The Commanders finally gave one young player a chance and the results should have the coaching staff fired up
We've been looking for more young players to get their chances this season, and many have made the most of their opportunities already.
Some, however, have still been waiting on their name to be called, whether it was due to injuries or just being buried in the depth chart because of the starters. We saw one glaring issue over the first four weeks of the season, and a common theme.
The Commanders' defense was getting gashed on obvious passing situations, and something needed to change , including Jordan Magee getting playing time.
Give the young players you drafted a chance
The Commanders couldn't stop explosive plays, and teams were taking advantage of bad communication and matchup problems for the defense. Veteran Bobby Wagner is a force when it comes to stopping the run and blitzing this season, but his coverage has been a problem early on.
After Wagner played 100% of snaps against the Atlanta Falcons and gave up big plays against Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts, the coaching staff finally decided to increase the snap count for Magee on Sunday. He played 12 snaps against the Los Angeles Chargers, which might not seem like a lot, but that's more than he had all of his rookie season, and matches what he's had all season so far. Magee made the most of each snap, including a blitz that led to a sack and a tackle for loss in the red zone.
A performance that can lead to more opportunities
Magee showed his athleticism, speed, and ability to make big plays, which also led to trust in big situations with the coaching staff. Head coach Dan Quinn spoke about Magee's performance on Monday, and it sounds like more opportunities could be coming for the second-year linebacker.
"You know, we've talked about him as a special teams player," Quinn said. "But in this game, we would see some other plays where he would be playing in some different packages. He just played so square
behind the ball that that's where he's at his best. He can see it, he can tackle, he can accelerate.
Thought he did a good job disrupting on the blitz. I think he missed on his sack; he was upset about
that, but it was really good to get him going."
"You have heard me talk about him and with Frankie [Luvu] and Bobby [Wagner] here, we haven't seen as much. So, I thought it was a good design by Joe [Whitt Jr.] and the staff to have a package that allowed him to really make his impact felt.”
The coaching staff needs to lean into the younger players more and see what they actually have in the players the current regime drafted. We've already seen players like Luke McCaffrey, Ben Sinnott, and Bill Croskey-Merritt get increased roles, and hopefully Magee can be the next one to trend upward in his playing time.
NFL Odds for Week 6: Opening Betting Lines, Spreads & Totals - Buccaneers sail past 49ers
Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season is almost upon us, and with most teams now having 5 games under their belts, it’s beginning to become clear who the contenders and pretenders are. Things get started with a Thursday Night Football matchup out of the NFC East as the Philadelphia Eagles look to bounce back from their defeat to the Denver Broncos this past Sunday with a visit to MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Giants. Other primetime games feature Lions vs Chiefs on Sunday Night Football before another Monday Night Football double-header with Bills vs Falcons and Bears vs Commanders.
Make sure you check out our NFL predictions as we add our picks on the side and total for every game throughout the week. But for now, let’s break down the NFL Week 6 opening lines and give our best early bet to make.
NFL Week 6 opening lines and odds
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
- Eagles -7.5 (-105) vs Giants +7.5 (-115) — Thursday Night Football
- Broncos -7.5 (-105) vs Jets +7.5 (-115) — NFL London Game
- Cowboys -3.5 (-110) vs Panthers +3.5 (-110)
- Browns +4.5 (-105) vs Steelers -4.5 (-115)
- Cardinals +5.5 (-112) vs Colts -5.5 (-108)
- Chargers -5.5 (-110) vs Dolphins +5.5 (-110)
- Rams -8.5 (-105) vs Ravens +8.5 (-115)
- 49ers +3 (-108) vs Buccaneers -3 (-112)
- Seahawks -1.5 (-105) vs Jaguars +1.5 (-115)
- Titans +5.5 (-105) vs Raiders -5.5 (-115)
- Bengals +14 (-105) vs Packers -14 (-115)
- Patriots -3.5 (-110) vs Saints +3.5 (-110)
- Lions +1.5 (-115) vs Chiefs -1.5 (-105) — Sunday Night Football
- Bills -3.5 (-110) vs Falcons +3.5 (-110) — Monday Night Football
- Bears +3.5 (-110) vs Commanders -3.5 (-110) — Monday Night Football
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Best bet for NFL Week 6: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3 over San Francisco 49ers (-105)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing
We have a battle of 4-1 teams this Sunday but the value in this contest looks to be on the side of the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay’s lone loss this season has come at the hands of the Super Bowl champions, and Baker Mayfield and company have looked strong outside of that defeat. The Bucs earned a huge 38-35 victory over the Seahawks last week that devolved into a classic shootout. Mayfield posted 379 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, and rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka continues to go from strength to strength — going for 163 receiving yards and a score.
The Niners secured a 26-23 upset win over the Rams last week despite being 8.5-point underdogs, and while Mac Jones has proven to be more than serviceable under center (and now threatening Brock Purdy with taking his job), it remains to be seen whether he can continue this level of play at a sustained level. The extended rest will no doubt help San Fran given its laundry list of injuries, but this is still a team that is struggling to keep it all together and could be exposed when it visits Raymond James Stadium to battle a Bucs team filled with confidence.
Mayfield is playing at an MVP level at the moment, recording the fourth-most passing yards, third-most touchdowns and fewest interceptions among starters. Expect him to lead Tampa Bay to a smooth victory, and it’s worth grabbing this number now before it dips above a field goal.
