The Washington Commanders are brimming with confidence after their morale-boosting upset over the Seattle Seahawks. But unfortunately, they will be without two of their most important talents for their international clash against the Indianapolis Colts in London.
Before traveling across the pond, the Commanders confirmed that right guard Sam Cosmi and veteran safety Nick Cross will not make the trip and have been ruled out. Both players are integral to the team's plans, and not having them available is disappointing.
But the Commanders proved in Week 3 that they can cope without them, thanks in no small part to their two surging coordinators.
Commanders once again have to tread water without Sam Cosmi and Nick Cross
Cosmi, who remains in concussion protocol and is also dealing with a throat issue after colliding with running back Kaytron Allen, is Washington's top-performing lineman without left tackle Laremy Tunsil. But with Lucas Patrick at center and Nick Allegretti at right guard last weekend, it looked a little more stable.
Was it perfect? Of course not, but without Cosmi and Tunsil leading the charge, nobody expected it to be.
This should be the method Washington implements against the Colts. Whether it's Marcus Mariota or Jayden Daniels under center, the ball has to come out quickly. Playing to their strengths is crucial, but offensive coordinator David Blough now seems to be finding his groove in his play-calling role.
Any team would miss a player of Cosmi's caliber, but Blough found the right answers in Week 3.
Washington will be hoping for the same again.
Cross is a tone-setting presence on the back end who can assist at all three levels of the field. He suffered an internal issue against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, which sent him to the hospital. The problem and its severity haven't been disclosed, but it's clearly serious enough to miss a second straight game.
Commanders' new coordinators have the coping mechanisms to overcome injuries
The Commanders gave Quan Martin most of his snaps. The 2023 second-round pick struggled at times, but he was solid enough. Jeremy Reaves also stepped up his consistency, a trend that must continue against a Colts offense with dangerous playmakers for quarterback Daniels Jones to depend on.
Again, it's far from ideal. But defensive coordinator Daronte Jones should have the right answers to ease the burden on Washington's secondary, even without Cross.
Head coach Dan Quinn took a big risk by hiring two inexperienced coordinators to replace Joe Whitt Jr. and Kliff Kingsbury this offseason. Both Jones and Blough are silencing their doubters one game at a time. And even though they are both still learning on the job, the early signs are immensely encouraging.
It won't be easy without Cosmi and Cross. At the same time, the Commanders' resolve in Week 3 is enough to inspire confidence.
And if they can get back to .500 with a win over Indianapolis, that will be the biggest morale boost imaginable.
Every team deals with injuries. The Commanders know all about that from last season. But this time around, it seems as if they have much better coping mechanisms in place.
They also have more accomplished coordinators. And this could be the key, above all else, that helps the Commanders keep this newfound positivity going.
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