Commanders' Trust in Each Other Opens Defense to Maximizing Opportunities

The Washington Commanders rely on each other to do their jobs, and that's one reason they can be so effective, according to safety Jeremy Chinn.

Dec 15, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn (11) tackles New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (10) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

ASHBURN, Va. -- Coach Dan Quinn says great teammates make great teams, and even though there are still plenty of doubters, it would appear he and general manager Adam Peters have done a pretty stellar job of finding those kinds of guys to make the Washington Commanders the NFL's story of the year.

Belief in a team from the outside won't get a team a win, just ask the Detroit Lions, just like doubting a team like the Commanders won't cause them to lose. At least, not when there's the level of self-confidence this team has internally.

That confidence isn't isolated to each man believing they can do what it takes to be part of a winning culture, however. It spreads from there, and into a belief in one another that when the play needs to be made it'll be someone on the Washington side of things making it. So, with a matchup against Philadelphia Eagles star receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith coming up, safety Jeremy Chinn says he and his team have all the faith in the world in their cornerbacks.

Dec 15, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn (11) tackles New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (10) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

"We trust those guys matched up against anybody. Simple as that," says Chinn. "I mean you've seen it with Marshon (Lattimore) his whole career. With Mike (Sainristil), you've seen it all season. So, as far as matchups on the outside, we've got full confidence in them, and it really opens up everything else defensively."

What the Commanders need to open up this weekend is the ability to stack as many defenders as needed to stop running back Saquon Barkley.

While everyone knows the winning formula in the NFC Championship Game this weekend likely starts there, the Eagles are going to have to throw the ball at some point. And when they do, that's when Chinn and his teammates are hoping to strike, just like they did in the Divisional Round against the Detroit Lions.

"That just came down to just bringing the ball to life, really living it, and just making it happen. There are always opportunities that we feel like after a game where that could have been an (opportunity)," Chinn said. "But I mean, I think Saturday we really just really focused in and took advantage of every opportunity that we had."

Doing so allowed Washington to secure a two-score victory over the No. 1 seed in the NFC this postseason despite running back Jahmyr Gibbs having an excellent performance against it.

So, it makes sense that a similar type of performance might do the trick this weekend as well. Perhaps Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley has a great individual day, but if he goes home a loser, then it all worked out in the end.

In fact, Barkley actually had more production in his second game against the Commanders–the one the Eagles lost–than he did in the first.

It should be no surprise that the ultimate team sport requires more than one solid performance to get wins consistently, and if you ask Chinn, he's trusting his guys to make one more play against their opponent, no matter the situation.

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