Commanders Daily: Washington Was Short on Receivers. Where Was Stefon Diggs?

Washington needed Stefon Diggs against the Rams, but he had one catch entering the final five minutes. Dan Quinn’s explanation leaves questions ahead of Thursday.

Nov 8, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders WR Stefon Diggs (3) is hit by Los Angeles Rams cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (1) at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stefon Diggs had four receiving yards entering the final five minutes against the Rams despite Washington’s depleted receiving corps. | Philip Hughes | HTTR4LIFE LLC

Heading into the Rams game on Sunday, the Washington Commanders were short on receivers: Terry McLaurin is out for the season, Treylon Burks is out, and Dyami Brown moved to injured reserve. Sounds like a day for Stefon Diggs to shine, right? The problem is Diggs' first catch, a four-yard burner, came with 7:28 left in the third quarter; he wouldn't gain another yard until a five-yarder with 4:41 left in the game. With 52 seconds remaining, they found him again for a 42-yard catch that moved Washington from its own 9 to the Rams' 49 and put the team in position to tie the game.

When asked Monday why Diggs only had the one catch entering the final five minutes, Quinn responded by saying, "Yeah. I love his fire, man. Ben, I really do. And the competitive part. So he hit a couple targets earlier, and some that maybe he’s also first in the read to get there. Or for whatever reason, you know, you have to get off that. Or, you know, the read wasn’t there; the coverage took you somewhere else. So he’s definitely, like, in the front of our thinking. And so we need him, you know. And so that’s why he’s in the front of our thinking in those critical spots. So, you know, certainly one towards the end, you know, that gives us a chance to go after it. But, no, he’s always in the front of our thoughts. I love his fire. I love what he brings. And, like most excellent players, like as many opps as you can." Quinn is saying Diggs was the first read on some plays and that coverage pushed Daniels elsewhere on others. That is the politically correct response, but it still doesn't explain why Diggs had only four yards with five minutes left.

"You wish them nothing but the worst" 🤣

Stefon Diggs weighed in on how aware he is of the Commanders place in the NFC East. pic.twitter.com/WqWdICiBQT

— Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) November 5, 2026

What Washington Planned for Stefon Diggs

After McLaurin’s injury, Quinn said he didn’t expect Diggs’ workload to increase much and pointed to rookie Antonio Williams as a player in line for more opportunities. The snap counts from the Rams game check out: Diggs played 38 of Washington's 62 offensive snaps against Los Angeles, while Williams played 52 and Van Jefferson had 36. Diggs had played 39 of 60 snaps against Philadelphia a week earlier, when Burks and Brown were both available. Even with those two out against Los Angeles, his snap share stayed about the same. Asked whether the two- and three-tight-end packages were why Diggs played less in the first half, Quinn said it wasn’t part of a deliberate design.

Diggs missed the first game against New York that ended in a 27-27 tie, meaning Thursday will be his first game against the Giants in the burgundy and gold. The question is: Can Washington connect with Diggs earlier on the opportunities intended for him? His 42-yarder showed what one connection could change, but it arrived with less than a minute left against Los Angeles, a team without its top two cornerbacks.

Stefon Diggs giving the #Commanders life with this 40 yard play pic.twitter.com/U8WGIBxUJt

— FirstDownMedia (@FirstDownMediaa) November 8, 2026

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