The Commanders got a win over the Falcons on Sunday, but wide receiver Jahan Dotson didn’t have much to do with it.
Dotson was targeted once by quarterback Sam Howell and he dropped the pass, which may have contributed to him being left out of the fray for the rest of the afternoon. That wouldn’t explain Dotson’s sluggish overall start to the season, though.
Through six games, Dotson has 17 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. That’s a big drop for a player who averaged nearly 15 yards a catch last season, but head coach Ron Rivera didn’t sound alarmed by Dotson’s production on Monday. Rivera said “it’s just a matter of time” before Dotson gets back to making an impact on offense.
“As we continue to work and try to distribute the ball to all the players, it’ll happen,” Rivera said, via the team’s website. “It’s just one of those things that sometimes, guys will be targeted more . . . When a guy’s not getting the ball right now, it’s just a matter of time. I think that’s the thing that we all have to be patient with. This is a group of receivers . . . and we’re gonna distribute the ball based on gameplans and who our opponents are.”
The Commanders were able to turn short fields into touchdowns multiple times in Atlanta, which is how they won despite picking up 193 yards of offense. If they can get Dotson going, they’ll be better positioned to score from any spot on the field.
