Studs and duds from Commanders' Week 5 win over Falcons

The Washington Commanders went to Los Angeles in Week 5 to take on the Chargers.

It was an important game for both teams, as both were coming off a loss in Week 4. The Chargers shockingly fell to the Giants, while the Jayden Daniels-less Commanders fell to the Atlanta Falcons. Coming into this game, much of the focus was on whether or not Daniels would be healthy enough to play.

Luckily for the Commanders, their star quarterback was ready to go, and he delivered an efficient and effective performance. Daniels ended up throwing for 231 yards and one touchdown and also added 39 yards on the ground. The performance was enough to give the Commanders a 27-10 victory.

Today, let’s identify the studs and duds from this Week 5 victory.

Stud: Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Jacory Croskey-Merritt is a name NFL fans should get used to hearing. The rookie running back set a new career-high on Sunday with 111 rushing yards. It was also the first time that that Croskey-Merritt had multiple scores in a game.

Even more impressively, the Chargers had one of the best run defenses in the league entering this game. Nobody told Croskey-Merritt that, though, and the rookie had one of the best performances of any running back in the league this weekend.

Dud: Chris Moore

Chris Moore is undoubtedly a dud once again. The receiver was only targeted once, and he failed to reel it in.

That one target came late in the third quarter. Jayden Daniels scrambled around avoiding pressure and while rolling to his right, launced a bullet to the end zone for Moore. The ball was perfectly placed, but Moore was unable to reel it in. It would have been a tough catch, but it was one you have to make as an NFL receiver.

In total this season, Moore has been targeted seven times and has only caught three of them for 59 yards. Moore has to be better if he’s going to continue to see playing time.

Stud: Deebo Samuel

Deebo Samuel was definitely a stud again in Week 5. The receiver caught eight passes for 96 yards and one score, doing his part to make up for the absence of Terry McLaurin.

This performance was one week after Samuel caught six passes for 72 yards and one score. The veteran has been everything the Commanders wanted him to be and more when they added him this offseason. Once McLaurin gets back, it will be even harder for teams to stop this offense.

Dud: Zach Ertz

Coming into this game, I thought Zach Ertz was going to make an impact. Knowing McLaurin wasn’t playing, we knew that somebody was going to have to step up. Ertz was a clear candidate, but he failed to show up.

Ertz only received one target and was unable to reel it in. The tight end has been one of the most reliable tight ends in the league for a decade, so it was shocking to see him lay an egg in this important matchup. The Commanders are going to need more out of their veteran tight end down the stretch.

Stud: Dorance Armstrong

Dorance Armstrong has been one of the most underrated pass-rushers in the league this year. The defender has now recorded a sack in four of five games so far after adding two in Week 5.

In total, Armstrong racked up three tackles, two sacks, and two quarterback hits. Getting to the quarterback was one of my keys to this game for the Commanders, and Armstrong made sure it happened.

Stud: Mike Sainristil

Mike Sainristil came to play against the Chargers, and it was nice to see a good performance from the young corner. Sainristil collected nine tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception in the big win.

It was the second-straight game with an interception for Sainristil and it seems like the corner is finally living up to expectations. Sainristil was a big part of the Commanders holding Justin Herbert to just 166 passing yards.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Studs and duds from Week 5 win over Chargers

Studs and duds from Commanders’ Week 5 win over Falcons

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