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[Commanders, Week IV, Scene I]
To play, or not to play: that is the question:
Whether ’tis better for the QB to rest
Another week after his gruesome injury,
Or to take arms – er, arm – against the Colts.
I’m sorry, especially to Shakespeare. Got a little carried away with the London thing…
Jayden Daniels spoke to reporters after practice Thursday for the first time since dislocating his elbow in Week 2. When asked if he thinks he’ll be ready to play Sunday against the Colts, the QB tilted his head and smiled.
“Just taking it day by day,” he said.
Daniels has carried a “limited” designation in practice this week, but he was adamant the brace he’s wearing to protect his left elbow will not affect his play. His “nope, nope, nope, nope, nope” exchange with Monumental Sports Network’s Mitch Tischler gave us a tremendous new reaction meme. This might be my favorite:
Commanders GM Adam Peters, who broke the news that placing Daniels on IR was “not on the table” during his weekly interview with the Sports Junkies last Friday, was asked about Daniels’ status this morning.
“He’s had a couple of really good days of practice, and he’s got another one today,” Peters said. “We’ll make that decision after today, after practice. We’ll huddle up and see where we’re at.”
My guess is Daniels sits one more week, but we shall see. Here’s everything else you need to get ready for Sunday’s game. (Update after this published: Dan Quinn ruled Daniels OUT for Sunday. Mariota will start.)
🏈 The Basics
🕰️ Game time: 9:30 a.m.
🏟️ Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England.
🌡️ Forecast: Partly sunny skies and a high of 70.
📺 TV: The game airs on NFL Network, (and Fox 5 for viewers in the D.C. area), with Dave Pasch, Kurt Warner and Jason Kelce on the call.
📻 Radio: Bram Weinstein, London Fletcher and Logan Paulsen will call the game on the Commanders Radio Network, including flagship station WBIG (100.3 FM).
💵 Line: Indianapolis -3.5 | Over/Under: 47.5
👕 Uniforms: The Commanders will wear burgundy jerseys and white pants. The Colts will wear white jerseys and white pants.
🔮 Predict the Score
Each week, I’ll invite you to email me your score prediction for the game. Anyone who correctly predicts the winner and the exact score will receive a shout-out in Monday’s newsletter and a to-be-determined prize.
✏️ 10 Tidbits
The Colts, who opened the season with losses to the Ravens and Chiefs before beating the Texans last week, rank 29th in points allowed (30.3) and last in yards allowed (417.3) per game.
QB Daniel Jones is 5-3-1 with 14 touchdown passes and three interceptions in his career against Washington. All nine of those games came with the New York Giants.
Indianapolis RB Jonathan Taylor is averaging 86 rushing yards per game, which is sixth-best in the league. He has four rushing touchdowns.
The Commanders are allowing 82 rushing yards per game, which is the third-fewest in the league. They are one of five teams yet to allow a rushing touchdown.
With WR Alec Pierce on injured reserve, Josh Downs (14 catches for 186 yards) and Keenan Allen (13 catches for 100 yards) are the Colts’ top wideouts.
Washington has allowed five touchdown passes to tight ends through three games. Colts TE Tyler Warren has a team-high 18 catches for 89 yards and two scores.
The Colts’ 15 penalties are tied for the fewest in the league. The Commanders have been flagged 20 times.
Washington is 0-1-1 all-time in international games, including last year’s loss in Madrid. The Colts are 2-1 in international games, including an overtime victory in Berlin last season.
The Commanders registered their first three takeaways of the season in Sunday’s win over the Seahawks.
Indianapolis has turned the ball over six times, but the Colts have gone 30 games since their last red zone turnover.
🔑 Key to Victory
Continue to stop the run: The Colts beat the Texans last week in a defensive struggle, despite Taylor having his worst game of the season. If Washington can limit Taylor’s effectiveness, Jones doesn’t figure to be able to take advantage of the Commanders’ struggling secondary like Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were able to last week. Another takeaway or three wouldn’t hurt.
