The Washington Commanders have been a miraculous success story this season. Going from four wins to the NFC Championship Game in one season has been a swift turnaround and one quarterback Jayden Daniels deserves a ton of credit for.
But to do it without one of his key wide receivers for large parts of the season has been equally challenging and brilliant. What issues have plagued Noah Brown this season, and will he be back for the Conference Championship next week?
What Is Noah Brown’s Injury?
After a midseason slump, Washington was beginning to piece it together once again. A Week 13 victory over the Tennessee Titans would become a sign of things to come. However, that victory came at a cost to the Commanders, who lost Brown in that game.
During that 42-19 rout, Brown went down with a rib injury and didn’t return to the game. Unfortunately, as it turned out after further evaluations, he had significant injuries to his kidney that would likely keep him out for a while.
At the time, it was likely that he would be put on injured reserve before it became official a few days later.
When Will Brown Return?
A placement on IR guarantees that a player has to miss four games at a minimum. With the Commanders playing four more games in the regular season, Brown could have theoretically made a return in the playoffs.
However, head coach Dan Quinn knew from the start that Brown’s season might be over and confirmed as much while speaking to NFL reporter Nicki Jhabvala.
“During the game, between him and the medical staff, they did a really good job to address what was a serious injury,” Quinn said. “Fortunately, he’s going to be okay. But it’s going to knock him out for a bit.”
So far, there’s been no update on Brown’s status during the playoffs, and he continues to remain on IR. He hasn’t been to practices yet, either, even in a limited capacity, so the likely verdict is that he will be out for the NFC Championship Game, at the very least.
How Has Brown’s Absence Impacted the Commanders?
Looking at the box score, Brown’s absence might not have had any impact on the Commanders. They ended the season winning four straight and have now notched two playoff victories on the road.
At the beginning of the year, finding consistent playmakers outside of Terry McLaurin was a priority, and that’s where Brown and others like Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey, and Olamide Zaccheaus came in.
It worked remarkably well for Brown, who was on pace for the best season of his career by far. In 11 games, he was just eight receptions and 114 yards shy of his career highs.
Judging by his production level to that point, it was a near guarantee that Brown would break both those marks.
“He’s an impactful player,” Daniels said of Brown. “[But] I’m confident those guys will go out there and make plays.”
However, even before Brown went down for the year, Quinn had emphasized that the WR2 position would be a revolving door between several playmakers they had on the squad.
“We’ve got a pretty deep crew,” Quinn said. “Guys can play in different spots. But Noah does have specific size and speed traits that are unique to him. He’s such a tough, hard-a** competitor, so I love that he brings that to the team. It’s definitely a tough one for us.”
It’s been a joint effort from Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown to replace their injured comrade. While Zaccheaus was exceptional in the final four games of the season, notching a 70- and an 85-yard outing, Brown has been sensational in the playoffs.
After going for 89 yards and a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brown was otherworldly against the Detroit Lions, tallying 98 yards en route to an upset victory over the No. 1 seed.
While Noah Brown’s contributions are sorely missed, the combination of wide receivers on Washington’s depth chart has allowed Quinn to negate his injury so far and find success regardless. It will be a testament to his quality if the Commanders can continue that trend against the Philadelphia Eagles.