The reaction to the final seconds of Sunday’s Commanders-Giants game has felt like the Watergate hearings: What did the players know about the timeout situation, and when did they know it?
But Washington’s blunder was preceded by a fourth-quarter collapse where they were outscored 14-0 by the Giants in the final 11 minutes of the game.
The Commanders offense didn’t help matters by punting on three of its final four possessions — the botched final play ending the other drive.
But once again, Washington had a strong showing in the first half before coming apart at the seams in the second.
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After watching the All-22 film, it appears two things happened: The pass rush that gave Giants quarterback Jameis Winston fits all first half (and produced a strip-sack fumble) was nonexistent in the final two quarters, and the Commanders became more concerned with defending big plays than trying to stop New York’s offense.
Coming into Sunday’s game it was clear that the defense’s best chance for success was getting to Winston, who has been one of the least efficient quarterbacks in the league when under pressure.
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On this play in the third quarter, the defense sat back in what looked like a Cover 4 zone, ceding the underneath area to Giants receivers. Winston had Malik Nabers on a quick slant, but the Commanders initially sent six rushers.
Linebacker Sonny Styles dropped back into coverage at the last second, but the confusion allowed fellow linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson a free lane on the other side of the line to Winston, who had to throw the ball into the dirt rather than hit Nabers for what would have likely been a first down.
Washington was able to mix that pressure with its run defense, which was typically unrelenting in the first half. Defensive linemen penetrated the backfield while linebackers hit the gaps to meet ball carriers.
Case in point: Early in the third quarter, with the Giants facing a third-and-2, linebacker Frankie Luvu didn’t bite on backup quarterback J.J. McCarthy faking a handoff on a run-pass option. The stop cut New York’s drive short and forced a field goal attempt.
But that success did not last.
Winston was pressured on 20 of his 59 dropbacks Sunday. Eleven of those dropbacks occurred in the first three quarters. He was sacked twice, including the strip-sack fumble caused by Chaisson.
But starting with the Giants’ first possession of the fourth quarter, Washington rarely put the heat on Winston. He was pressured on just nine dropbacks across the fourth quarter and overtime, completing five of nine passes for 45 yards and a touchdown.
On a second-and-5 at about the 10-minute mark, Winston was able to complete his three-step drop in a clean pocket and complete a 21-yard pass to tight end Theo Johnson.
A few plays later, the Commanders provided a lot of cushion on a fourth-and-8 from Washington’s 17-yard line. They seemed focused on not letting anything in the end zone and again ceded too much underneath.
At the snap, the Commanders sent six rushers while the four defensive backs sat back in Cover 0, meaning man-to-man coverage and no over-the-top help. If you notice, that’s only 10 players accounted for. The 11th was 320-pound defensive tackle Daron Payne, who also dropped back to cover any shallow crossing routes.
But tight end Isaiah Likely ran a quick slant that placed him between Payne and the closest defensive back. He hauled in a 16-yard touchdown that pulled New York within seven points.
On New York’s final possession of regulation, they made it to Washington’s 17-yard line. The Commanders again dialed up Cover 0 and provided 10-yard cushions to Giants receivers. Corner Mike Sainristil, who was benched after Week 2 due to consistent breakdowns in coverage, had Nabers as his assignment.
The Washington pass rush was unable to get pressure on Winston due in part to running back Cam Skattebo providing pass protection against a blitzing Jeremy Reaves.
Sainristil bit on Nabers’ jab step to the outside, opening up the middle of the field for the 17-yard touchdown grab that would send the game to overtime.
Coach Dan Quinn said Monday that the defense mixed in more man coverage to balance out the zone looks, but he was upset about the execution, no matter what scheme they were in.
“The end-of-the-game play is the one that’s the glaring one from the game,” Quinn said. “But there’s a number of spots in the fourth quarter that we thought, offensively, defensively, [special] teams — these are our chances to close the door.”
As the Commanders head to San Francisco next week to take on the 5-0 49ers, they could face the same issues that New York presented in the second half on Sunday. Quarterback Brock Purdy is the third-least-pressured quarterback in the NFL, according to NFL Research, having been sacked just three times through five weeks. When blitzed — something Washington does at the second-highest rate in the league — Purdy has the second-highest quarterback rating (136.5) behind only Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson (139.0).
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