Week 5 Takeaways – Washington Commanders at Los Angeles Chargers

By: Sam Myer

The Washington Commanders travelled to the west coast to take on the Los Angeles Charges for the marquee matchup of week 5 in the NFL. Both teams are reeling from injuries and were in desperate need of a bounce back win. The Commanders stepped up to the plate in a big way on the road in week 5 to get their season back on track after two straight road losses in the first month of the season. After a lackluster performance in Atlanta in week 4, the Washington defense led the charge in LA. It was a big-time comeback win where Washington got down early and then scored 27 unanswered points to win in dominating fashion.

The defensive line were the reasons for the victory, sacking Justin Herbert four times and then tallying one more once Trey Lance took over in garbage time. Herbert seldom looked comfortable in the pocket as Dorance Armstrong was living in backfield. Javon Kinlaw was dominant in the run game as the Commanders limited rookie superstar Omarion Hampton to just 44 yards on 12 attempts. The Washington secondary still had their struggles, but for the most part look much better throughout the day combining for four passes defended, 1 interception, and 1 fumble. The one area where Washington got gashed on defense was containing Justin Herbert on the ground. The biggest offense came off a 41-yard run that led to the lone Chargers touchdown on the opening driver of the first quarter. After that, the Commanders defense stepped up the plate, allowing just 3 points for the entire rest of the game.

While the defense certainly won the day, the Commanders offense under Jayden Daniels didn’t skip a beat from the previous two games. The star of the day was without a doubt, rookie running back Bill Croskey-Merritt. Bill finished the day with 111 yards rushing, 39 yards receiving, and 2 rushing touchdowns. After the game Tom Brady named him the LFG Player of the Game, which Jayden Daniels has won twice. Merritt dominated the carries with 14 compared to McNichols and Rodriguez who only received six between them both. The Bill breakout finally happened in LA, and it was truly a thing of beauty.

Aside from Bill, the other skill player on Washington’s offense that had a big day was, once again, Deebo Samuel. Deebo finished the game with 8 receptions on 11 targets for 96 yards and the nail-in-the-coffin touchdown with less than two minutes to go in the game. It was another big performance from the 7^th year veteran. Samuel has had a dominant start to the season with 30 receptions and 4 touchdowns in the first five games. Outside of him, Luke McCaffery had another huge reception hauling in a 50-yard bomb late in the second quarter to set up a game-tying field goal before halftime. While Samuel and McCaffery have done very well in the absence of the number one receiver, Jayden Daniels will be thrilled to have Terry McLaurin back soon.

The last people to mention today as big winners are Kliff Kingsbury and Anthony Lynn. This marks the third week in a row that the Commanders have dominated in the running game with a different back leading the team in rush yards each week.s The Washington running attack completely dominated this matchup as Bill Croskey-Merritt averaged 7.9 yards per carry on Sunday. This running game has been the catalyst for every Commanders win so far this season and Sunday proved no different. The return of blocking tight-end John Bates was completely evident as the offensive line completely dominated the Chargers front all afternoon. My biggest takeaway from this game was that the Washington Commanders have the best run game in the NFL because they have the best blocking scheme in the NFL.

All-in-all, it was a momentum shifting win for the Washington Commanders who had some serious reflection to do after their first two road losses. Getting in the win column felt essential given their upcoming schedule with away matchups with division rival Dallas Cowboys and perennial powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs. The commitment to the run game on the road was a sight to behold that Commanders fans will be looking to moving forward as the schedule gets more difficult. Next week, Washington will host the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football for the second matchup between Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams. And we all know how the first game ended…..