What We Saw: Week 5

The What We Saw team recaps everything you missed from Sunday's games

Ben Brown
What We Saw 2 Years Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Colts @ Broncos
Giants @ Packers
Steelers @ Bills
Chargers @ Browns
Texans @ Jaguars
Bears @ Vikings
Lions @ Patriots
Seahawks @ Saints
Dolphins @ Jets
Falcons @ Buccaneers
Titans @ Commanders
49ers @ Panthers
Eagles @ Cardinals
Cowboys @ Rams
Bengals @ Ravens

Titans @ Commanders

Final Score: Titans 21, Commanders 17

Writer: Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL on Twitter)

 

The big story heading into this game is the return of Brian Robinson Jr. after recovering from multiple gunshot wounds as a result of an attempted carjacking attempt. Robinson’s NFL debut is really the only reason I chose to cover this game, and while he was eased into the game and wasn’t given a heavy workload, it was great to see Robinson on the field and contributing.

Early on, it looked like the Titans’ offense was in for a no-good very bad day. Montez Sweat and the Commanders’ defensive front absolutely dominated for much of the first quarter, sacking Ryan Tannehill multiple times and stuffing the Titans’ run game, Then, Derrick Henry and the rest of the offense came alive, scoring two touchdowns before halftime.

It was a back-and-forth game that was dominated by good play by both team’s defensive lines, but the result ultimately came down to two plays on Washington’s final drive.

First, Cam Sims nearly came down with an incredibly acrobatic diving catch on the sideline, but he couldn’t hold onto the ball and it bounced away for an incompletion. Ron Rivera inexplicably decided to challenge the play, and as you can imagine the call was upheld and the Commanders were charged a timeout.

This came back to bite them later in the drive. Washington used their final two timeouts after back to back plays led them down to the Tennessee 24 with 28 seconds remaining in the game. They were gifted a pass interference call two plays later that gave them the ball at Tennessee’s two-yard line with 18 seconds left, but without a timeout, they could really only throw the ball. This let to a game-clinching interception by the Titans. Ultimately, decision-making by the coaching staff and by Carson Wentz led to the Commanders’ loss.

 

Tennessee Titans

 

Quarterback

 

Ryan Tannehill: 15/25, 181 Yards, TD | 3 Carries, 3 Yards

 

Ryan Tannehill struggled to stay on his feet for much of this game. The Commanders’ defensive front was fantastic, especially early on. Montez Sweat looked like a man possessed. He seemed to be in the Titans’ backfield on every play. His two sacks and three tackles for loss easily led the team, and without an answer for him the Titans were forced to run it more often than they probably wanted to.

Tannehill’s touchdown was on a well-designed screen to Dontrell Hilliard, and Hilliard really did all the work.

 

 

Tannehill had a nice play to extend a drive later in the game. With the pocket collapsing on him yet again, Tannehill stepped up to give himself extra time but got wrapped up immediately. He was able to stay on his feet for just long enough to flip the ball to Hilliard for a first down. This was a rather pedestrian game for the veteran QB, but a win is a win and I’m sure that’s all he cares about.

 

Running Back

 

Derrick Henry: 28 Carries, 102 Yards, 2 TD | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 30 Yards

Dontrell Hilliard: 1 Carry | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 23 Yards, TD

 

Derrick Henry continues to dominate defenses, even on days when they’re playing well. Henry scored two touchdowns on the day and eclipsed 100 yards once again, and he ran like the madman he usually is. Check out the moves, the power, and the speed on this run:

 

 

 

Henry had a 24 yard catch and run on a screen near the end of the 1st quarter, his longest catch of the year. On the next play, Ryan Tannehill faked the screen to Henry and instead dumped it off to Dontrell Hilliard, who brought it in for the touchdown.

Near the end of the first half, Henry caught a pass and was tackled on the one-yard line. He cleaned up his mess by pounding it into the end zone on the very next play.

 

 

He also scored what ended up being the game-winning touchdown late in the third quarter, another one-yard run.

 

 

As good as Henry was, he also had multiple angry runs that were called back on penalties. His day should have been a little better, but we’ll still take this out of the King.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 72 Yards

Robert Woods: 8 Targets, 4 Receptions, 37 Yards

Austin Hooper: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 7 Yards

Kyle Philips: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 7 Yards

Geoff Swaim: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards

Chigoziem Okonkwo: 1 Target

 

With Ryan Tannehill having a poor statistical game, this group naturally also had a poor statistical game. Robert Woods‘ most notable play was a dropped pass on 3rd down while backed up against their own end zone, and they were forced to punt as a result. Austin Hooper‘s lone catch converted a first down deep in Washington territory, setting up the game-winning touchdown by Derrick Henry. Nick Westbrook-Inhine went up to make a fantastic 61 yard catch, accounting for most of his yardage.

