The Washington Commanders will be forced to utilize backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke in this week’s contest, which generally means fewer pass attempts and more rush attempts.
The Commanders are a 3-point underdog this week, indicating a passing game script.
THE BLITZ projects this game to have the 3rd-highest volume of plays run out of all the games this week at 131.8 plays, given the tendencies of each team and game dynamics.
Terry McLaurin has been among the leading WRs in the NFL this year, averaging a stellar 66.0 yards per game while ranking in the 88th percentile.
The Minnesota Vikings defense has surrendered the 5th-most receiving yards per game in football (178.0) to wide receivers this year.
Cons
THE BLITZ projects the Washington Commanders to be the 6th-least pass-oriented team on the slate this week with a 55.9% pass rate, based on their underlying tendencies and matchup dynamics.
Terry McLaurin has compiled far fewer air yards this year (86.0 per game) than he did last year (103.0 per game).
The Washington Commanders offensive line grades out as the 2nd-worst in the NFL this year in protecting the passer, which has a harmful impact on all passing offense metrics across the board.
The Washington Commanders have faced a stacked the box on a mere 12.2% of their plays since the start of last season, 6th-least in the NFL. Keeping an extra defender near the line of scrimmage improves run-stopping at the expense of better passing efficiency.