Terry McLaurin crushed egregious narrative with the one play nobody noticed

The Washington Commanders have taken yet another loss, and this one might have been their worst showing all season. But at least one player left it all on the field.

Kliff Kingsbury's offense didn't score a single point and turned the ball over three times. Jayden Daniels looked shaky in his return and re-injured his elbow after a third-quarter interception. He was relieved by Marcus Mariota afterward, and head coach Dan Quinn stated postgame that it was precautionary. Regardless, it was a nightmare afternoon, and that's not even mentioning the season-ending injury to Zach Ertz.

There was perhaps only one positive to come out of Washington's complete meltdown against the Minnesota Vikings, and it occurred on the same play in which Daniels was picked off by edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel.

That would be the hustle by wide receiver Terry McLaurin to prevent a Minnesota touchdown.

Commanders fans can put the "Terry McLaurin isn't a team player" narrative to rest

McLaurin caught only three passes for 41 receiving yards in the Commanders' loss, which said much more about the inability to get the ball to him (or anybody else) than it did about him. But it was a play he made on defense that defined his afternoon.

This was just pure heart. McLaurin came from at least five yards behind Van Ginkel to chase down and tackle him at the 30-yard line, preventing his unimpeded path to a pick-six. Though it ended up being moot, his efforts saved Washington four points as the Vikings settled for a field goal on the drive.

Still, it shows how much McLaurin cares.

He has missed the majority of the 2025 season with a quad/hip flexor injury, but ever since his return on Sunday Night Football in Week 13, he has reminded Washington of how valuable his presence is. Not bad for a player who has endured accusations of selfishness from Commanders fans all offseason and throughout the majority of this year.

McLaurin spent much of the past summer away from the Commanders while dealing with a contract dispute, which was strictly business. It might have negatively affected his conditioning at the start of the year, but it would be a stretch to claim it was responsible for his injury. In the meantime, he remained fully supportive of his teammates while he was out, waiting for his chance to make an impact again.

The Commanders continue to search for answers, but McLaurin remains the least of their problems. He's the definition of a leader.