Commanders vs Falcons Preview: Predictions and Best Bets | NFL Week 4

count on Sundays with the NFL on CBS and Paramount Plus. Welcome back into CBS sports HQ. Gearing up for week four in the NFL. A ton of great games on CBS, including Ravens at Chiefs. We’re going to be at that one. They’re Chiefs again, a rare home underdog. Bears and Raiders bears looking for their second win of the season after beating the Cowboys last weekend. And commanders Falcons injury plagued commanders. They had no problem with the Raiders last weekend, but we’ll see if they can do it yet again against the Falcons. Let’s welcome in Evan Washburn who’s going to be on the sideline for that one. Let’s start with the commanders. Those injuries. So you get Terry McLaurin Jayden Daniels Marcus Lattimore Ekeler was already out for the season. Last weekend was fine. But how do they kind of plan on just you know assessing these injuries moving forward. And sort of a game plan to deal with all of that. Man it’s brutal to have this many injuries to this many key players at this portion of the season, but they’ve been able to withstand it up to this point. Just the latest as you and I talk here midday on a Wednesday, Jayden Daniels is back at practice in a limited capacity. That’s a positive sign in terms of his availability for Sundays. Dealing with that left knee sprain Marshon Lattimore as you mentioned was in the concussion protocol. He’s been released from protocol. So he should be good to go for Sunday. The big question mark outside of Jayden obviously is Terry McLaurin. He’s received multiple looks at that quad injury. He’s getting multiple opinions on that injury. He’s not at practice on Wednesday. So that’s a concern because he is their best wide receiver. And it’s an offense that as you mentioned already lost Austin Ekeler. But I think this group has shown some resiliency as recent as last Sunday against the Raiders that they can sustain some of these injuries and still find a way to be productive, especially leaning on a pretty talented defense through the first few weeks. Talk to me about Marcus Mariota I know you’re going to be able to talk to him later this week. I found a quote from Kurt Warner of all people. So high praise Marcus Mariota might not be the starter in every system, but he is in the right system in Washington. And if Jayden Daniels wasn’t there, I think he would be a solid starter again coming from him. How well though, has he kind of settled in to this backup position and now taking the lead? It’s a great point and a great point by the Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. I think Marcus Mariota is the best backup if you want to call him that in the NFL. It’s the second year in the system. Kliff Kingsbury, the offensive coordinator, has designed a system for Jayden Daniels that seems to work perfectly for Marcus Mariota as well. I mean you watch the tape back from that Oakland game. Excuse me the Vegas game the Raider game. And he looked like Oregon Marcus Mariota or early days of the moves extremely well. He can run the ball. He throws with confidence. He just is playing at a really confident pace. And it it’s cool to see he’s in year 11. He’s a former top pick and former Heisman Trophy winner. And his career like a lot do, has had some ups and downs. And you think about the connection to Atlanta this weekend. He basically left that organization and people thought he was done in the NFL, and he’s been able to revitalize himself in some capacity as, again, probably the best backup in the NFL, probably mostly for this system. And I think while Dan Quinn said it doesn’t lend them to think that they can wait a week on Jayden Daniels. I think it’s just human nature, though. If you need to be cautious, you feel really confident with what you have in Marcus under center for another week or multiple weeks. If that had to be the case because of just the command and connection and chemistry he has with his play caller in Kliff Kingsbury. All right, let’s go to the other side. Let’s talk about the Falcons. You do not know this. I had them as my survivor pick. I now have to get slimed on air on Sunday. I am none too pleased about this. I am livid actually. And not like it wasn’t even close. They were shut out. It was flat out embarrassing. I mean, how much in disarray is this program right now? Wow. Well, first of all, I’m sorry to hear that for you. I don’t think anyone would have guessed what happened on Sunday would have happened. And look, it’s not just that they lost. It’s how they lost. I mean, shut outs. You’ve been covering the league for a while, Amanda. They don’t happen very often. And they definitely don’t happen in the 30 to nothing variety. And you saw the repercussions from it. I mean we’re only in week four. And Raheem Morris fired his wide receivers coach and Ike Hilliard, who had done an incredible job the year before, getting that unit to have