The Kliff Cliff, if it ever existed, went the way of Sasquatch and the Loch Ness Monster on Sunday. In fact, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury really had just one antidote to cure whatever ailed Jayden Daniels – a hefty dose of Terry McLaurin.
In a 42-19 win over the Titans, Daniels targeted McLaurin early and often. At day’s end, Daniels was 8 of 8 for 73 yards and two touchdowns when passing in McLaurin’s direction.
“If you look at this game, they got the football to him right away, on the first snap by getting him a hitch,” said ESPN’s Ryan Clark on Monday’s edition of NFL Live. “So, now he’s involved. Now, you’ve been intentional. He gets yards after the catch.”
In the red zone on Sunday, that strategy paid off handsomely. The Commanders beat man coverage on all three of Daniels’ short touchdown strikes, two to McLaurin and one to tight end Zach Ertz. Plus, the Daniels-McLaurin connection opened opportunities for Brian Robinson and the running game, which pulverized Tennessee (3-9) for 267 yards on 45 carries. Robinson (16 carries for 103 yards), Chris Rodriguez and Daniels each ran for touchdowns in the victory.
The Commanders (8-5) are now 5-0 when Daniels targets McLaurin at least eight times. They’re only 3-5 when he doesn’t.
That bodes well for Washington’s future. The team gets a late bye week before making its final push for the playoffs with a road game at New Orleans in Week 15, home games with Philadelphia and Atlanta, and a season-ending trip to Dallas. The Commanders are two full games behind the Eagles in the NFC East but they have a 72 percent chance at a playoff berth, according to Next Gen Stats.
Streaks hit skids: In another sign that the Commanders have turned around their franchise, Sunday’s win marked the Commanders’ first December victory since Dec. 5, 2021, a 17-15 win at the Oakland Coliseum over the Raiders. Washington was 0-9-1 between those December wins. The last time Washington won a game at home in the DMV in December? Dec. 24, 2017, over the Broncos. The franchise had lost 10 consecutive home games until beating the Titans.
For more information on the Commanders and Titans, visit the Washington and Tennessee team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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