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Final thoughts | Commanders 'optimistic' about Terry McLaurin's possible return

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Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn addressed the media the day after the team's 27-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Here are some of his final thoughts before the Commanders move on to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.

-- Quinn normally starts his press conference with general thoughts, and he kicked things off by highlighting the forced fumble by Quan Martin in the second quarter, saying it was the moment that helped ignite the Commanders' comeback. It was one of the "winning time moments" that he often preaches to his players, and it was easy for him to identify the play as the moment that allowed the Commanders to climb back from a 10-point deficit and score 27 unanswered points.

"Every once in a while, there's a play that really sets off the direction of how the game is gonna go."

-- Jacory Croskey-Merritt has been one of Commanders' pleasant surprises, and the hype surrounding him grew even more against the Chargers, as he recorded 150 total yards and two touchdowns. His change of direction and vision are some of Quinn's favorite qualities, both of which were used to help him surpass 100 rushing yards for the first time in his career.

"He can really put his foot in the ground and break tackles."

-- The Commanders' defensive front was stifling for most of the afternoon, recording five sacks on Justin Herbert. The run defense has also been solid, as they rank 11th in yards allowed per carry. Quinn said that starts up front with Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw.

"Oftentimes you see the big guy that's an anchor and that's an effective thing when he can stay and sit on the double teams. But these are also two guys that can move, and I think their ability to create some havoc in the run game to cross face of blocks to get vertical, those are things that smaller players often you move with. So, to see some of the big guys, those two in particular inside, I think that's been a real impact for us in the run game."

-- Quinn was also complimentary of linebacker Jordan Magee, who recorded three tackles on 12 snaps.

"We've talked about him as a special team's player, but in this game, we would see some other plays where he would be playing in some different packages. He just played so square behind the ball that that's where he's at his best, he can see it, he can tackle, he can accelerate. Thought he did a good job disrupting on the blitz. I think he missed on his sacks, he was upset about that, but it was really good to get him going."

-- Wide receiver Luke McCaffrey was another receiver who caught Quinn's eye on Sunday. His big play against the Chargers was the 50-yard reception that helped the Commanders get into field goal range at the end of the first half, but McCaffrey has made plays for the past few weeks with two touchdown catches in Weeks 3 and 4.

"I felt the experience of the route running and all the technique that goes with that first. Coming in from him with his background at quarterback, almost seeing too much, but then he really got into the details at receiver, at the technique, at the specific routes. But there's one thing that separates him. I think that he has -- and he can feel it -- is this competitive spirit."

-- Anyone watching the game probably noticed that Jayden Daniels did a better job of protecting himself by sliding to avoid contact. It was a topic of discussion throughout the week, and Quinn was pleased to see the growth from the quarterback.

"I thought for him that was a good sign and a good step in the right direction knowing, alright, I can play the next down, I can play the next down after that."

-- The Commanders have been riddled with injuries for the past month, but there's some hope on the horizon for the squad. Quinn said he's optimistic that wide receiver Terry McLaurin will make his return this week, and the same goes for the likes of Noah Brown and guard Sam Cosmi. Those players still need to prove they're healthy in practice, but it seems like the Commanders are one step closer to being healthy.

"We'll make sure we take all the right steps. Just like we do with all the guys. If they're able to, you know, fully express how they play and do the thing, then we're there. And if not, we'll have to keep waiting, but we won't decide yet. But with having an extra day, that never hurts going into it. But as we get a few more days from now, I think I'll have a better sense for if it's able to be done and what it looks like and how they're responding to it."

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