Commanders Benjamin St-Juste Shows Growth Despite Week 3 Loss
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While the Washington Commanders are wholly disappointed by their Week 3 performance and loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, not everything was bad on Sunday.
For starters, the defense held Philadelphia scoreless through the first quarter, giving quarterback Carson Wentz and the Commanders offense a chance to take an early lead.
Unfortunately, they did not take advantage.
But the ability to keep their team in the contest shouldn't go unrecognized, and one of the key players in that effort was second-year cornerback, Benjamin St-Juste.
"I thought Benjamin St-Juste lowered his neck and made some plays and did some things," coach Ron Rivera said of his young cornerback after the game. "He allowed a couple of plays but he’s been working at nickel for the most part. Now (with William Jackson III out for the game) he gets an opportunity to get outside and shows us some really positive things.”
Some of those positives came on third downs, when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts targeted St-Juste several times and came away with incompletions each time.
One of those plays Rivera mentioned that St-Juste allowed was an explosive pass from Hurts to receiver Devonta Smith. But there's an asterisk there because Smith was out of bounds.
The call on the field had Smith inbounds when he made the catch, but the replay showed that he did not in fact get both feet down in the field of play.
Unfortunately, the play wasn't challenged in time, and the catch stood.
"I needed to throw (the challenge flag) sooner that’s the truth of the matter," Rivera said about that play. "You know we couldn't really get a clear look. We're hoping to get a review look and then eventually I just said screw it I gotta throw it, but then it was little late so that’s on me."
St-Juste came away credited with three passes broken up, for the first multi-pass defensed game of his career. His efforts couldn't get Washington the win this week, but that kind of performance is something the team can build on.
And gives the Commanders one less thing to worry about heading into yet another NFC East Divisional matchup against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4.
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