Commanders Get Surprising Injury Update on WR Trio Before Facing Broncos
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Washington Commanders wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel.
There isn’t a lot of joy to be derived from anything to do with the Washington Commanders this season, which has been 3 months of misery preceded by 6 months of what seemed like boundless hope.
The Commanders were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders. They were supposed to be playing important games at this time of the year, not contemplating whether or not they should put oft-injured quarterback Jayden Daniels on ice until 2026
The only hope that remains would be from an improbably series of events that would see the 3-8 Commanders reel off 6 consecutive wins to end the regular season and sneak into the playoffs. That would match the 6 consecutive games they just lost.
The latest injury update from the Commanders at least keeps those incredibly dim hopes alive, with starting wide receivers Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and Noah Brown all practicing together.
“Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and Noah Brown,” ESPN’s John Keim wrote with a picture of the 3 players at practice on his X account on Wednesday, November 26. “First time all 3 WRs have been on the practice field together since Week 2.”
Brown hasn’t played since injuring his groin in a Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers. McLaurin, an NFL All-Pro in 2024, has missed 7 games due to a quad/hip flexor injury and hasn’t played since a Week 8 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Samuel’s Role in Offense Drastically Changed
Samuel has been the one steady piece of the group, having played in 10 out of 11 games. He also leads the Commanders with 53 receptions for 470 yards and 6 total touchdowns while his role drastically changed from the WR2/X-Factor the Commanders envisioned before the year.
“Without reliable, productive receivers around him, Samuel has turned into a possession receiver,” Riggo’s Rag’s Jonathan Eig wrote on November 26. “It is possible this would have happened even if everyone had been healthy, but the eye test suggests that he can still make plays. The wideout needs complementary talent around him so that the Commanders can take advantage of all he can do. As players, including quarterback Jayden Daniels, return, that chance could be coming soon. A little too late to save the season, but it should be fun to watch regardless.”
Daniels, last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, has missed games due to 3 different injuries this season — 5 games in total — and hasn’t played since he dislocated his left elbow in a Week 9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
McLaurin Biggest Disappointment of Trio
If we are putting together an All-Disappointment Team for the 2025 season, you can pencil Daniels in at quarterback and McLaurin in at one of the wide receiver spots.
McLaurin’s lengthy contract hold out in the preseason and offseason kept him away from working with his team and cost him a critical offseason working with Daniels, which showed when he returned after signing a 3-year, $97 million contract extension on August 25.
In the time he has been in the lineup, McLaurin just hasn’t been very productive with 13 reception for 203 yards and 1 touchdown in 4 games.
McLaurin was coming off the best season of his career in 2024 with 82 receptions for 1,096 yards and a franchise record 13 touchdowns to go with 14 receptions for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns in 3 playoff games.
Steelers Get Strong Message From Aaron Rodgers Before Bills Showdown
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Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers will need to play the right way to beat the Bills on Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a massive game this weekend, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers is hoping to see them play “the right way.”
Rodgers issued a strong statement toward his team ahead of their huge home game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
Pittsburgh (6-5) has dropped four of its past six games after it started 4-1 and has fallen into a first-place tie with the rival Baltimore Ravens (6-5). The Ravens have the tiebreaker by virtue of their 2-0 divisional record — the Steelers‘ record against AFC North opponents is 2-1.
But the Steelers can claim the tiebreaker against the Bills (7-4), who are a game ahead of the Steelers and currently occupy the final AFC wild-card spot with six games to play.
Aaron Rodgers Wants To See The Steelers ‘Tighten Up’ Against The Bills
The Steelers have shown flashes of greatness over the past six weeks. Their defense scored twice in their 34-12 beatdown of the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago, and they held Daniel Jones, Jonathan Taylor and the NFL’s No. 1 offense, the Indianapolis Colts, in check in their upset, seven-point win Nov. 2.
But Rodgers wants to see the Steelers get consistent this weekend, especially on offense.
“We need to start playing the right way this time of year,” Rodgers said. “We’ve got to be on the details. There’s too many times where we haven’t been able to survive downs, is the best way to put it, where there’s a missed assignment or a mental error and we’re not able to survive the down.
“We’ve got to do a better job of [surviving downs].”
Rodgers did not play in Pittsburgh’s 31-28 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, which dropped it out of first place. His status for the Bills game is very much up in the air as of Wednesday, though Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has exhibited confidence the veteran will play Sunday.
Aaron Rodgers Thinks ‘It’s All Right In Front Of’ The Steelers
The Steelers have just a plus-11 point differential through 11 games, and have struggled on both offense and defense at points this season. Still, they are very much alive in the race for the playoff race with about 30 percent of the season to go.
Rodgers alluded to the Steelers’ tough closing slate, which includes the Bills, two games against the Ravens and a road game against the Detroit Lions.
“We’ve got good opponents on the schedule in the last six [games]. We have three division games,” Rodgers said. “It’s all right in front of us.”
Pittsburgh also needs to avoid getting caught up in a potential trap game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 — the Steelers lost in Cleveland last year — between its Week 16 game vs Detroit and season-ending home date against Baltimore.
The Browns are 2-2 at home — they’ll take on the San Francisco 49ers this weekend — but have played four one-possession games at Huntington Bank Field, including a one-point loss to the Bengals and a three-point win over the Green Bay Packers.
You can bet Cleveland, and especially NFL sacks leader and Defensive Player of the Year favorite Myles Garrett will be chomping at the bit to knock Pittsburgh out of playoff contention if given the chance.
