The Washington Commanders weren’t just bad on Sunday, they were downright awful. In fact, break out the Thesaurus and look for even more colorful words that denote such a performance – dreadful, cataclysmic, abysmal, disastrous, horrendous, horrific. You get the picture. They all fit.
The Commanders took on division rival Philadelphia Eagles and just flat out mailed it in – pretty much across the board. Washington was lucky to get away with the 24-8 loss. It could have been considerably worse. Especially considering the Eagles were up 24-0 at half time.
To be frank, the Commanders were so bad that it was tough to find a single player to say positive things about.
The Good:
Benjamin St. Juste
The closest thing to “good” was St. Juste. He got an opportunity to play a bigger role on the outside, as regular starter William Jackson III was out with a back injury. To the young cornerback’s credit, he didn’t even get much time to prepare himself, as Jackson was put on the injury list very late in the week (Saturday).
The second year man from Montreal, Canada had a solid game. He defended three passes, which included one in the end zone. He was effective in both man coverage and zone.
It may not have seemed like an all-world performance, but it was as close to “good” as any Commander got on Sunday.
Also mention: Jon Allen, Jamin Davis
The Bad
Offensive Line
Nine sacks.
That isn’t a typo. Carson Wentz was sacked nine times. There were some that Wentz could have got rid of the ball a bit quicker and knocked a couple off of that number. But it still would have been a high number.
Replacing two guards apparently isn’t as easy as just dropping in two other decent players, because this line suddenly looks terrible. So far, Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner are NOT Brandon Scherff and Ereck Flowers.
Yaaay… thank god we saved some money.
Said absolutely nobody watching the offensive line on Sunday.
Cohesion?
It’s not just a case of the talent level at each position either. One of the most important elements of a good offensive line is cohesion. This line doesn’t have any right now.
Wes Schweitzer would seem a serviceable back-up to the injured Chase Roullier, but nearly every shotgun snap to Wentz was too low. There’s always an adjustment when a new center comes in, but that adjustment just didn’t seem to get made.
As for the argument that Roullier going down was an “unfortunate turn of events,” sure, if you prefer to discount that he was injured last season too. Clearly a better back-up plan was in order.
Sam Cosmi had arguably his toughest outing as a pro.
The only reason they didn’t get hit with this week’s ugly stick, was because believe it or not, there was something worse.
Dishonorable mentions: Carson Wentz, Rachad Wildgoose, Kendall Fuller, Scott ‘We Ain’t Running The Ball No More‘ Turner
The Ugly
Ron Rivera
Last week Rivera held down this slot as well. He shared it with defensive co-ordinator Jack Del Rio.
Del Rio was a bit better this week, but he stays out of the doghouse, because ultimately Rivera is the man in charge. The man responsible for this mess. Not just on the field performances, but for the depthless team that has been built.
Once again, he seemed happy to shell out blame.
“(Carson) should have been better.”
It doesn’t matter who played poorly Coach. Forty-six other guys should have been better too. Why aren’t YOU getting that out of them coach?
It’s also your job to take that hit for your team. That’s what coaches do.
And when you’re responsible for all of the personnel moves that are made, why are you pointing fingers anyway?
Three weeks into 2022, the culture that was supposed to have been changed, still looks exactly the same. There’s still a losing culture.
Can they turn it around?
Truthfully, they can’t get much worse than they were on Sunday.
Next
It doesn’t get any easier for them, as they face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4.
If that offensive line doesn’t mend itself quickly, Micah Parsons will steal their souls.