LANDOVER, Md. -- The solution to a three-game losing streak was a simple one -- not to mention familiar. And it's one that, if maintained, could power the Washington Commanders to their first playoff berth in four years.
First, it required quarterback Jayden Daniels to have the sort of game that had become customary in the first nine weeks of the season. It also required the run game to be effective once more, after three games in which it wasn't.
If all that stays the same, Washington (8-5) could secure the third and final wild card spot for its first playoff appearance since 2020. The Commanders have a bye this week, but with only one game remaining versus a defense ranked among the league's top 16, the offense has a chance to regain the momentum it lost during its losing skid.
Sunday's 42-19 win over Tennessee featured a running attack that gained a season-high 267 yards, with two running backs surpassing 90. Meanwhile, Daniels missed on only five of his 30 pass attempts and threw three touchdown passes for the first time in his career. He also ran for his sixth touchdown.
"The way we ran the ball at the line of scrimmage, the way we made plays on the perimeter, the way Jayden extended plays with his legs," receiver Terry McLaurin said, "that's the standard that we have to live up to."
It's the standard that powered Washington to a 7-2 start -- and an offense that ranked third in scoring, total yards and rushing yards and fifth in yards per carry.
But during its losing streak -- against top-six defenses in yards and points (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia) but also a bottom-seven team in both categories (Dallas) -- the Commanders ranked 13th in scoring and 26th in yards per game. They were 18th in rushing yards per game and 19th in yards per carry.
The good news for Washington: Three of its last four games are against defenses -- New Orleans, Atlanta and Dallas -- ranked 17th or worse in rushing yards allowed per game and 16th or worse in rushing yards per carry. Those same defenses also rank 21st or worse in total yards and 19th or worse in points allowed.
In other words, defenses against which Washington can maintain its offensive momentum as it makes a final playoff push.
Daniels, of course, will be crucial in that effort. His passing accuracy dipped during the losing streak; in losses he has completed 64.4% of his passes; in wins, it's 73.9%.
Whether the rib injury he suffered in a Week 7 win over Carolina impacted him -- and to what degree -- remains uncertain. Multiple team sources say he was fine, and he has not been listed on the injury report since Week 9. Regardless, the offense was different Sunday.
And as coach Dan Quinn said, Daniels was "electric" Sunday. His ability to extend plays mattered. More often than not they were shorter gains, but his scrambles left them in better down-and-distance situations. On one first-quarter scoring drive, Daniels ran for 5 yards on a first-and-10 and capped the series with a 3-yard scramble up the middle for a touchdown.
"I just think it keeps the defense off balance," Daniels said of his running. "Keeps the defensive coordinator guessing and being able to just use my legs to help maybe free up a hat or two in our running game."
Quinn said Daniels was "able to fully express himself" against Tennessee, and "the runs, keeping [the ball], creating on the move ... when the second play begins and his magic starts to take place, that one's not in the book."
Daniels, who ranks fifth in the NFL in Total QBR and has thrown 15 touchdown passes, has drawn praise all season -- even during the Commanders' losing streak. But when the run game gets going, and Daniels and the passing game are humming, Washington is different.
"It's beautiful," running back Brian Robinson Jr. said. "Just seeing him locked in, doing his thing ... it made me want to go harder."
Robinson has missed two of Washington's losses because of injuries, and a sprained ankle knocked him out of the second half of the Week 12 loss to Dallas. But he was healthy Sunday and, if that continues, it's a good sign for the Commanders.
"His physicality and the way he plays, it's a premium," center Tyler Biadasz said.
The positive sign for Washington is that the run game extended beyond Robinson, who had a 40-yard touchdown run vs. the Titans en route to a 103-yard day. Backup Chris Rodriguez Jr. ran for 94 yards, and Jeremy McNichols added 32 on six carries. The offensive line and tight ends opened holes; receivers helped with downfield blocks. All of this against a defense that entered eighth against the run. It allowed Washington to be in good third-down situations -- 11 of their 14 third downs were for 3 yards or less.
"Our running game is serious," Robinson said. "We really do it the right way and stay on people's necks. We just got to believe in it."
Robinson's 40-yard scoring run marked the longest of his career -- by 25 yards. He now has a team-high 640 yards rushing -- 157 shy of his best season -- and a career-high eight touchdowns.
Robinson ran more out 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) than is customary for the Commanders. For the season he has run out of that look 33.5% of the time, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Sunday, he ran out of that look on 43.8% of his attempts and gained 70 yards on seven carries. Quinn said that was a byproduct of being able to run 77 plays. But, he said, "it is a good package for us. ... We do love those packages. I would say the trend on that [package] is on the way up."
Whatever the package, Daniels understand the importance of Robinson and the running game to Washington's overall success.
"What he's been doing this season is remarkable," Daniels said. "How he's able to run and get to the second level. Break tackles so, obviously, any running game is going to help out any quarterback.
"It opens up a lot. Obviously, being able to get guys to move the line of scrimmage and getting to the second level. Let our backs do what they do. We're getting to those times of the season where in December, January you've got to be able to control the line of scrimmage and run the ball."