This Sunday, the Washington Commanders play the Los Angeles Chargers. That’s all going to have to happen without their star wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who remains out with a persistent right quad injury. The injury–torn left Achilles tendon–occurred during a Week 3 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. McLaurin’s 56-yard leaping touchdown reception capped a solid opening half for the veteran wideout. This is another blow after McLaurin missed last week’s 34-27 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
In practice, McLaurin has continued to work with athletic trainers on a makeshift field off to the side. This is the first time he’s taken part in practice activities that are open to the media. Observers claimed he was running … sprints at half-speed, three-quarters-speed. While this demonstrates a significant step forward, it falls short of true game readiness. The Commanders leave for Los Angeles Thursday night for their first round playoff game.
Offensive lineman Jordan McLaurin is reported to be out for the game. Fellow receiver Noah Brown was ruled out, missing his second straight game due to an injury. Brown, who has been working with the athletic trainers for the last two days, cannot quite get into the game. Both Mike Sainristil and Deebo Samuel have missed each of the last two practices. They all still made the team and went on the excursion.
John Keim, a veteran sports journalist who began covering the Washington Commanders in 1994 for the Journal Newspapers and later for the Washington Examiner, continues to report on the team for ESPN. He hosts ‘The John Keim Report’ on ESPN Richmond radio, where he provides insights and updates on the team’s developments. In addition to his reporting, Keim has authored or co-authored four books, contributing significantly to sports journalism in the area.
As these Commanders get set to play the Chargers, they’ll have to go to work without several key offensive pieces. McLaurin’s absence, even for just one game, is a towering mountain to scale for this squad. He’s been key to their passing attack and will be particularly important as they try to score a road upset.
Leave a Reply