NFL preseason live updates: Commanders starters run through porous Bengals defense; are they moving on from Brian Robinson Jr.?
Three-year starting Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. appears to be on his way out.
The Commanders may have demonstrated why Monday night. With Robinson sidelined amid reported trade rumors, Washington ran roughshod over a porous Bengals defense as both teams played their starters early.
The Commanders exploded for a four-play, 73-yard touchdown drive on their opening possession without throwing a pass. Running back Chris Rodriguez broke free for a 40-yard run to set up quarterback Jayden Daniels for a 14-yard touchdown scramble through and past multiple hapless Bengals defenders.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
Then came Jacory Croskey-Merritt's time to shine. The seventh-round rookie out of Arizona took the starring role on Washington's second drive with 32 rushing yards as the Commanders needed just three plays to score their second touchdown of the game.
Croskey-Merritt capped the drive with a 27-yard touchdown run.
By halftime, Rodriguez had six carries for 62 yards (10.3 ypc) and Croskey-Merritt had 32 yards on two carries (16 ypc). Deebo Samuel (1 carry, 19 yards) and Daniels (1 carry, 14 yards) had also gashed the Bengals defense for big gains.
Washington tallied 130 yards on 13 first-half carries (10 yards per attempt) against a Bengals defense that looked just as bad as it did during the regular season in 2024.
It's always hard to trust your eyes in the preseason. But Cincinnati's run defense did little to inspire confidence, while Washington may have set its running back room without Robinson in the mix.
NFL top storylines
Browns name Joe Flacco starting quarterback for Week 1: The Cleveland Browns announced Monday that Joe Flacco will start Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, a move that has been expected for a while and is now official. That hardly ends the intrigue on the Browns' depth chart, though, with presumptive backup Kenny Pickett having yet to take an in-game snap this preseason due to injury, fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders still battling an oblique injury, and third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel having looked solid in his debut over the weekend. With Flacco getting playing time in Saturday's preseason finale, snaps will be even more scarce for the other three QBs on the roster. How will this shake out?
Matthew Stafford returns to Rams practice: Breathe a sigh of relief, Los Angeles Rams fans and fantasy players. Matthew Stafford finally returned to practice on Monday after battling an aggravated disc in his back and took part in team drills. Head coach Sean McVay said he thought Stafford did a good job, but opted to play things carefully, deeming Stafford as day-to-day and week-to-week. McVay called it a "very fluid" situation and said while it was "great" that Stafford was able to get back to practice, the team will see how he responds the rest of the day and Tuesday.
Browns sign WR Isaiah Bond, gave him lie detector test: The Cleveland Browns reportedly signed wide receiver Isaiah Bond to a three-year, $3 million deal Monday after he was not charged as part of a sexual assault investigation. Bond, 21, was expected to be a mid-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft but went undrafted after being arrested just two weeks before the draft. On Thursday, Bond was "no-billed" by a grand jury in Texas, meaning there was not enough evidence to charge him. As part of that diligence, the team apparently had Bond go through an independent polygraph test, per team general manager Andrew Berry.
NFL team feeds
AFC East: Buffalo Bills | Miami Dolphins | New England Patriots | New York Jets
AFC North: Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Cleveland Browns | Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South: Houston Texans | Indianapolis Colts | Jacksonville Jaguars | Tennessee Titans
AFC West: Denver Broncos | Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders | Los Angeles Chargers
NFC East: Dallas Cowboys | New York Giants | Philadelphia Eagles | Washington Commanders
NFC North: Chicago Bears | Detroit Lions | Green Bay Packers | Minnesota Vikings
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons | Carolina Panthers | New Orleans Saints | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West: Arizona Cardinals | Los Angeles Rams | San Francisco 49ers | Seattle Seahawks
NFL preseason live blog
Follow along below as Yahoo Sports tracks all the updates from NFL preseason and training camps:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Reds visit the Angels on 3-game road win streak
Cincinnati Reds (66-60, third in the NL Central) vs. Los Angeles Angels (60-65, fourth in the AL West) Anaheim, California; Tuesday, 9:38 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Hunter Greene (5-3, 2.47 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 79 strikeouts); Angels: Kyle Hendricks (6-8, 4.88 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 82 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Reds -148, Angels +123; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds will try to keep a three-game road win streak going when they play the Los Angeles Angels. Los Angeles is 60-65 overall and 33-31 in home games. The Angels have the seventh-ranked team slugging percentage in the AL at .407. Cincinnati has a 30-31 record on the road and a 66-60 record overall. The Reds have a 27-8 record in games when they hit at least two home runs. Tuesday's game is the second time these teams match up