The Washington Commanders are known for their fourth-down gambles. This season, they converted 20 of 23 fourth downs, the best conversion rate in the NFL since 2000. So, when Washington faced a 4th-and-1 at the Lions’ 28-yard line, marching towards a potential touchdown, it made a lot of sense.

However, the play call by offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury didn’t. Instead of putting the ball in the hands of their dynamic rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels off the snap, the Commanders opted to try a trick play through backup quarterback Marcus Mariota toward an unsuccessful result.

Mariota lined up wide with Jayden Daniels in the shotgun. Mariota went into motion behind the center for a direct snap. He faked a QB sneak in an attempt to pitch it back to Daniels. Unfortunately, the Lion’s defensive push was too much as defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad brought Mariota down behind the line to gain.

On further review, it appears Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. may have gotten in the way of Mariota.

The fourth stop forced a turnover on downs, stopping an eight-play, 56-yard opening drive for Washington.

Momentum shifted to the Lions, and the NFC’s No. 1 seed wasted no time taking advantage of the Commanders’ failure.

Detroit marched 71 yards on six plays into the end zone. Jahmyr Gibbs scored a one-yard touchdown to cap a drive in which he gained 48 yards.

The Commanders going for a fourth down is no surprise. However, Kingsbury may have become too cute for the moment. Every drive counts in the playoffs. Washington’s offense’s failure to convert points proved to haunt them early.

The post Commanders get too cute with opening-drive 4th down call appeared first on DC Sports King.

The Washington Football Team is searching for a starting quarterback. That search had them making a push for Las Vegas Raiders QB Marcus Mariota.

“Washington tried to acquire Marcus Mariota from the Raiders, according to multiple sources, but talks have cooled off,” Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.

The latest report goes in line with Michael Lombardi’s report in February, Washington was “extremely interested” in Mariota. Talks cooled off. Possibly due to incentives in Mariota’s current contract that could balloon his $10.75 million salary to as much as $22 million. Last week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Mariota’s trade market “dried up significantly” when interested teams learned of the incentive kickers.

But Standig adds for Washington, “Reworking Mariota’s contract to cap his max in the $14 million to $15 million range, and fully guaranteeing that money, is plausible.”

Marcus Mariota has one year remaining on his deal. However, the Raiders want to shed some salaries. If they can’t land a trade with a suitor, releasing Mariota is a possibility.

Washington will be adding salary cap space, as they are expected to release Alex Smith in the coming days. They’ll free up $14.7 million of cap space cutting Smith. Could that extra money be flipped to absorb Mariota’s contract?

The post Report: Washington ‘tried to acquire’ Raiders QB Marcus Mariota appeared first on DC Sports King.

Derek Carr isn’t the only Las Vegas Raiders quarterback that is rumored to on the wish list of the Washington Football Team. The Athletic’s Michael Lombardi told VSiN Washington is “extremely interested” in Raiders backup QB Marcus Mariota.

Marcus Mariota was the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft of the Tennessee Titans. But Tennessee moved on from him after five seasons in favor of Ryan Tannehill. Mariota landed in Las Vegas this season, backing up Carr.

He appeared in just one game, replacing an injured Carr in the first quarter of a Week 15 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Mariota looked impressive, completing 17-of-28 passes for 226 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also had 88 yards rushing with a touchdown.

With him under contract for 2021 for a bargain of $10.725 million, he is certain to draw attention for teams looking for a quarterback. Washington fits the bill for sure. The Washington Football Team made finding a starting quarterback their top priority this offseason.

They just missed out on the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes. Additionally, Washington has been linked publicly to Sam Darnold of the New York Jets. Much like about all but a handful of teams, Washington is peaking into the situations of disgruntled QB’s Deshaun Watson in Houston and Russell Wilson in Seattle.

Last season, Washington started four different quarterbacks throughout heir 16 regular season games and wild card playoff loss. They have a strong young core, highlighted by their impressive defense which finished second in passing and total yards allowed.

Alex Smith is approaching 37 years of age and despite his remarkable comeback and 5-1 record, showed lingering affects of his horrific leg injury from two years ago. Kyle Allen is coming off a serious ankle injury from last season, and is an exclusive rights free agent this year. Taylor Heinicke earned himself a two-year extension, but best case scenario for Washington, he will be backing up a big name QB.

Mariota is a dual threat signal caller that seemingly is more ideal for Washington’s offensive system. He is also a game manager in a positive way. Mariota is accurate, completing 62.9% of his passes throughout his career. He plays the chains, choosing for the safe throw. He has 77 touchdowns passes against 45 interceptions. Simply put, he is a younger and more mobile Alex Smith.

Mariota could be the least costly QB rumored to Washington in a trade. It’s still a little over two months away from the NFL Draft. That’s plenty of time for the wind to blow in all directions on this year’s offseason. There will be more names mentioned. But it’s clear the Washington Football Team is looking around to improve their quarterback room.

The post Washington reportedly ‘extremely interested’ in Marcus Mariota appeared first on DC Sports King.