The Commanders will be without their best defensive player, star defensive tackle Daron Payne, who has been downgraded to out against the Eagles in the NFC Championship game.
Payne has been dealing with a knee and finger injury and will see his 88-game streak snapped.
Big loss for the Commanders.
On first-and-10 runs this year with Payne on the field, the Commanders had a 64.4% Success Rate on defense, which was about average.
Over 97 first-and-10 carries without Payne, that dropped to 51.6%, which was last in the league. https://t.co/IA8g2tvx6c
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 25, 2025
Payne has started every game since the 2020 season, and 88 in a row, and his absence opens the door for Jer’Zhan Newton to start.
Newton, a rookie, started 11 games this year instead of Jonathan Allen, who missed more than two months before returning in late December.
