Terry McLaurin shines again for Commanders
Washington's top receiver came up clutch yet again to help lead the team to victory
Terry McLaurin continues to prove he was worth every penny and more of his big contract extension this offseason. The Washington Commanders’ top wide receiver came up clutch last week with Taylor Heinicke giving him opportunities to make plays in big situations, which led to the Commanders beating the Packers. This week against the Colts, Heinicke and McLaurin combined again to lead the Commanders to their third straight win. McLaurin had a dominant performance with six catches for 113 yards including a huge catch late on that essentially won the game for Washington.
McLaurin’s first catch came early in the game on one of the Commanders favorite variations of four verticals.
This is a play that Offensive Coordinator Scott Turner loves to call specifically for Terry McLaurin. The Commanders motion to an empty formation with McLaurin in the slot to the right. The other four eligible receivers execute a four verticals concept, but McLaurin in the slot runs something else. He runs a variation of a juke route where he fakes a spot route underneath before then taking off across the middle of the field. The hope here is that McLaurin might get matched up against a zone linebacker and will win that matchup easily, but here the Colts keep a cornerback on him and McLaurin is still able to run away from him. Heinicke finds him over the middle and McLaurin makes the catch before bursting down the sideline on his way to a 42-yard gain.
It was the first and only explosive play the Commanders were able to generate in the first half and it’s no coincidence that the only points they scored in the first half came on that drive. Unfortunately, the Commanders failed to get McLaurin involved again in the first half. It wasn’t until midway through the third quarter that he made another catch.
On third and 10, the Commanders look to isolate McLaurin to the right of the formation and hit him on a slant. McLaurin matches up against cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who’s been one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL over the last 10 years, especially pressed up on the line of scrimmage in man coverage. But the Commanders and particularly Taylor Heinicke trust McLaurin to win his matchup, regardless of the opposing corner. McLaurin does a great job off the snap, selling an outside release with a sharp jab step that gets Gilmore to open his hips towards the sideline. McLaurin then quickly cuts back inside and bursts away from Gilmore on the slant. Unfortunately, the throw from Heinicke is a bit low and behind McLaurin. McLaurin makes the adjustment to secure the catch but the placement of the throw prevents him from picking up the first down. He still managed to pick up nine yards and set up a fourth and one, but the Commanders failed to convert.
McLaurin got the better of Gilmore throughout the game, especially when isolated against him on one side of the field.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Bullock's Film Room to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.