Things are going well for the Washington Commanders at the moment. On Sunday, Washington, despite several injuries, made the cross-country trip to California and defeated one of the AFC’s top teams, the Los Angeles Chargers, 27-10.
The Chargers got off to a fast start, leading 10-0, but a turnover changed everything. Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels went to work, leading the Commanders to 27 unanswered points and almost 400 yards of total offense against the NFL’s No. 3 defense. Washington essentially did it in three quarters after struggling to move the ball in the first quarter.
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The most impressive feat from the Commanders’ successful offensive output was that they did it without star wide receiver Terry McLaurin. Deebo Samuel led the way with eight receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown. Luke McCaffrey had a huge 50-yard catch to set up a score. Rookie Jaylin Lane made a big third-and-long catch early to get the offense going.
McLaurin injured his quad in the Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and missed the last two games. Washington gets an extra day off this week, as its next game isn’t until Monday night against the Chicago Bears. Could this be when McLaurin returns?
Head coach Dan Quinn sounds optimistic.
“Yeah, we’re optimistic and we’ll have more information as the week goes on to see where they’re at with he and [WR] Noah [Brown] and [T/G] Sam Cosmi and a few other guys that are kind of trending in the right way,” Quinn said. “We’ll make sure we take all the right steps. Just like we do with all the guys. If they’re able to, you know, fully express how they play and do the thing, then we’re there. And if not, we’ll have to keep waiting, but we won’t decide yet. But with having an extra day, that never hurts going into it. But as we get a few more days from now, I think I’ll have a better sense for if it’s able to be done and what it looks like and how they’re responding to it.”
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Quinn really says a lot here without saying much. He offers updates on others, rather than singularly focusing on McLaurin, as he has over the past two weeks. Is this because they are more concerned about McLaurin’s injury than initially feared, or is he playing coy, like most coaches, to gain a competitive advantage?
We’ll know more throughout the week. The Commanders practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday this week. If McLaurin can practice, even on a limited basis, there’s a good chance he can return for Week 6. It’s doubtful the Commanders risk putting him on the field if he can’t practice at all, regardless of his importance to the team.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Will Terry McLaurin return for Week 6?