this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Nolan Schanuel leads the Angels with a .272 batting average, and has 22 doubles, a triple, 10 home runs, 56 walks and 49 RBIs. Zach Neto is 12 for 42 with five home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games. Spencer Steer has 17 doubles, two triples and 15 home runs for the Reds. Miguel Andujar is 12 for 32 with a double and three home runs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Angels: 5-5, .239 batting average, 6.03 ERA, outscored by six runs Reds: 6-4, .266 batting average, 2.74 ERA, outscored opponents by 17 runs INJURIES: Angels: Gustavo Campero: 10-Day IL (ankle), Chris Taylor: 10-Day IL (hand), Jorge Soler: 10-Day IL (back), Robert Stephenson: 60-Day IL (biceps), Hunter Strickland: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ben Joyce: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Anthony Rendon: 60-Day IL (hip) Reds: Chase Burns: 15-Day IL (elbow), Nick Lodolo: 15-Day IL (finger), Wade Miley: 60-Day IL (flexor), Ian Gibaut: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Rhett Lowder: 60-Day IL (forearm), Carson Spiers: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Callihan: 60-Day IL (forearm), Brandon Williamson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Julian Aguiar: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cardinals meet the Marlins with 1-0 series lead
St. Louis Cardinals (62-64, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Miami Marlins (59-66, third in the NL East) Miami; Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Cardinals: Michael McGreevy (4-2, 4.41 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 28 strikeouts); Marlins: Edward Cabrera (6-6, 3.34 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 120 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Marlins -143, Cardinals +120; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Cardinals face the Miami Marlins with a 1-0 series lead. Miami is 59-66 overall and 28-32 at home. The Marlins rank 10th in the NL with 123 total home runs, averaging 1.0 per game. St. Louis has a 27-34 record in road games and a 62-64 record overall. Cardinals hitters are batting a collective .249, which ranks eighth in the NL. The teams square off Tuesday for the fifth time this season. The season series is tied 2-2. TOP PERFORMERS: Xavier Edwards has 19 doubles, four triples, two home runs and 34 RBIs for the Marlins. Jakob Marsee is 11 for 33 with four doubles, three home runs and 12 RBIs over the past 10 games. Alec Burleson has 19 doubles, a triple and 15 home runs for the Cardinals. Pedro Pages is 14 for 32 with three doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Marlins: 2-8, .235 batting average, 6.07 ERA, outscored by 17 runs Cardinals: 4-6, .252 batting average, 4.40 ERA, outscored by nine runs INJURIES: Marlins: Graham Pauley: 10-Day IL (oblique), Kyle Stowers: 10-Day IL (oblique), Jesus Tinoco: 60-Day IL (forearm), Connor Norby: 10-Day IL (wrist), Max Meyer: 60-Day IL (hip), Ryan Weathers: 60-Day IL (lat), Griffin Conine: 60-Day IL (arm), Andrew Nardi: 60-Day IL (back), Braxton Garrett: 60-Day IL (elbow) Cardinals: Brendan Donovan: 10-Day IL (groin), Victor Scott II: 10-Day IL (ankle), Nolan Arenado: 10-Day IL (shoulder), John King: 15-Day IL (oblique), Zack Thompson: 60-Day IL (lat) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Brewers bring 1-0 series advantage over Cubs into game 2
Milwaukee Brewers (79-45, first in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (70-54, second in the NL Central) Chicago; Tuesday, 2:20 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Brewers: Chad Patrick (3-7, 3.52 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 95 strikeouts); Cubs: Matthew Boyd (11-6, 2.46 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 126 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -113, Brewers -106; over/under is 9 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers play the Chicago Cubs leading the series 1-0. Chicago is 38-24 in home games and 70-54 overall. The Cubs have a 54-11 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents. Milwaukee has a 79-45 record overall and a 37-25 record on the road. Brewers hitters have a collective .333 on-base percentage, the second-best percentage in MLB play. Tuesday's game is the 10th time these teams meet this season. The Brewers are up 5-4 in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has 21 doubles, four triples and 18 home runs for the Cubs. Dansby Swanson is 11 for 38 with two doubles and a home run over the last 10 games. William Contreras has 22 doubles, 13 home runs and 61 RBIs while hitting .261 for the Brewers. Christian Yelich is 13 for 42 with two doubles and four home runs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 4-6, .208 batting average, 3.14 ERA, outscored by five runs Brewers: 9-1, .278 batting average, 2.93 ERA, outscored opponents by 41 runs INJURIES: Cubs: Cade Horton: day-to-day (finger), Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (ankle), Mike Soroka: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jameson Taillon: 15-Day IL (calf), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow) Brewers: D.L. Hall: 15-Day IL (oblique), Logan Henderson: 15-Day IL (elbow), Jackson Chourio: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jordan Montgomery: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jake Bauers: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Rhys Hoskins: 10-Day IL (thumb), Garrett Mitchell: 60-Day IL (oblique), Rob Zastryzny: 15-Day IL (ribs), Connor Thomas: 60-Day IL (elbow), Robert Gasser: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
