The Washington Commanders lost to arguably the worst team in the NFL last Thursday night, and morale within the fanbase now sits at a season low. Washington hoped to spark a winning streak at home against the winless Chicago Bears in primetime, but instead fell flat from the opening kickoff. Every team in the NFL possesses distinct strengths and weaknesses. That’s unavoidable. However, the key to sustained success is for the Commanders’ strengths to be more impactful than their weaknesses. Unfortunately, they continue to struggle to avoid high-leverage mistakes.
Commanders High-Impact Weakness
Reliance on Man-Coverage
Despite being one of the most talented defenses on paper, the majority of Washington’s most impactful issues have come on the defensive side of the ball. The players have made plenty of on-field mistakes, but some of the problems are also schematic. It’s been a well-rounded mediocre effort by everyone in the building. The overarching, catch-all issue seems to be Jack Del Rio’s over-reliance on man-coverage schemes.
For a team without a true lockdown, island-worthy cornerback, the secondary continues to be gashed by star receivers on the boundaries. As a team without any high-level cover linebackers, the Commanders have repeatedly struggled to stop tight ends and running backs in the passing game.
Cornerbacks Biting on Double Moves
Washington’s starting outside cornerbacks, Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Kendall Fuller, have played well in spurts this season. In fact, Fuller had allowed the lowest quarterback passer rating in the NFL before the Chicago game. That era is over now. Fuller was torched on three double moves against the Bears, resulting in two long D.J. Moore touchdowns and another near-touchdown if Justin Fields hadn’t overthrown Darnell Mooney. He was also beaten on Moore’s third touchdown but it wasn’t on a double move.
Not to be outdone, rookie Forbes Jr. has combined his tendency for jumping routes with a habit of missing tackles. In the first quarter, he played admirable coverage on Moore but somehow managed to miss two tackles in one play. He missed the tackle, got back up, chased him down, and then missed another tackle. That’s hard to do. It paved the way for Fuller’s third blunder of the game and an immediate 17-0 deficit. Forbes Jr. admirably only bit on one double move against the Bears, but it resulted in a huge gain in the third quarter. He was quickly benched for reserve Danny Johnson, who was then quickly exposed by Moore as well. Fields missed Moore for another would-be touchdown.
Justin Fields produced one of the most predictable passing charts in the NFL this season. Against the Commanders, Fields completed eight passes to D.J. Moore for 230 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t complete a single pass to another wide receiver on the roster. Even more telling: every single one of Moore’s targets was outside of the numbers. Del Rio either failed to recognize the trend or refused to react to it. It’s hard to say which would be worse.
Linebackers Exposed in Coverage
The second major weakness of the Commanders’ man-coverage scheme is that the linebackers are not able to effectively cover tight ends and running backs. Cody Barton, in particular, has been a nightmare in coverage. He routinely appears lost with his assignment and is too slow-footed to make up for it. Bears tight end Cole Kmet dusted Barton twice in the second quarter alone, which gave Chicago a 27-3 halftime lead. This is a glaring hole that opposing offenses will continue to exploit.
Jamin Davis has made gradual improvement each season, but not at the rate expected for a first-round pick. He hasn’t developed into the sideline-to-sideline game wrecker that Rivera must have envisioned on draft day, and still gets burned occasionally by quicker receivers. That being said, unlike Barton, Davis offers enough speed in space and as a pass-rusher to justify his role in the middle of the defense. If he can improve his tackling angles, he could still become an above-average off-ball linebacker.
Preparation for Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons offense is even more predictable than Chicago’s. Unfortunately, the scheme is built perfectly to take advantage of the Commanders’ weaknesses on defense. Wide receiver Drake London lives on the boundary and will win a one-on-one matchup against any Washington cornerback. The Falcons boast two of the league’s most athletic tight ends, Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith. To make matters worse, rookie superstar running back Bijan Robinson is special in the passing game.
If the Commanders hope to snap their three-game losing streak, they will need to change their defensive scheme. The season is far from over and the team has offered some bright spots. The next two games are very winnable. However, if Jack Del Rio insists on leaving his linebackers and corners on islands moving forward, Washington’s defensive struggles will continue.
Main Photo: [Geoff Burke] – USA Today Sports