 

 

Finally, rookie tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo very nearly had a touchdown catch in the back of the end zone, but his hand, unfortunately, came down out of bounds. If you’ve not heard this name before, he’s Tennessee’s rookie tight end out of Maryland, and he’s got the size and skills to be a productive tight end in this league. Remember his name.

 

Washington Commanders

 

Quarterback

 

Carson Wentz: 25/38, 359 Yards, 2 TD, INT | 5 Carries, 15 Yards, 3 Fumble (Recovered)

 

It’s spooky season, and you know what that means! No, it has nothing to do with Terry McLaurin. It’s time for trick-or-treat Carson Wentz! First, Wentz gave us some treats on Sunday. He threw a 75 yard bomb to second-year receiver Dyami Brown, who made a great adjustment on the play to grab the ball on his shoulder and take it to the house for his first career touchdown.

 

 

Wentz hit McLaurin with a nice ball between three defenders, putting it in a spot where only Terry could get it for a 33-yard gain.

 

 

Wentz’s final treat of the day came late in the 3rd quarter, and it was an absolute dime of a pass to Dyami Brown for their second touchdown connection of the day. It was a perfect back-shoulder throw that Brown brought down with one hand.

 

 

Honestly, Wentz played pretty well for most of the game. It wasn’t a perfect day by any means, but he kept the Commanders in the game and gave them a chance to win. When push came to shove, however, Wentz did what he usually does under pressure and forced a throw into coverage on the last play of the game, and it was intercepted.

 

 

 

Running Back

 

Antonio Gibson: 3 Carries, 6 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 33 Yards

Brian Robinson: 9 Carries, 22 Yards

J.D. McKissic: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 37 Yards

 

The Commanders should have won this game, but they relied far too much on Carson Wentz through the air and should have spent more time pounding the rock on the ground. 12 carries total between Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson is not a recipe for success, especially considering the talent these to players possess. Put the ball in their hands and let them make a play.

Speaking of Robinson, his first career touch came on their second drive, an eight-yard carry around the edge that was then called back on a holding penalty He took the handoff on the next play, right into the line for a three-yard gain. He wasn’t super involved in this game, but it was great to see him on the field. I wouldn’t say he flashed anything spectacular, but it is notable that he had 75% of the carries in this offense today. They were likely just trying to ease Robinson into the game, but I thought they should have run it with him a lot more. If he’s available in your leagues, he should probably be added.

J.D. McKissic was in the game on obvious passing downs, especially down the stretch on the Commanders’ last drive. Nothing that he or Antonio Gibson did stood out to me. It was almost as if Wentz and the offensive coaching staff forgot that the team had running plays in the playbook. Granted, Tennessee’s defensive front played a good game, but I can’t help but feel that more focus on the ground game could have resulted in a win for Washington.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Dyami Brown: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 105 Yards, 2 TD

Terry McLaurin: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 76 Yards

Curtis Samuel: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 62 Yards

John Bates: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 39 Yards

Cam Sims: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 7 Yards

Cole Turner: 3 Targets

 

Dyami Brown is the star of this receiving corps today, thanks to his two fantastic touchdown catches that were described earlier in the Carson Wentz blurb. He was targeted on two other plays, but he wasn’t a big part of the offensive game plan. It was a great day for the young receiver, but I wouldn’t read too much into it.

Terry McLaurin is still the most talented WR on this team. Defenses have been trying to take him out of the game, but it’s time for the Commanders to find ways to get him the ball. This play where he lined up in the slot, caught the ball, and made four defenders miss is just the latest example of why he needs to be given as many targets as possible.

 

 

Just get the ball in his hands!

Curtis Samuel started the game with a 3rd down drop on the first drive of the game that resulted in a three and out. It would’ve been for a first down, and it was a beautiful throw by Wentz, but Samuel couldn’t come down with it. He bounced back with a long catch later in the first quarter, and he finished the quarter with three catches for 45 yards, a promising start for the PPR sleeper who has thrived in this offense early in the year. Alas, we didn’t hear from Samuel again until the final drive of the game. He flat-out disappeared. For a guy whose fantasy value is dependent on high volume, it’s hard to get that volume when you disappear for almost three quarters.

 

Series Navigation
Introduction
Colts @ Broncos
Giants @ Packers
Steelers @ Bills
Chargers @ Browns
Texans @ Jaguars
Bears @ Vikings
Lions @ Patriots
Seahawks @ Saints
Dolphins @ Jets
Falcons @ Buccaneers
Titans @ Commanders
49ers @ Panthers
Eagles @ Cardinals
Cowboys @ Rams
Bengals @ Ravens

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