The Washington Commanders defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18 to wrap up the regular season. They finished with a 12-5 record, the team’s most wins in a season since 1991.
The Commanders already had a playoff spot locked up but could have been the seventh seed with a loss. Instead, the Commanders will be the sixth seed after winning and seeing the Packers lose.
It wasn’t the prettiest effort from the Commanders, but a win is a win. The team failed to score a touchdown until the second half and needed a last-second TD to win.
Now, let’s identify the studs and duds from the regular season finale.
Stud: QB Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota came on in relief of Jayden Daniels and played as well as can be expected from a backup. The former first-round pick threw for 161 yards with two TDs and led the team on a game-winning drive.
Mariota also made plays with his legs, rushing five times for 56 yards and a score. It’s exciting to know that the Commanders aren’t totally hopeless if Daniels was forced to miss time.
Dud: WR Jamison Crowder
Jamison Crowder has had a nice season. The veteran caught the game-winning TD pass against the Eagles, but Sunday wasn’t his best showing.
Crowder ended the game with no catches and lost a fumble. The fumble resulted in points for the Cowboys, which makes the mistake sting even worse. It was the 17th fumble of Crowder’s career.
Stud: WR Terry McLaurin
Terry McLaurin had arguably his worst game of the season last weekend, so a rebound was expected. That’s exactly what happened as the veteran caught eight passes for 62 yards and the game-winning TD.
McLaurin was a security blanket for Mariota and made some nice contested catches. With the game on the line, there’s probably nobody Commanders’ fans would rather see targeted.
Dud: RB Brian Robinson Jr.
Brian Robinson Jr. is officially in a slump. The running back hasn’t eclipsed 65 rushing yards since December 1. On Sunday, Robinson had just five carries for 10 yards.
To be fair, none of the RBs on the roster did much of anything on Sunday. However, it’s part of a concerning trend with Robinson that can’t continue in the playoffs. This team needs a solid running game to support the star QB.
Stud: DB Mike Sainristil
Mike Sainristil had a fantastic game in Dallas on Sunday. The rookie collected 10 tackles and three pass deflections. Only Jeremy Chinn ended with more tackles.
Sainristil’s development has been impressive. The defensive back is already heavily relied upon in this defense and has only gotten better as the year progresses.
Dud: DB Benjamin St-Juste
Benjamin St-Juste did not have a game to remember in Week 18. The DB did rack up five tackles but didn’t defend a single pass and had a penalty that led to a TD. It was his second penalty on the drive.
St-Juste was responsible for Jalen Tolbert for much of the day and allowed the WR to catch four passes for 98 yards. There aren’t many weaknesses on this team, but St-Juste seeing significant playing time is a negative.
Stud: DB Jeremy Chinn
Jeremy Chinn led the team in tackles with 13. The defender also collected one sack, two tackles for loss, and a QB hit.
Chinn has been a reliable defender this season and could be seen as an extension candidate by the front office.
