It could be a turning point game for the Washington Commanders, and they may have star receiver Terry McLaurin back in the lineup. They got Jayden Daniels back last week, so things have trended upward. And here are the bold predictions for the Week 6 Monday Night Football clash versus the Bears.
The Commanders enter with a record of 3-2, while the Bears have won two games in a row to improve to 2-2. It’s a home game on the national stage, and there will be a lot of excitement in the nation’s capital.
The first bold prediction centers on the Commanders’ passing attack.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels will throw for season-high yardage
Look for the Bears to concentrate on stopping Jacory Croskey-Merritt. That should open a couple of deep shots for Daniels. He has been over 200 yards in each of his three games, but his high is 233, coming against the Giants in the opener.
Look for him to be efficient. Not necessarily a huge amount of attempts, but good yardage.
Teammate Tyler Biadasz said Daniels succeeds with coolness under fire, according to Fox News.
“He’s so cool, calm, and collected,” Biadasz said. “You can see him on TV, too. His face is just locked in, he’s in the zone. That’s what he is. He’s very positive, always smiling, always having fun, that’s his flow state. But it was awesome, you had that veteran feel from him in day one.”
It took some time for Biadasz to get comfortable with Daniels, who is a different quarterback than Dak Prescott from Biadasz’s days in Dallas.
“When you go through a camp and you go through the whole year with him, too, I think the biggest feature is how certain plays develop throughout timing, right?” Biadasz said. “And for O-linemen, your job is to block forever, right? And there's certain timing of certain plays that may be more action-specific or a play-action. That requires more repetition and certain looks and certain fronts and variations that where you want to get more Rolodex looks to have a better feel for things.”
“But just in general, how he plays the game, certain timing, or just how he sees the defense. And maybe third-down looks or even first-and-10, there's a good amount of things that you do cover in your first year with each other when he came in last year. And this year, I felt like we really hit the ground running in regards of knowing how each other sees it.”
WR Deebo Samuel will have his fourth game with a TD
Samuel scored against the Packers, Falcons, and Chargers. He also has six or more receptions in all but one game. For the season, Samuel has 30 catches for 300 yards.
Head coach Dan Quinn said Samuel gets it done with effort, according to the Commanders’ YouTube page via sfgate.com.
“Man, Deebo,” Quinn said. “Every time I see him, he’s just such a relentless competitor. I love what he brings to the team.”
Quinn said Samuel means a lot to the Commanders’ approach, according to Sports Illustrated.
“I think it's the competitive nature also that he brings,” Quinn said. “I think we've all seen him, you know, different ways he can be featured.
“So, from kick returning, he's done it out of the backfield, catching down the field routes. I'm pleased with the trajectory that he's headed. The next steps, different spots, different locations. And so he's making all the right moves for us. And so we just want to keep him on this trajectory and where he is at and how we're going. But it's the competitive nature that he brings into the play.”
Quinn pointed to a specific play where Samuel made a difference that other players can’t always make.
“There was a screen the other day that could have been two yards gained,” Quinn said. “And I think it ended up being eight just by the sheer force and nature that he entered into the tackling. And so, plays like that, they may not show up big on the stat sheet. But they just convert into the next one and into the next one. And so, he's had a lot of those so far.”
Commanders' defense will get a key interception
Bears QB Caleb Williams has only two interceptions this season. Also, the Bears have allowed just seven sacks, with four of those in one game.
But look for the Commanders to get a tipped pass and a key pick, much like they did against the Chargers. They also forced a key fumble that completely changed the game's momentum.
Trailing 10-0, Jacob Martin, Marshon Lattimore, and rookie cornerback Trey Amos converged on Chargers receiver Quentin Johnston after he caught a pass from Justin Herbert. Martin lowered his shoulder and punched the ball out. Martin said it was a big play, according to The Athletic.
“He was coming right toward me, so I was like, s—, I’m gonna hit him with everything I got,” Martin said of Johnston. “I saw the ball pop out and … we rode that pretty much the whole game.”
Quinn agreed about the impact of the turnover.
“I think it changed a lot,” Quinn said. “That was kind of the shift. That was the thing that would change it. You don’t know when that’s going to be, but it was certainly such a good play by Quan and Marshon.”
