record for touchdown receptions in a season with Ricky Sanders. He also eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the fifth campaign in a row, becoming just the sixth receiver since 2012 to accomplish that feat.

If you had Jamison Crowder and Olamide Zaccheaus on your bingo card as major contributors to the 2024 offense, you deserve a prize. The duo finished with two receiving touchdowns each.

Crowder last had two receiving touchdowns in a game in Week 13 of the 2020 season. The last time Zaccheaus achieved this feat was Week 8 of the 2021 season. Meanwhile, ex-Washington pass-catcher Jahan Dotson had zero touches.

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Upcoming opponent

The Falcoholic

Falcons MVP for Week 16: The defense? Again?

I would not suggest to you with a straight face that the Falcons are a good defense now. They are still last in the league in sacks, and they have two lopsided losses in the past five games fueled in part by defensive ineptitude. There is a long road ahead if this team is going to become a consistently good squad on that side of the ball in 2025.

Yet for all of that, the team has caught fire as a pass rush since the bye week, and they’ve delivered three superior defensive efforts. That includes one genuinely stunning game against the Chargers and a pair of strong efforts against admittedly weak opponents, culminating in a dominant day against the woeful Giants.

In a quality debut by Michael Penix and a great day for Bijan Robinson yet again, the defense is this week’s MVP. Three sacks, two (!) pick-sixes, a forced fumble, and just 234 yards allowed alongside a single, early touchdown will more than do the trick against most opponents, and it led to Atlanta absolutely crushing New York.

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3 up and 3 down for Week 16: Penix debuts up, while Pitts tumbles down

A big day for the Falcons still comes with its sour notes.

Kyle Pitts

The man who just works here hardly does that anymore. Kyle Pitts has played less than 50% of the offense’s total snaps in three out of the last four games. Penix’s debut was yet another chance for Kyle Pitts to get a fresh start with a new quarterback, and he gave the opportunity away. Pitts seemingly always finds himself involved in a bungle and the excuses have run out.

It was good to see Penix go back to the tight end later, and it’s likely he’ll have to throw his way again, but Pitt’s future is a big unknown after 2024. He’s already been given his fifth-year option, and the Falcons can’t afford to take on too much dead cap if there’s a chance they cut Kirk Cousins. The best solution is the one everyone has been hoping for: Pitts playing well. Unfortunately, that solution feels unattainable at this point.

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Podcasts & videos

Does Jayden Daniels Belong In The MVP Conversation?

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Olamide Zaccheaus’ Best Plays From His 2-TD Game in Win Over Former Team | Washington Commanders

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The MAGIC of Jayden Daniels | The Booth Review Podcast | Washington Commanders | NFL

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