🤕 Injury Report
🗒️ From the Commanders’ Beat
Mitch and JP preview the game from a London pub. [Beltway Football]
There’s intrigue in London beyond Daniels, including the potential returns of Frankie Luvu and Chig Okonkwo. [Last Man Standig]
Amik Robertson almost gave up on football. The Commanders are glad he didn’t. [TWP]
Soccer was Marcus Mariota’s first sport, so playing in another English Premier League stadium is special. [ESPN]
Stefon Diggs and Terry McLaurin should hold joint news conferences more often. [WUSA9]
How the Commanders approached their London travel logistics. [The Washington Sun]
🎙️ Soundbite
Jayden Daniels on why he opted against having surgery now: “I love football. I play football, and I get paid to play football, so I owe it to my teammates.”
👨🍳 Gameday Recipe
A 9:30 a.m. kickoff calls for breakfast food, so consider whipping up Joe and Pat Gibbs’ breakfast pizza from the “Cooking with the Skins” cookbook.
I used hot Italian sausage, frozen hash browns and a blend of cheddar and mozzarella. The flavors were solid, but the crust was a bit soggy. I would recommend prebaking the crescent roll dough.
📟 Yesterday’s Results
MLB Playoffs - Wild-Card Round Game 3
⚾ Braves 6, Phillies 2. ATL wins series, 2-1.
🏈 Browns 27, Steelers 24
📺 What to Watch Today
🏒 Capitals at Hurricanes, 7 p.m., MNMT
⚡ Quick Hits
📺 With the Capitals opening their season tonight, here’s a helpful guide from RMNB’s Peter Hassett on how to watch the team without cable.
🥅 Alex Ovechkin is feeling energized ahead of his 22nd season.
The Athletic’s Barry Svrluga considers the ugly Putin stain on Ovechkin’s legacy.
🪟 After exceeding expectations this season, the Mystics’ championship window is now open.
🧙♂️ Highlights of the Wizards’ giveaway schedule include a Trae Young bobblehead (Nov. 16), A.J. Dybantsa bobblehead (March 6) and cherry blossom snow globe (March 24).
🕺 Dybantsa sang Drake’s “One Dance” and attempted to do the Dougie at the Wizards’ open practice at Capital One Arena, which drew 2,500 fans.
🗞️ Today in D.C. Sports History
Oct. 2, 2016: On the final day of the regular season, Max Scherzer allowed five runs on nine hits over five innings, but he did enough damage with his bat — and got some additional run support from his team — to become the second and most recent 20-game winner in Nationals history.
“We came out here to be consistent, and this was the goal: to win the division. We did it,” said Scherzer, who drove in four runs with a pair of singles in the Nationals’ 10-7 win over the Marlins.
Gio Gonzalez won a team record 21 games in 2012.
🕹️ Fun and Games
TRIVIA
Who scored Washington’s first touchdown in its only previous regular season game in London?
A. Robert Kelley
B. Kirk Cousins
C. Jordan Reed
D. DeSean Jackson
BEFORE AND AFTER
The phrase below contains two connected clues that share a common word. Check out this example from “Jeopardy!”: Golf short game practice area served up in the title of a Dr. Seuss book = Putting Green Eggs and Ham.
Pixies song that plays over the end credits of “Fight Club” and the safety warning seen and heard on London Underground platforms.
EMOJI REBUS
Decipher the former Nationals player.
First name: 🥶+🍚
Last name: + 😺💬
Find the answers below.
The answer to today’s trivia question is A. Robert Kelley, a.k.a. “Fat Rob.” It was the first of his six rushing touchdowns during his rookie season.
The answer to today’s before and after puzzle is Where is My Mind the Gap.
The answer to today’s emoji rebus is Bryce Harper, who will not be winning a ring this season.
Have a great weekend and I’ll be back Monday morning with Hail or Fail.