The Commanders are 0-1, man, and that’s the bottom line after their nail-biting 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. This game came down to one critical failed 2-point conversion attempt, but honestly, some absolutely unacceptable blunders on defense earlier in the game really set the stage for that heartbreaker. We learned a ton about this new-look Washington squad right out of the gate.
Run Game Rollercoaster: Grinding But Giving Up Gashes
The ground game for the Commanders? They put up 132 yards on 32 carries, pushing just over four yards per rush. Jayden Daniels had some crazy moves, straight out of Madden, that really propped those numbers up. Outside of Daniels making magic, though, the run game wasn’t super efficient. Coordinator David Blough’s whole offense is built on that rushing efficiency, and they just gotta get better at it. They were committed to the run, that’s for sure, so get used to seeing them pound the rock. Still, a C-minus grade for the rushing offense isn’t going to cut it.
Now, on the other side of the ball, the rushing defense actually looked pretty good overall, if you could just *ignore* Saquon Barkley’s explosive 42-yard run and Jalen Hurts’ ridiculous 22-yard scramble on third-and-long. Seriously, a third-and-long scramble for 22? Inexcusable! Without those two plays, the run defense held the Eagles to a respectable 72 yards on 23 carries, which is 3.13 yards per carry. But you can’t just wave a magic wand and make those plays disappear. The linebackers and safeties actually played well against the run, and the defensive line looked much improved, but man, those big plays just kill you. That earns them a B-minus.
Passing Puzzles and Pressure Points
Daniels was throwing the ball a lot, completing 18-of-34 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn’t exactly efficient, and it looked like the Eagles’ secondary just flat out beat the Commanders’ receivers on Sunday. Terry McLaurin spent most of the game without a catch, which is wild. Stefon Diggs pulled in four catches and a touchdown on nine targets, but Antonio Williams was absolutely awesome, snagging four receptions for a team-high 64 yards and a huge late-game touchdown. Daniels kept his head though, he was smart with the football and largely avoided big hits, even pulling off a valiant comeback attempt. The passing scheme seems good, but the execution needs to sharpen up. They get a C-plus here.
Defensively against the pass, the Commanders kept Hurts to 203 yards, which sounds decent, right? But again, it’s those explosive plays that bite you. Two bad plays by Mikey Sainristil against Dontayvion Wicks and a 43-yard Dallas Goedert touchdown at the absolute worst possible time just wrecked that picture. Was that even a false start on that play? Come on! They HAVE to limit those big plays. The pass rush, though, looked strong, getting three sacks and five quarterback hits. Sonny Styles looks like that dude, and so does Odafe Oweh. That’s a B grade, but it could have been higher without those lapses.
One Shining Moment
Special teams gave us one bright spot for sure. Tyler Owens was lights out, earning an A-plus all by himself.
Next week, this team has got to figure out how to shut down those game-changing explosive plays on defense, man. That’s the real challenge facing them right now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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