Commanders Dominate Cleveland To 34-13 Victory (10-7-24)
By: Jaden Golding
Headline Photo Credit: Washington Commanders
Landover, MD – The Washington Commanders defeated the Cleveland Browns Sunday afternoon 34-13 at Northwest Stadium. Washington (4-1) has won four straight games after dropping their season opener. The Commanders move to 4-1 overall for the first time since 2008. Cleveland (1-4) has now dropped three straight and is tied for the bottom spot in the AFC North division.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson had a rough outing, as he was sacked seven times, and only threw for 125 yards, one touchdown, and for a quarterback rating of 8.5%. The Cleveland offense continues to struggle to find any momentum this year, as injuries to their offensive line have hampered their ability to run the ball and protect their quarterback. Watson unfortunately has struggled with his decision-making and ability to read the field effectively causing his play to hurt the offense’s chances at scoring points.
Over on Washington’s side, Jayden Daniels didn’t have his best performance of the year but he still managed the offense with poise and helped them cruise to a comfortable win once again. On the Commanders’ second drive of the game, Daniels played on third-and-thirteen where he was forced to scramble outside the pocket to his right side, where he launched a strike off one foot to connect with Terry McLaurin on a 66-yard strike. Unfortunately, the drive would stall at Cleveland’s one-yard line, as Daniels would throw an interception after staring down tight-end Zach Ertz who ran a hitch route to the endzone, which was picked off by a nice snatch out of the air from Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
For the Commanders though, their defense would hold the Browns to six points off of two field-goals through three quarters. Washington’s defense was dominant, hampering the Browns run game, stuffing the line, containing & pressuring Watson, and not allowing the Browns’ receivers to gain any real separation for big plays. The Browns receivers combined for eight receptions and 87 yards on 17 targets. Linebacker Frankie Luvu was everywhere for Washington finishing with four tackles, three assisted tackles, two-and-a-half sacks, and one fumble recovery. Luvu has been an awesome addition to this defense, bringing energy every time he steps on the field, and setting the tone for a fast and physical style.
After scoring on only one of their first four drives, the Commanders blew open the game in the second quarter scoring one field goal and two touchdowns on their three possessions (a 27-yard field goal, a one-yard touchdown by Brian Robinson Jr., and a 41-yard touchdown pass instride to Dyami Brown down the sideline). This gave the Commanders a 24-3 lead entering halftime.
Opening up the third quarter, McLaurin fumbled an end-around play to open up Washington’s first possession of the quarter giving the Browns their best starting field possession of the day at the Washington 30. Two straight grabs by Amari Cooper put the Browns at the two-yard line. But a false start, sack, and two consecutive incompletions held them to a field goal (24-6). The Commanders responded with a nine-play 80-yard drive, capped off by Jeremy McNichols scoring for the second-straight week and punching it into the endzone for a three-yard run.
Most of the starters for Washington sat in the fourth quarter, which in my many years of watching this team I honestly have not seen. It’s amazing to see this group not just win but win convincingly.
Daniels finished 14-25 with 238 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, and running for 82 yards.
Austin Ekeler returned, rushing for 67 yards on the ground on six carries and catching two balls for 30 yards. McNichols had 44 yards and a score, and Robinson Jr. ran it in twice himself.
McLaurin led the way with four receptions and 112 yards, formatting quite the one-two punch with his quarterback.
Cleveland was 1-13 on third downs and had 212 total yards. Washington finished with 414 total yards (219 passing and 215 rushing) and completed 8-17 third-down attempts for just under 50%.
Up Next:
The battle of the Beltway as Washington travels down the road to take on the Baltimore Ravens led by Lamar Jackson on Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. airing on CBS.
