Not much went right for the Washington Commanders in Sunday’s 45-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins as they fell into a big hole early and were never able to mount much of a response.
Standout wide receiver Terry McLaurin was vocal about his disappointment after the defeat.
“I Ran a Lot of Cardio” — Terry McLaurin Expresses Frustration
The Commanders had a tough time sustaining any success offensively on the day, posting just 245 yards of total offense and two touchdowns. The run game struggled to produce consistency as Brian Robinson Jr. had seven carries for 53 yards before exiting with a hamstring injury.
It was the passing game that caught more post-game scrutiny, however, after Sam Howell completed 12 of 23 passes for 127 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception while running four times for 21 yards and two scores.
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McLaurin was not among the receivers Howell completed a pass to, finishing with no catches; this led to McLaurin expressing his frustration postgame.
“Nah, I ran a lot of cardio,” McLaurin told reporters. “It happens. It comes with it when it’s tough, but yeah, it’s frustrating.”
Washington head coach Ron Rivera did not have an answer for why McLaurin did not have a single catch and just three targets on the day. Rivera told reporters after the game that he would need to “look at the tape” and analyze what the play calls were along with Howell’s reads to determine why that was the case.
Howell, for his part, acknowledged that getting McLaurin so few targets was not the team’s intent and that he needed to do a better job getting the ball to McLaurin and all of the Commanders’ playmakers.
“It’s definitely not what we wanted to do coming into the game,” Howell told reporters after the game. “Not only Terry, but I feel like we struggled to get all of our guys involved in the game today. We just have to be better. Terry’s the best player on our offense, and we have to find ways to get him the football.
“I have to find ways to get him the football. Obviously, he had a few targets, but three targets isn’t enough for your best player.”
It’s been a bit of a down year for McLaurin thus far in 2023, coinciding with team-wide struggles for Washington (4-9).
The fifth-year wide receiver now has just 60 catches for 694 yards and two touchdowns through the team’s first 13 games and is a bit off-pace to reach his previous track record of three straight 1,000-yard seasons.
Whether those struggles continue for the remainder of the year remains to be seen, but the Commanders could be in a tough spot if they do. McLaurin is signed for another two years with his base salary set to increase to more than $15 million next season, a hefty price tag if the receiver continues struggling to produce.
That could motivate Washington to move on from McLaurin if his role in the offense continues to diminish.
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