There’s no such thing as moral victories in football. The Commanders know that better than just about any other team in the NFL this season.
You were one two-point conversion from tying the Eagles in Week 1? Good job. You put up spirited efforts with your second- and third-string quarterbacks in double-digit losses to the Cowboys and Colts, respectively? Someone get the banners ready!
That being said, the Washington defense cleaned up a weakness on Sunday versus Indianapolis that had been one of the causes for them being one of the lower-ranked defenses in the NFL — and it could pay dividends in Sunday’s pivotal divisional matchup with the Giants.
The revamped pass rush had not been creating the kind of pressure and disruption through three games that is needed to make defensive coordinator Daronte Jones’ scheme click. Instead, quarterbacks have carved up the secondary to the tune of 242.5 yards per game, the eighth-highest total in the league.
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But that all changed on Sunday in London, with the pass rush causing havoc in the form of two sacks, a forced fumble and an interception. That in turn forced the Colts to either make quarterback Daniel Jones get the ball out faster or, in the case of the fourth quarter, abandon the passing game altogether.
The defense got things going right out of the gate. On the first play from scrimmage, linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw bull-rushed their blockers nearly into Jones, whose first reads Laquon Treadwell and Josh Downs were covered in the secondary. Jones then decided to dump off to running back Jonathan Taylor in the flat, but Kinlaw got his hands up and swatted the ball down.
On the very next play, linebacker Odafe Oweh joined the bull rush party, pushing Bernhard Raimann into Jones’ lap. The quarterback again tried to find Taylor in the flat, but tripped over Raimann in the process and fumbled the ball into Oweh’s hands.
For the entirety of the first half it was more of the same for the defense: get into Jones’ face and force him into a decision he doesn’t want to make. Whether it was lineman Dorance Armstrong overpowering right tackle Jalen Travis or linebacker Frankie Luvu getting a free lane on a blitz, there were few minutes for Jones to sit in a clean pocket and make throws.
What started as tips or throws into the dirt eventually turned into interceptable passes.
Halfway through the first quarter, Chaisson and defensive tackle Daron Payne stunt-rushed left guard Quenton Nelson and Raimann. The offensive lineman couldn’t recover from the switch, which forced Jones to have to rush his downfield throw to Treadwell across the middle. The pass was too high for Treadwell and nearly fell into the hands of cornerback Fabian Moreau.
Jones wasn’t as lucky in the second quarter. On 3rd and 10, Armstrong bull-rushed through Travis and dove for Jones as he was getting into his throwing motion. At the same time, Payne powered through a double team by center Tanor Bortolini and guard Matt Goncalves. To avoid the rush, Jones threw off his back foot, but sailed the pass over receiver Ashton Dulin — instead hitting cornerback Rasul Douglas in stride for an interception.
The Commanders defense didn’t force a turnover through the first two weeks in part due to its inability to generate this type of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Washington has forced five turnovers the past two weeks.
In the second half, the Colts wisened up. They added more protection for Jones and had him getting the ball out quicker to negate the Commanders rush. And by the fourth quarter, they all but abandoned the pass despite holding just a narrow lead. (Knowing that Washington’s offense was limited on account of being down to their third-string quarterback, rookie Athan Kaliakmanis, probably factored into the decision.)
But next week’s opponent, the Giants, might not have the same luxury. Not only is it expected that starter Jayden Daniels will return from the dislocated elbow he suffered in Week 2, but New York’s running game has been pedestrian, with running back Cam Skattebo averaging 3.5 yards per carry (the eighth-worst rate in the NFL).
If the Giants choose instead to let offense run through backup quarterback Jameis Winston, there’s an opportunity for the Commanders to make the type of game-changing plays that limited Jones on Sunday — especially if Washington turns up the heat on Winston.
The veteran quarterback has a reputation for pushing the ball downfield, and with that comes a tendency to hold onto the ball. He has taken an average of three sacks per game so far this season since taking over for injured starter Jaxson Dart, tied for the third-highest rate in the league. That means there should be ample opportunity for the Commanders to get after Winston and recreate some of the pass-rush success they had in London.
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