Through two games, the numbers for Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin aren’t great.
Eight catches, 39 yards, no touchdowns.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury acknowledged on Friday the obvious importance of getting the ball to the team’s best receiver.
“We got to find a way to get Terry more involved,” Kingsbury said, via JP Finlay of NBC 4. “That’s on me. He’s a fantastic player.”
The passing game needs to get more involved generally. In Week 1, quarterback Jayden Daniels ran for 88 yards and threw for 184. In Week 2, the rushing total was chopped in half, and the passing figure was pushed to 226.
McLaurin got more targets (8) and catches (6) than anyone else in the win over the Giants. The problem was the total gain. Just 22 yards.
So McLaurin is involved. The problem is that the plays to McLaurin aren’t racking up territory. Last week, for example, tight end Zach Ertz had 62 receiving yards. Receiver Noah Brown had 56. And running back Austin Ekeler had 47.
The next opportunity comes in prime time, when we get our first close look at Daniels in a standalone (sort of) game. LSU vs. LSU at quarterback.
One big question isn’t whether McLaurin will get the ball more. It’s whether he’ll move the chains farther when he does.