The Commanders had one sure thing at receiver heading into the season, but there were questions about how much support Terry McLaurin would get from the rest of the group.
Wide receivers coach Drew Terrell admitted as much in August. He said there was a lot of potential in the room, but that you “can be humbled” once you start playing games. Sunday’s opener wasn’t a humbling one, however.
McLauring caught a touchdown, first-round pick Jahan Dotson had a pair of them and oft-injured veteran Curis Samuel added one more to the ledger. Dotson and Samuel had 11 catches for 95 yards and running back Antonio Gibson pitched in with seven catches for 72 yards to leave less weight on McLaurin’s shoulders in the win over the Jaguars.
“We [have] a lot of talent in that room, especially between us three,” Dotson said, via Sam Fortier of the Washington Post. “You guys kind of saw a glimpse of that today. There’s just so much more that we can do.”
The Commanders were up 14-3 early in Sunday’s game, but it turned into a nailbiter thanks to Carson Wentz interceptions and 19 straight points for the Jags. Touchdowns from McLaurin and Dotson late allowed them to pull out the win and they’re likely to continue leaning on that duo a lot over the next 16 games.
