ASHBURN, Va. — Over the past three years, the Washington Commanders have proven to have a true No. 1 wide receiver in Terry McLoughlin. Still, this fourth-year veteran, who just signed his three-year, $71 million contract extension in July, will be the first of his 3 of his 2022 season for Burgundy and Gold. In each of the matches, the first half did not play a significant role. .
In Week 1, McLoughlin had just one catch in the first half for Jacksonville. In Detroit, McLoughlin’s first catch was on the first drive of the second half. Then last week against Philadelphia, the No. 17 registered one target by halftime but failed to catch it.
Clearly, that’s not how Commanders envision moving forward with McLoughlin. There is none.
“I don’t want to overreact,” quarterback Carson Wentz said Wednesday. , I am very confident in getting him and the other players involved sooner.”
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Wentz, and Commander, on the whole aren’t concerned about McLoughlin’s lack of early use, but it was certainly a topic of conversation at Ashburn. He talked about what happened up until now, and said his goal was to find ways to make an impact early in the game.
McLoughlin called his meeting with Turner a “personal conversation,” but the offensive coordinator made it clear to him that getting him and the rest of Washington’s offensive arsenal involved early in the game was a top priority. McLoughlin says he is focused on controlling what he can control, and is confident that opportunities will come his way in the near future.
“I’m just trying to be ready when the opportunity presents itself,” McLoughlin said. “Obviously, you’ll want to get involved as soon as possible. Whenever you can make an impact in the game as quickly as possible, that’s what I want to do. Coaches Turner and Carson know that too. At the same time, they can’t play well, don’t come as early as you’d like.”
For a player of McLoughlin’s ability, it would be understandable if he went to Turner this week and demanded more targets. I will do so in
“I feel like every receiver wants the ball over and over again,” McLoughlin said. “That includes me.”
However, demanding a target is not McLaughlin’s approach. Even dating back to his Ohio State days, it never was.McLoughlin, who has played multiple roles throughout his college career, remained unchanged after his rise to professional stardom, and he was the team’s first We adopted the idea of being a player of
“I really care about winning too. If that means getting the ball X times, and [that] “If it helps us win games, I’m all for it,” McLoughlin said. Really my mentality is not trying to focus on how many times I get the ball or claim it, but inevitably, I’m ready when the ball comes to me. That’s it.
So far in 2022, McLoughlin hasn’t had many opportunities early in the game, but he certainly makes the most of his chances in the second half of each contest.
In Week 1, McLoughlin was big when commanders needed him most, scoring a 49-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. In Week 2, he caught four passes for 75 yards, including his grab sliding 35 yards. And last week, McLoughlin broke his 100th anniversary for the first time this year, stealing his six passes from Wentz in his final 30 minutes for 102 yards.
Yes, it’s worth mentioning that the Commanders were dragged out by multiple possessions going into the second half in both Weeks 2 and 3. week.
Wentz believes McLoughlin’s second half production is a result of the attacking play that was ultimately executed. Washington’s QB1 then reiterated that no one at Ashburn was worried about McLoughlin’s first-half production shortfall and that things would move forward.
“We’ve seen what he can still do. We all know who we have out there and the special guy we have,” Wentz said. “Whether it’s early, mid or late in the game, you’ll know he’s going to play. I hope he gets to play sooner. .”
Wentz and McLaughlin’s first chance to turn things around is this weekend in Dallas against the Cowboys’ defense, which has one of the best defenses in the league in its first three weeks. The Cowboys currently lead the NFL with 13 sacks, but it doesn’t bode well for the Commanders after Wentz was knocked out of his ninth in Philadelphia last Sunday.
On the outside, McLaughlin will face cornerback Trevon Diggs, who recorded an NFL-best 11 interceptions and earned All-Pro honors a season ago. McLoughlin outscored Diggs when the two faced off in 2020, but the Cowboys’ cornerback held Washington’s star unchallenged when they faced off last season.
After battling Eagles star Darius Sorey last Sunday, McLoughlin is looking forward to another difficult test against a familiar foe at Diggs this week.
“When you play against another great player, you have to raise your level,” McLoughlin said. “I look forward to this challenge, as I do each year. We have a lot of respect for the game. They trust him to travel with top receivers and we look forward to that matchup.”
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