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Daily Slop – 7 Jan 25: RFK Stadium bill signed into law; site transfer expected within 6 months

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Washington Post (paywall)

President Biden signs RFK Stadium bill into law, a boon for D.C.

D.C. will start working with the federal government to hash out the details of the RFK transfer.

President Joe Biden signed a bill giving D.C. control of the RFK Stadium campus into law on Monday, solidifying a generational redevelopment opportunity for the city and opening up the possibility of returning the Washington Commanders to the site.

[T]he law gives D.C. administrative control of the property for 99 years, allowing the city to redevelop the more than 170 acres for a slate of purposes including retail, housing, recreation — and a sports stadium.

Now that D.C. controls the site, Bowser will formally be able to negotiate with the Washington Commanders ownership as D.C. competes with Maryland — where the team now plays, at Northwest Stadium in Landover — for a chance to build the next Commanders stadium. Bowser has long argued they belong at their old home at RFK Stadium, and while principal owner Josh Harris has not expressed a clear preference, he has previously called RFK the team’s “spiritual home.”

Commanders ownership attended the bill signing at the White House as well. The team cheered the enactment of the RFK bill on X, saying D.C. could “finally move forward on a new vision” for the site.

For now, RFK Stadium is a rusting shell awaiting demolition. The city will now begin working with the federal government to complete the RFK transfer, which is expected to take place within 180 days. First, D.C. will conduct a survey of the land. Next, D.C. and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior will develop terms and conditions and sign a memorandum of understanding. D.C. will bear all of the costs associated with the transfer, though the city will not have to pay for the land itself.

Commanders.com

Games Balls | Three standouts from Washington regular season finale win against Dallas

Mike Sainristil

When Sainristil was drafted, he said playing on the inside is “where I make my money. That’s where I’m very comfortable. Put me in that slot corner and let me go cause havoc.”

While he was certainly correct in that statement, secondary needs changed for Washington early in the season, and Sainristil was moved outside. Few would have faulted the rookie for taking the whole season to adjust but he didn’t need that. This, after all, is a guy who also played wide receiver in college — versality is kind of his thing.

Against Dallas, Sainristil displayed the comfort and havoc-wreaking abilities on the outside that he’s been developing for the last several weeks. As the offense sputtered in the first half, the Commanders defense stood strong, and Sainristil was a big part of that. Two of his passes defensed came in that first half, and one of those was in the red zone on a drive where Dallas had to settle for a field goal. He recorded another pass breakups in the third quarter, a brutal hit on Jalen Tolbert that epitomized the sort of anticipation and aggressiveness Washington loves about their second -round pick.

In notching those three defense passes, Sainristil became the first Washington rookie to record 14-plus passes defensed in a single season since Bashaud Breeland in 2014. He also finished with 10 tackles, good for second on the team.

Washington Post (paywall)

The Commanders’ stunning regular season explained in 10 stats

With rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels putting up numbers rarely seen, Washington set records and continually surprised the NFL.

69.0 completion percentage

Daniels’s accuracy, particularly on deep balls, quickly became part of the “wow” factor of his game. It was also record setting. He completed 331 of 480 attempts for a completion rate of 69.0 percent, the highest ever by rookie quarterback. It’s the third-highest among Washington quarterbacks in a single season, behind Sammy Baugh’s 70.3 percent in 1945 and Kirk Cousins’s 69.8 in 2015.

891 rushing yards and a 66.7 rushing EPA

Daniels was Washington’s running game for much of the season, amassing 891 rushing yards to set an NFL record for a rookie quarterback and rank second among quarterbacks this season behind Lamar Jackson (915). Daniels’s 37 missed tackles on runs and 53 rushing first downs both ranked second among non-running backs as well.

The Commanders had the third-most rushing yards in the league at 154.1 per game, mostly because of Daniels. Their running backs averaged only 51.5 rushing yards per game after the Week 14 bye (Austin Ekeler missed four games because of a concussion) to rank 31st among rushing corps in that span.

But with Daniels picking up first downs with his feet while also keying the passing game, Washington finished with league highs in rushing success rate (49.6 percent) and expected points added via the rush (66.7), according to Next Gen Stats.

Six touchdowns in the final minute and overtime

Noah Brown’s 52-yard touchdown catch on a Hail Mary was the most memorable of a half-dozen last-minute scores for Washington. (Nick Wass/AP)

Washington has a “flair for the dramatics,” as McLaurin said, turning slow starts into late-game thrillers for a league-high six touchdowns in the final minute of regulation and overtime. Daniels thrived when the stakes were highest. His 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown to Noah Brown in Week 8 against the Bears was the first. Then there was a five-yard touchdown to Zach Ertz with 31 seconds left in a loss against Philadelphia in Week 11, followed by the 86-yard bomb to McLaurin in the final 33 seconds of a loss against Dallas in Week 12.

Daniels did it again in Philadelphia, throwing a dart to Jamison Crowder for the Week 16 win, then saved it for overtime against the Falcons in Week 17, when he found Ertz in the end zone to clinch a playoff berth.

Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota followed the rookie’s lead Sunday by connecting with McLaurin on a five-yard, game-winning touchdown with six seconds left at Dallas.

