Not only did the Commanders lose their 2024 opener in Tampa, 37-20, but offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury declared Thursday he had one of the worst play calls of his career.
Kingsbury, meeting with the local press, voluntarily offered, “I called one of the worst plays I’ve ever called in my entire career. He (Jayden Daniels) just took the ball and ran into the end zone. It was like he was not going to be denied there on the goal line. It showed a lot about him in that situation.”
To which play was Kingsbury referring? Washington trailed Tampa Bay 37-14. Daniels had just completed a ten-yard pass over the middle to Luke McCaffrey, taking the ball to the one-yard line. After two unsuccessful attempts, the Commanders faced a 3rd & goal from the one with 1:16 remaining.
“I called basically a speed option with no check, and they (Bucs) overplayed it to one side. So he (Daniels) just stuck his foot in the ground and got in the end zone.”
Indeed, the replay shows that it was to be an option, right, with Daniels keeping off-tackling to the right or pitching wide right to Brian Robinson. However, the Bucs defense played the pitch perfectly, and Robinson would have been hit for a loss had Daniels pitched it. Compounding matters was that Daniels was not able to even approach going off tackle, as that was clogged up by the Bucs as well.
Therefore, he stopped instantly, planting and attempting to cut back over the right guard. Two Buccaneer defenders met Daniels, who turned his back, was hit, got away, and backpedaled into the end zone for the final touchdown.
“He just found a way in. So it says a lot about what we knew. He likes to compete, and it definitely showed on Sunday. I didn’t give him a check to get out of it (the play). They had about three guys outside on the option. So, he saw that and ran it anyway, cut back, ran a couple of guys over, and got in the end zone.”
Kingsbury, thinking long term, closed by saying, “If I had that one back, I would rather him not get hit like that.
He is right, of course. Why subject your thin rookie quarterback to unnecessary hits in a game you’ve already lost when there are 16 more games to play?
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