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RB Brian Robinson Jr. to play; Austin Ekeler, Andrew Wylie out
The Washington Commanders’ running game, in need of a jolt after three lackluster games in a row, will be without two critical players for Sunday’s game vs. Tennessee.
But at least one crucial player will be back on the field.
Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr., who missed the second half of Sunday’s Week 12 loss vs. Dallas with a sprained right ankle, was a full participant in practice Friday and was not given an injury designation, signaling he will play vs. the Titans.
Robinson is second behind quarterback Jayden Daniels with 537 yards rushing but leads the team with seven rushing touchdowns.
The Commanders (7-5) will be without Austin Ekeler and right tackle Andrew Wylie, however, when they host Tennessee (3-8) at 1 p.m. Sunday. Both players suffered concussions against the Cowboys.
Ekeler leads Washington’s backs with 701 yards from scrimmage, serving mostly as a third-down back. He’s also averaging 31.3 yards per kickoff return. Jeremy McNichols will replace Ekeler.
Washington Post (paywall)
Nearing another milestone, Commanders’ Bobby Wagner still puts in the work
For most players who have played 10 seasons or more, inevitable physical decline renders them backups or limits their playing time.
Not Wagner. He’s averaging more snaps per game (59.2) than he did his rookie season in 2012 (51.5) and the most pressures per game in his career since at least 2019 (1.33), according to the website TruMedia.
On Sunday, he will add another accolade to his long career list.
With 99 tackles, he needs one more to become the second player this century to have 100 or more in 13 consecutive seasons. The other player to achieve that feat? Former Washington linebacker London Fletcher, who had at least 100 tackles in 14 consecutive seasons, from 2000 to 2013.
During a recent practice, Quinn watched the Commanders’ defense run through a basic tackling drill and wondered how many times Wagner had practiced the skill. So he looked it up, and when he met with the team the next day to review clips, Quinn showed players the number 1,045 — Wagner’s career solo tackles.
“I thought, there’s been 10,000 more in practice of that technique,” Quinns said. “So, that probably summed [it] up. It was an easy drill. … That’s the deliberate practice that’s there, and I think that’s the message, with him not saying a thing. It said everything like, ‘I’m going to do it right over and over and over again.’”
The Athletic (paywall)
Commanders mailbag: Marshon Lattimore returns to practice. Now what?
When Marshon Lattimore finally debuts for Washington, what type of personnel and coverage changes are you expecting? Are there indications the coaching staff will leave him on an island? Who drops out of the rotation? — Cam B.
Let’s start with that last piece, though the news here is Lattimore joined practice this week. At the time of the trade, and with coach Dan Quinn saying he sees Mike Sainristil in the slot long term, the thought was to move the rookie inside and leave Benjamin St-Juste as the other outside cornerback. That line of thinking needs an update.
St-Juste received 58 percent of Washington’s 66 defensive snaps against Dallas. That is his lowest snap count percentage since the 2021 third-round pick’s rookie season. In 2024, he’s played at least 94 percent of every game other than the Week 7 blowout over Carolina until dropping to 72 percent in the Thursday night loss to Philadelphia. Cramps accounted for that dip. St-Juste was not on the injury report for Dallas week.
Meanwhile, Sainristil’s toughness and instincts impress coaches, even though the 5-foot-10 corner gives up size in most matchups. Against the Cowboys, Sainristil and Noah Igbinoghene sat a combined three snaps, while Michael Davis and St-Juste split the other reps. The read is that Sainristil is emerging as Lattimore’s outside partner, with Igbinoghene remaining in the slot and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. becoming permanently inactive, barring injuries.
Lattimore played almost exclusively on the right side with the New Orleans Saints, though the four-time Pro Bowler has bounced around more in other years. Quinn’s first comments after the trade highlighted the corner’s coverage versatility. Expect him to move around. Lattimore can play on an island. The challenge is integrating him into the scheme or making changes for the other defensive backs this late into the season.
Sports Illustrated
Commanders’ Jayden Daniels Facing Cold Temperatures
Jayden Daniels will battle the cold as the Washington Commanders play the Tennessee Titans.
The temperatures in Landover, Maryland at Northwest Stadium will teeter from the high 40’s and low 30’s for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, but Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is preparing Daniels for the cold.
“Yeah, I mean, we’ve had some colder temperatures recently, but I think that’s one of those deals you just have to go play,” Kingsbury said. “I think one guy that I always point to is [Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick] Mahomes never played in cold weather and he’s about as good as I’ve ever seen now in Kansas City. So, it’s just a thing that the great ones adapt to and compete and find a way to get it done.”
Commanders.com
Three keys to Washington getting a win over Tennessee
1. Force Will Levis to make poor decisions.
The Titans have spent the last two seasons trying to figure out whether Levis is a quarterback to build around the next decade. The results in that endeavor have been mixed at best, although his best stretch of the season has come in the past two weeks. However, even with the high of completing 75% of his passes in a 32-27 win over the Houston Texans, the former Kentucky signal-caller has his share of faults, particularly when it comes to turning over the football.
In the eight games that he’s played this season — he missed three weeks with a shoulder injury — Levis has been good for at least one interception or fumble and occasionally providing defenses with both. Three of those interceptions have been returned for touchdowns, including last week, when cornerback Jimmie Ward scored on a 65-yard return. Several of his turnovers have been too difficult to climb back from, like the pick-six he threw in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears in Week 1.
For the Commanders’ defense, which has emphasized creating turnovers, it should provide an ideal opportunity to impact Sunday’s game. Levis has the ninth-worst offensive grade when pressured this season with five turnover worthy plays. He’s also been sacked 35 times this season — fourth-most in the NFL
Podcasts & videos
Commanders/Titans preview pod is up. https://t.co/o9iUNWyGDX
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) November 29, 2024
And this is the video version. @ESPNRichmond https://t.co/2aBMOyeGGF
— John Keim (@john_keim) November 29, 2024
Phidarian Mathis + Fred Davis on WK 13 vs the Tennessee Titans | Next Man Up | Washington Commanders
Photos
Commanders.com
PHOTOS | Best practice shots from Week 13
Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders during their week of practice ahead of the matchup against the Tennessee Titans.
