NEW ORLEANS — Box scores can lie.
Take Marshon Lattimore’s Washington Commanders debut in Sunday’s 20-19 road win over the New Orleans Saints that kept them inside the NFC playoff picture and secured the franchise’s best record (9-5) through 14 games since 1992. Besides his first and last name, Lattimore didn’t appear in the stats or play-by-play recap. That’s very different than discussing the cornerback’s level of impact in his first game with his new team.
“Through my experience, when there’s less attention going to you, that is a sign that you’ve had a really good game,” defensive-minded coach Dan Quinn said of Lattimore’s showing on Monday’s video call.
Despite sitting out six weeks — five games — since his last appearance due to a lingering hamstring injury, Washington had no concerns about stamina. Lattimore played 53 of the defense’s 55 snaps. The Commanders’ dominating time of possession (41 to 19 minutes) offered plenty of in-game rest. However, the added dynamic of facing the team in which he spent his first seven and a half seasons was potentially taxing.
“I tried to stay calm. I did not try to get too hyped,” Lattimore said from the visiting locker room. “If you get too hyped, then your legs can give out on you. I just tried to stay calm and get the job done. I did what they needed me to do.”
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Being with the team for several weeks helped Lattimore immerse himself in the playbook, but turning homework into action only occurs on the field. Quinn called the secondary’s communication “strong, especially with (Lattimore). I was watching for that. I wanted to hear that and see that from him.”
“I feel really comfortable,” Lattimore said. “I’ve been here for a month or so, and that’s enough time to get acclimated.”
Inexperienced quarterbacks Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler rarely tested Washington’s defense at any level. They completed 14 of 31 passes for 184 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. tossed a deft 21-yard touchdown pass to running back Alvin Kamara with Frankie Luvu in coverage. That lone target against the linebacker was one more than Lattimore faced.
That marked the second time this season and only the third of his career that the four-time Pro Bowler did not have an official target. The Kansas City Chiefs passed on throwing Lattimore’s way in Week 5 despite the Saints playing 84 defensive snaps. Go back to Week 10 in 2018 at Cincinnati for the only other instance of the cornerback watching every pass go toward someone else.
“I did not really get too much action,” a grinning Lattimore said following his first game since Oct. 27. “It is a great feeling just to be out there.”
According to Pro Football Focus, 47 cornerbacks were on the field for at least 32 pass plays in Week 15. All of them had at least one target come their way, except Lattimore.
As for where Lattimore lined up, all 53 snaps were on the right side — 51 far right — which is how the Saints deployed him in recent years. New Orleans lacks a standout wide receiver with Chris Olave injured. Therefore, we don’t know how much defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. plans to have Lattimore travel with opposing top targets, something the corner did early in his career. That changes with the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown, Atlanta Falcons’ Drake London and Dallas Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb on the closing schedule.
Having the cover corner available altered the typical rotation. Washington made Michael Davis inactive for the first time this season. Benjamin St-Juste, a starter for most of his four seasons, played only three snaps. That’s the fewest in his career for a game in which he played defensively. The 2021 third-round pick received only special teams work in two games as a rookie.
Mike Sainristil’s evolution from slot corner to outside presence continued. The second-round rookie had an interception and two pass breakups while playing 50 defensive snaps. After splitting time on both sides, Sainristil played 46 of 47 wide corner snaps on the left. Slot corner Noah Igbinoghene (38 snaps) covered Saints tight end Juwan Johnson on the potential game-winning two-point conversion.
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With teams shying away from Lattimore, “there’s some more production to another player,” Quinn said. “Mike had a good PBU and an interception.”
Quinn’s 2022 Dallas defense, the last Cowboys campaign not impacted significantly with injuries, played Cover 3 on 42.3 percent of defensive snaps, per TruMedia, sixth most in the league. These Commanders clocked in at 37.2 percent through 13 games this season. However, using the scheme where three defenders are deep and four cover underneath is rising. Washington went Cover 3 on 54.9 percent of snaps against the Saints, the third time over 50 percent in the past five games.
Whatever the scheme, Washington’s defense has become the team’s better unit. Since Week 7, the Commanders rank third in total yards (297.6) and passing yards allowed (169.6), ninth in opposing QB rating (86.8) and 11th in third-down defense (37.4 percent).
Since injuries have zapped the offense’s playmaking potential beyond quarterback Jayden Daniels, wide receiver Terry McLaurin and running back Brian Robinson Jr., more of that is needed. Lattimore will only help.
Offensive injuries piling up
Quinn shared that tight end Zach Ertz and safety Jeremy Chinn are the latest Commanders to enter the league’s concussion protocol. Both 2024 free-agent signings are valuable, but replacing Chinn would be easier than Ertz.
Washington has safety depth. Darrick Forrest, Percy Butler and Jeremy Reaves could play next to Quan Martin. The tight end room beyond Ertz, the Commanders’ second-leading pass catcher behind McLaurin, is blocking specialist John Bates and rookie Ben Sinnott. Neither possesses Ertz’s pass-catching skill.
Undrafted free agent Colson Yankoff, now eligible to come off injured reserve, is, to date, a special teams performer. Using offensive tackle Trent Scott as a tight end-eligible player puts another big body on the field for short-yardage situations. As for potentially replacing Ertz in the passing game, Washington might have little option but to go with more three-receiver looks.
Zach Ertz, who is in concussion protocol, is second on Washington in receptions and receiving yards this season. (Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)
The rub is that Washington is already down dual-threat running back Austin Ekeler and hulking wide receiver Noah Brown without obvious replacements available. The Commanders used 11 personnel — three receivers, one tight end and one running back — on 55.6 percent of offensive snaps through Week 14. That jumped to 63.5 percent against the Saints.
Dyami Brown played the second-most receiver snaps (61) after McLaurin. He caught three passes for 30 yards, but it was a 23-yard grab erased by a penalty on Washington’s final drive that Quinn highlighted when praising the speed threat’s aggression and toughness. Jamison Crowder, in his first game since the season’s opening month, and Olamide Zaccheaus also caught three passes.
That’s a solid supporting cast. None are headliners. Same with new addition K.J. Osborn, who may make his Washington debut Sunday against the Eagles. Any notion of signing RB/WR Kazmeir Allen off the practice squad slowed when the speed threat suffered an ankle injury in practice last week.
Another consideration is moving McLaurin around the formation. Often planted on the left side, McLaurin lined up wide right a season-high 19 times on Sunday.
Ertz is no longer a Pro Bowler but a good-sized, reliable target for Daniels. Taking him off the field would make life more challenging for the rookie quarterback — especially without a sound run game.
Quinn didn’t quibble over Robinson’s usage despite only seven carries in the first half against the league’s worst run defense. What bothered the coach “on my flight home” was wanting more effectiveness on the ground, whether “pin-and-pull schemes” or outside runs. The mobile Daniels (66 yards on 11 carries) wowed at times with his dynamic escapability from the pocket, but Washington’s running backs averaged a meager 3.0 yards on 24 carries.
“That was the one spot in our game that I left wanting more after,” Quinn said. “Not from the times that we called it, but from the execution of it.”
Quinn expects center Tyler Biadasz (illness) to play on Sunday. The same goes for kicker Zane Gonzalez. The staff decided there were enough concerns with Gonzalez’s plant foot to use the recently signed Greg Joseph in New Orleans. Joseph made 2 of 3 field goal attempts but missed from 54 yards with two minutes remaining as Washington sought a two-score lead. Whenever Gonzalez is ready, he will play, Quinn said.
(Top photo: Butch Dill / Associated Press)