some career numbers. No touchdowns from the wide receivers through three weeks. They’re moving Zach Robinson down from the booth to the field. I don’t want to say that’s a panic move. I kind of appreciate that. They recognize the communication right now is just off. Like they had headset issues. They weren’t able to overcome those. There’s clearly a disconnect at times with Michael Penix Jr, who’s now just six, starts into his pro career. And so they want their OC and play caller on the field in his ear. That ability to have some of that human connection with the entire offense. But it feels like and I’m not a panic button guy, especially in the first quarter of the season, because I think we’re basically still in the preseason. It feels like there’s another level of urgency right now, and I think it’s largely rooted in just how stunning that game was to lose 30 to nothing to a team in the Carolina Panthers that I think we can all confidently say is on the outside looking in of being a real playoff contender is embarrassing. And I think they felt that and they made changes to try to address it. But the real change has to happen this Sunday at home against a really good commander’s team. What about Michael Penix? I mean, you mentioned him and I think we had such high hopes. And that’s that’s not saying they’re not there. But watching him like it was the first he’s not there. He’s panicking. It’s checked down check down check down. You know Kirk Cousins is the backup right now. He’s making a ton of money. How much pressure do you think is going to start piling up on Michael Penix Jr to put up better performances than what we saw? Well look I think it’s the nature of the business and everybody involved, from Raheem Morris to even a young guy like Michael Penix Junior, know this. I mean, when he has a bad game and Kirk’s on the sideline and he gets in late against the Panthers, those questions are going to come. I don’t think there’s any realistic scenario in this game or even the coming weeks, that they would make that sort of shift. We’d have to see a real fall off the cliff. And I think Michael Penix Junior has immense potential. I think he had a bad game and a bad moment and a bad spot against a team that many expected them not just to beat, but probably beat handedly. And this is going to be a learning experience for him. But it’s it’s inevitable that Kirk Cousins will be discussed as a potential option if this thing continues to go south, but I think right now that would be getting way ahead of ourselves. Last question, and it’s a personal one. We’re going to interview Dan Quinn on Sunday for the NFL today. Plus, what fun question or maybe interesting question do you think we should ask him I love this look. Dan Quinn Dick affectionately called is one of the best in the business, not just head coach, but just people that you’ll ever be around. What I would ask him, Amanda, is, and I’m sure you saw it, and I’m sure Dan will have this clip ready for Sunday of him taking that shot from Marcus Mariota. And I mean he got leveled and he’s a big dude and he’s bloodied. He kind of looks like hey we got to get concussion protocol in the mix because his head hit the turf. And he’s got that blood coming down his nose and through his nose. And on the outside he looked like JJ Watt really from some of those those viral clips when he was playing I would ask him how did how you handled that moment reflect who you were as a player back in the late 80s, as a defensive lineman for the Salisbury University? I’m a Maryland guy. Salisbury, out on the Eastern Shore near the ocean, is a hotbed for dee-three lacrosse. But they got football, too, and Dick was a star there. At least I’m calling him a star, so I’d pop that picture up too. It’s a great he’s got the full like Latimer from the program neck roll. I’d get that side by side with him and the bloody nose from Sunday, and have him kind of break down his game and his mentality and maybe both moments. I love it. Like you just produced the the whole segment. Like there’s no need I’m going to call our producer now. You got it under wraps Evan. Thank you. Watch out for for players heading your way there on the sideline. We don’t want to see that happen. Objects may appear closer than they are. Exactly, exactly. Evan Washer is going to be on the sideline for Washington commanders going up against the Falcons. They’re the NFL today. Plus mentioned it. We’re going to be in Kansas City for Ravens at Chiefs Kyle Long a barbecue eating contest. There will be a

Evan Washburn joins CBS Sports HQ to preview Commanders-Falcons in Week 4.

(0:00) Commanders injuries
(1:55) Marcus Mariota to get the start again if Jayden Daniels is out
(3:38) Falcons offensive struggles vs Panthers
(5:36) How much pressure is on Michael Penix Jr.?
(6:47) What question should NFL Today+ ask Dan Quinn on Sunday?

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