87.0 fourth-down conversion percentage

Washington was successful on 20 of 23 fourth-down attempts for an 87.0 percent conversion rate, the highest of any team in history with more than 10 attempts, according to Pro Football Reference. The Commanders converted at least one fourth down in 13 games, which they have done in only one other season this century (2021).

The Athletic (paywall)

Terry McLaurin’s late TD propels Commanders to win over Cowboys, No. 6 seed: Takeaways

Expect the offense to be better in playoffs

The Commanders had their worst collective half of the season in the first two quarters, with just 64 yards and four first downs. Daniels’ 16-yard run helped set up a Zane Gonzalez 47-yard field goal, but the Cowboys kept the sensational rookie’s playmaking in check.

Consider this a one-off, since Daniels has been a rock star all season. The problem is the lack of talent across the offense puts significant pressure on the rookie to produce or else. The line has labored in pass protection for several weeks and defenses have corralled Washington’s traditional ground game.

Maybe the usual locked-in focus wasn’t there in Dallas, though rallying with Mariota showed how this team fights. Washington has a chance to tangle with any first-round foe with Daniels on the field. — Standig

Commanders Wire

5 takeaways from Commanders’ Week 18 win over Cowboys

Offensive line is not the same without Tyler Biadasz

This is the second game Tyler Biadasz has missed over the last four weeks. Washington escaped New Orleans in Week 15 with a win but struggled with the Saints defensive line. It was more of the same on Sunday. There was a play in the first half where Dallas lined up star linebacker Micah Parsons over backup center Michael Deiter, and he went untouched to Daniels. Parsons was too quick for Deiter. It’s not just pass protection; the Commanders also struggle to run the ball without Biadasz. Washington needs Biadasz back against the Bucs. You could make the case that Biadasz, along with Terry McLaurin, is the offense’s second-most important player behind Daniels.

The defense is not playoff ready

There have been encouraging signs from the defense this season. Dante Fowler Jr., Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu, Mike Sainristil, and Jeremy Chinn have all played well for the most part. Notice who is missing here? Daron Payne hasn’t given Washington much of anything this season from the defensive tackle position despite being one of the highest-paid at his position. In his second game back from injury, Jonathan Allen got a sack on third down to force a field goal.

But as a whole, a lot is missing on this defense. For one, the pass rush is almost nonexistent. Do you remember when Lance dropped back to pass at one point in the second half and let it rip for a first down? He literally had 10 seconds to throw the ball. You can’t blame that on any of Washington’s cornerbacks. There are multiple issues for the defense, much of which are talent-related, but they can’t give Baker Mayfield this kind of time next week, or he will throw for 400 yards.

Speaking of defensive struggles, the bigger issue is Washington’s inability to stop the run. The Cowboys ran for 150 yards against the Commanders and entered Sunday as one of the NFL’s worst rushing teams. These types of problems aren’t fixing themselves at this point, but defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. must find a way to get some stops.

Upcoming opponent

Bucs Nation

Notes and stats from the Buccaneers 27-19 win over the Saints

Full steam ahead as the Bucs get into the playoffs.

Through Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. slate of games, Tampa Bay’s offense ranked among league leaders in:

  • 1st in the NFL in third-down conversion rate (50.9%)
  • 1st in the NFL in yards after contact per rush (3.80)
  • 2nd in the NFL in pass completion rate (71.5%)
  • T-2nd in the NFL in passing touchdowns (41)
  • 2nd in the NFL in first downs per game (23.2)
  • 2nd in the NFL in time of possession (32:00)
  • 3rd in the NFL in yards per game (399.6)
  • 3rd in the NFL in pass yards per game (250.4)
  • 3rd in the NFL in yards per rush (5.3)
  • 3rd in the NFL in quarterback pressure rate (25.6%)
  • 4th in the NFL in points scored per game (29.53)
  • 4th in the NFL in yards per play (6.2)
  • 4th in the NFL in rush yards per game (149.2)
  • 4th in the NFL in red zone efficiency (66.7%)
  • 4th in the NFL in passer rating (106.8)
  • 5th in the NFL in yards after catch per reception (6.0)
  • T-5th in the NFL in fewest quarterback pressures allowed (158)

– This season, Tampa Bay became the first team in NFL history to complete 70% of their passes and average over five yards per carry throughout the course of an entire season. The Buccaneers became the second team in NFL history to throw for 40+ passing touchdowns and average over five yards per carry in the same season, joining the 1998 San Francisco 49ers. Tampa Bay also became the third team in NFL history to throw 40+ passing touchdowns and complete 70% of their passes in a season, joining the 2020 Green Bay Packers and the 2011 New Orleans Saints.

– As of the conclusion of Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. slate of games, Tampa Bay was 1-of-3 teams to throw for 4,000+ yards and rush for 2,000+ yards this season, joining the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens.

– Mayfield finished the season establishing new career highs in completions (407), completion percentage (71.4%), passing yards (4,500), net yards per pass attempt (7.9), passing touchdowns (41) and passer rating (106.8). He established new Buccaneers single-season franchise records in completion percentage and passer rating.

– Mayfield became the fourth player in NFL history to record a season with 4,000+ passing yards, 40+ touchdowns, and a 70+ completion percentage, joining Drew Brees (2011), Joe Burrow (2024) and Aaron Rodgers (2020).

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