4 winners (and 3 losers) from the Commanders' win vs. NY Giants in Week 2
By Dean Jones
It's been a long time since the Washington Commanders celebrated a win. While their Week 2 outing against the New York Giants wasn't perfect, they got the job done.
The Commanders made much harder work of things than needed, in all honesty. Dan Quinn commended his squad for finding a way to win after the contest, but this is not the finished article by any stretch of the imagination. The tests are going to get stiffer in the coming weeks, so significant improvements are needed in pursuit of coming out on the other end smiling.
Washington ended its nine-game losing run and laid down a marker within the NFC East for good measure. The performance wasn't flawless at this early stage of their rebuild. At the same time, some extremely encouraging signs emerged from the clash at Northwest Stadium.
With this in mind, here are four winners and three losers from Washington's triumph over the Giants in Week 2.
Winners and losers from the Commanders' win vs. NY Giants in Week 2
Winner No. 1
Austin Ekeler - Commanders RB
It's only two games, but the Washington Commanders' decision to bring Austin Ekeler into the fold in free agency already looks like a tremendous piece of business by the front office. The veteran running back was outstanding once again versus the New York Giants, displaying the dual-threat ability that made him one of the league's most dynamic threats with the Los Angeles Chargers once upon a time.
Had Ekeler's kick-off return that he took to the house not been brought back for a penalty to begin the contest, things would have been even better for the former undrafted free agent. Despite this disappointment, he can look back at his Week 2 accomplishments with an enormous sense of pride.
Ekeler was explosive as a runner. There was a sharpness to his routes that rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels took advantage of frequently. Gaining 85 all-purpose yards from 11 touches was impressive, but his willingness as a pass blocker quickly became an overlooked positive.
If Ekeler keeps this up, he'll become one of the offseason's best signings. One the Commanders are going to benefit from enormously.