Kickers are an overlooked but crucial part of every team despite the lack of valuation in the draft. Most of them are employed through post-draft tryout training.
Aside from the quarterback position, if there's one area where the two teams are comparable, it's on kickers. Daniel Carlson and Louie O'Galvin are among the best in the league, with a conversion rate of over 93%.
Faced with boos from Commanders fans, suppressing the cheers of his teammates, Carlson stepped forward. He's done several like this, and it's not a distance he's missing.
Ayinde Moses and Shoya did what they could to lead the team to victory. Shoya got Washington back in front of the Raiders, and Moses put the Raiders within field goal range for the win.
The Commanders' defense made an unconscionable mistake: second-year linebacker Miller made a face mask that sent the Raiders advancing into the Commanders' 29 yards. Now, Daniel Carlson finds himself with a 45-yard field goal.
After this field goal technically, the game is not over after this field goal, but with 24 seconds to play and no time-out that has just been used to freeze the kicker, it will be very difficult.
For the first time since the end of the third quarter, RFK Stadium fell into absolute silence.
Shoya stood on the edge of the field, helpless. The tension of the audience holding their breath is unbearable for active players; it's different from television.
The 45-yard field goal won't be the biggest of Carlson's career, but in a situation where every win counts, the stakes aren't negligible. If the field goal is successful, the Raiders win; It's as simple as that.
After the referee blew the whistle for kickoff, the Raiders' long snapper sent the ball in. The long snapper and center look the same, but the difference is that the center must be able to block, read defensive fronts, and make line calls.
Whereas the long snapper must constantly make fast and accurate snaps throughout the game. Most centers can play long snapper but won't be as precise and fast as a talented long snapper.
The Commanders had no more timeouts to disrupt the rhythm of Carlson, who hit the ball.
The stadium seemed to stand still; only the ball above the RFK Stadium seemed to move. The ball crossed a long, high arc in the air and disappeared into the sun before reappearing.
The two referees on the baseline stepped forward and raised their hands: Field goal successful!
The remaining 24 seconds were not enough time for Shoya to make a comeback, and the Las Vegas Raiders had the last word.
Taking a breath, he was joined in the center of the stadium by Ayinde Moses, satisfied with the victory. Shoya doesn't care. He doesn't know about Ayinde, but the media cares about this duel between rookie quarterbacks.
Shoya greeted him, politely shaking Moses' hand: "Congratulations on the victory!"
In the final wave of offense, Moses did what he had to do, and the Commanders' defensemen were not blameless. Today, the performance of both quarterbacks was admirable.
Moses shook Shoya's hand, "Good luck!" Turning around, Shoya saw his teammates in different corners. Some were on the ground exhausted, and others were arguing angrily. Tarvaris Miller and Montez Sweat generally get along well, but today, they fight.
Shoya doesn't want to intervene if he can because he's not qualified to handle it. Not every rookie is qualified to speak for the team.
"Stop!" Shoya stepped between the two and shouted, "Are you crazy? Your brain is overheating. Take it easy! But the two ignore Shoya, who decides to use her authority more aggressively.
"After you gave up the game, you blamed each other? There's no main culprit here. Tarv is at fault. Ride, you are too, and so am I!" Shoya's scolding left them silent.
He calmed down and continued, "No one wants to lose! It's the team's responsibility to lose this game. Instead of accusing yourself here, shut your mouth and go back to the locker room. Daycare is not here. »
After speaking, Shoya didn't continue and returned to the locker room. Before this match, and even before Shoya started, the atmosphere was not rosy in the team. It's not that players don't like each other; it's that everyone is competitive and wants to win.
A loss because of a field goal and in these conditions does not go down well in the eyes of the team. Shoya should have been the first to complain: 23/39, 240 yards, two run-TD, INT. It would be a lie to say he had a bad game, but with the dropping receivers and a reliable offensive line for part of the game, he would have reason to be angry.
The playcalling was sometimes questionable from Jarrod Johnson, which didn't help.
Ayinde Moses was abandoned by his offensive line and had to run for his life at times: 17/38, 238 yards, and 2TD (one passing and rushing). For the Las Vegas Raiders, it's heaven; for the Washington Commanders, it's hell.
But big moves took place the next day. Despite the Shoya Barthelemy brightening, no one can deny that the Commanders' season is not meeting expectations. Someone must pay the price, and a few hours later, the capital franchise officially departed Eric Stokes, the GM of the Commanders.
Eric Stokes was the senior director of personal player before being promoted to GM in 2024. He didn't have a positive season with the Commanders during his tenure. But his firing raises a question: The GM and the head coach are often linked. What about Jarrod Johnson's future?
Jerrod Johnson is a former quarterback who was undrafted in 2011. He is only 39 years old this year but has been head coach for the Commanders for the past three years. Eric Stokes chose him, to everyone's surprise, when everyone thought they would select Eric Bieniemy.
It was a controversial choice, but the results don't match his opinion. It's impossible to do a good job with chronic instability at the quarterback position.
Hiring a GM is more complicated than hiring a coach, and there are no apparent numbers to track their successes. The team they worked for can potentially take credit away from the interviewee's merit.
While the coach is usually the public face of a franchise, the GM is the key to success.
This departure indicates several things: the franchise's direction will change, and given the Commanders' standings and Shoya's good performances, there is very little chance that they will pick a quarterback in the next draft.
Then, the direction the franchise is heading in will change. Especially since the next day, another piece of news came out: Jarrod Johnson is no longer the coach of the Commanders, and Devin Rogers will be acting between the two games.