Washington’s tough 17-23 loss on Monday Night Football in Week 6 just hammered home a brutal truth: their offense is stalling out early in games, and Stefon Diggs’ hands are a big part of the problem. That opening drive on Monday night perfectly summed it up. Jayden Daniels tried to connect, Diggs dropped a pass that would have been a first down, and instead of pushing for six, they settled for a Drew Stevens’ field goal. Ouch.
Diggs’ Early Game Drops Are Killing Drives
It’s not just one play, either. This is becoming a pattern that’s straight up painful to watch. Diggs already had two drops in that Week 1 game against Philadelphia, and now with the one on Monday night, he’s racked up four drops on the season. Think about that: four drops on 38 targets, giving him a 63% catch rate. For a guy who was a valuable addition to that wide receiver corps, these mental lapses are absolutely hurting the offense. Last year, as a New England Patriot, Diggs had only three drops the entire regular season, with an 83.3% catch rate. What’s going on? That’s a huge dip, and it means precious opportunities are just evaporating. It’s not just Diggs either, Terry McLaurin is second on the team with three drops, despite playing only 61% of the total offensive snaps. You can’t win games when you’re leaving first downs and potential touchdowns on the field like that.
Jayden Daniels Needs Help, But He’s Missing Opportunities Too
The drops are one thing, but Jayden Daniels is also missing opportunities that could change games. Before that Diggs drop, Daniels completely missed tight end Chig Okonkwo running wide open in the middle of the field on second down. It was a trend that haunted them for most of the first half. He missed an easy completion to Rachaad White on a swing pass. Antonio Williams was running free on several plays, including one that looked like an easy touchdown, and Daniels just couldn’t connect. You watch the tape, and it’s clear: while Jayden is often accurate and making the right reads, those crucial misses are costing them big. Even the sack on Daniels was a double whammy: Rachaad White didn’t pick up the block, and guess who was wide open? Stefon Diggs.
Daniels eventually caught fire in the second half, standing tall in the face of pressure and delivering some much-needed throws downfield. But it was just too little, too late. That feels like the theme for this team right now. No. 5 has been battling, even playing through injuries to keep them competitive. But you can see the signs that the missed playing time over the last two years has impacted his development. His processing and situational awareness need work. He desperately needs more game reps to find that consistency, but honestly, he also needs more help. More help from his teammates to hold onto the ball, and more help from the coaches to put him in positions to succeed without these self-inflicted wounds.
Washington has to tighten things up, starting with those early-game struggles. They can’t afford to keep wasting possessions and missing open receivers if they want to turn this season around. The talent is there, but the execution needs a serious kick in the pants.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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