4 Commanders the Bengals must stop to win first game of 2024

The Cincinnati Bengals are the favorites heading into their Monday Night Football matchup against the Washington Commanders. But they were overwhelming favorites against the Patriots. Unfortunately, that did not pan out how everyone outside New England thought it would. The men in stripes can take nothing for granted. 

If the Bengals want to win, there are key players they must focus their gameplay on. Cincinnati must commit to limiting these four Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football. 

Commanders the Bengals must stop in Week 3:

WR Noah Brown

Commanders fans are perplexed over the lack of targets and production for Terry McLaurin. But the receiver that will keep Bengals fans up at night is Noah Brown. 

Terry McLaurin's lack of targets and production has left Commanders supporters confused. They don't realize Noah Brown is the receiver who will keep Bengals fans awake at night.

Brown is already Washington’s third in receiving yards despite only playing in one game. He leads his team’s receivers in that category. Only running back Austin Ekeler and tight end Zach Ertz have more receiving yards.

Bengals fans will remember Brown for what he did against the team in 2022. While with the Cowboys, he torched the Bengals with five receptions for 91 yards and one touchdown. In what was a close game, Brown was the difference. That game led to another 0-2 start that Cincinnati is now notorious for having. 

In 2023, while with the Houston Texans, Brown returned to the Queen City and almost single-handedly beat the Bengals again. He recorded seven catches for 172 yards. The Bengals won that game, but Brown had another stellar outing against Cincinnati’s defense. 

Brown is not the most well-known name for a team that has McLaruin, Dyami Brown, and Luke Caffrey as the other receivers. However, Brown is the one that Bengals fans are most familiar with. Unfortunately.

QB Jayden Daniels

Jayden Daniels ranks third in completion percentage through two games. He hasn’t thrown an interception this year. On the other hand, he has yet to throw a touchdown pass. Hopefully, for the Bengals, the former will happen before the latter. 

Daniels benefits from excellent receivers and running backs who can turn short passes into long gains. The Commanders rank third in yards after catch.

But it is not all on the receivers. Daniels is an accurate passer, placing the ball in places that allow the receivers the opportunity to make those dynamic plays. 

Despite being a rookie, blitzing Daniels is probably not the route Lou Anarumo should take. Defenses blitzed Daniels 23 times over the first two games. That is the fifth most this season. But blitzing him forces him to do what he is good at in his young NFL career. He makes quick and accurate throws underneath the coverage. His on-target rate ranks third in the league.

Blitzing Daniels may also force him to scramble, which he is very good at. Daniels leads the NFL among non-running backs in rushing yards. Ten of his 26 rushing attempts are for first downs. 

Daniels' strengths lie in running the ball and short-field accuracy as he continues to figure out the NFL.

RB Brian Robinson Jr

Running back Brian Robinson is averaging 6.0 yards per rush. His 86.5 rushing yards per game rank ninth in the NFL. Cincinnati’s defense is 25th in rushing yards allowed and 26th in yards per game surrendered. 

The Bengals’ tackling was an issue the first two weeks. If they don’t wrap up Robinson, it will be a long evening for the defense. 

The Bengals’ rushing defense will be tested early and often by Robinson. Let’s hope their scheme and tackling meet the challenge they will face from Robinson and Washington’s formidable rushing attack. 

LB Bobby Wagner

One thing that continues to be an issue for the Bengals’ offense is the rushing attack. Unfortunately, they must go against Bobby Wagner. The linebacker is the best run-stopping linebacker this year, according to Pro Football Focus.

The All-Pro linebacker is still as menacing as ever. Through two weeks, he has 19 tackles and four tackles for loss. 

Going against Wagner is less than ideal for a Bengals offense that ranks 30th in rushing yards. The "good news" is that the Bengals are last in rushing attempts. Therefore, Wagner may not get to affect the game by doing what he does best. But that does not mean Cincinnati should not try.

Nevertheless, perhaps just for this weekend, we shouldn’t complain if the Bengals do not run the ball as much as we would like them to. They should have a distinct advantage on the outside in the passing game. There may be no need to run against the proverbial brick wall that is Bobby Wagner.

There are other concerns the Bengals must deal with. Washington’s defensive line is replete with talent like Jonathan Allen and Clelin Ferrel, who have thus far underperformed this season. Austin Ekeler is a threat as a running back, receiver out of the backfield, and kick returner. 

Nevertheless, the Bengals’ best chance at getting their first win of the season lies in limiting Daniels, Brown, Robinson, and Wagner.