The mood has gotten salty in Ashburn this week. Gone are the good vibes of a 2-0 start, replaced by the impending sense of doom that usually doesn’t appear until around Thanksgiving.
The Washington Commanders face a pretty big game against the Atlanta Falcons. Win and even the record at 3-3 with a trip to The Meadowlands to play the hapless New York Giants next week. Lose and watch the panic level rise to apoplectic levels.
Several things will need to take place for the Commanders to come out on the right side of a final score.
Will history repeat itself?
Fortunately for Commanders faithful, now is the time of the year when Ron Rivera’s teams usually start winning.
In 2020, the Commanders started 2-5 before winning five out of seven. The two losses came by a combined six points.
In 2021, a 2-6 start was followed by a four-game winning streak, and last year, a 1-4 start was followed by a 6-1 stretch before fading in the spotlight of playoff contention.
This is the time of year the ship usually rights itself. Let’s hope that happens this weekend.
The defense needs to stop the Falcons run game
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith likes to play three yards and a cloud of dust on offense, mainly due to a young quarterback. That means a lot of No. 1 draft pick Bijan Robinson.
Against the run, Washington is average. PFF ranks the defense 15th out of 32 teams. That unit needs to raise its play.
Can Sam Howell continue to grow?
The second-year quarterback played his best game of the year against one of the worst defenses in the league. Of all the problems against Chicago, and there were plenty, Howell wasn’t one of them. The second-year player from North Carolina was productive, going 37 of 51 for 388 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Howell still needs to get the ball out quicker and have better pocket presence but the feeling in Washington is that he is developing.
Now he needs to raise the play of the entire team.