Well, the 2023 season was fun while it lasted. Actually, it’s not so fun. The Washington Commanders are now 4-8, out of playoff contention and coming off a Thanksgiving humiliation to the Dallas Cowboys.
Preordered turkey legs?
Really?
So, what did we learn?
Plenty.
The defense needs a new coach
Oh, wait. So, Jack Del Rio is gone, along with his high school defensive backs coach.
Does this improve things?
It’s hard to see how it can’t get worse. The defensive backs all look lost. This week, it was Benjamin St Juste’s turn to get torched. Opposing teams think he’s the guy to pick on and
they seem to be right.
St. Juste gave up 110 yards on 7 receptions while his running mate on the other side of the field, Kendall Fuller, gave up just 43 yards on two catches.
At least the bar is low this week as Ron Rivera takes over defensive playcalling.
Sam Howell’s roller coaster continues
Overall, it wasn’t his worst game, but it was close. Howell hung in there in the first half, scoring Washington’s only touchdown on a one-yard run to cut the Dallas lead to 14-10 in the second quarter, but the second half was a disaster.
With the defense getting run up and down the field, Howell was forced to throw more and looked like he was pressing. Of the three 4th down attempts the Commanders failed to convert in the second half, Howell was responsible for two of them.
The pick-six he threw later in the game completed the embarrassment.
His next developmental assignment is to find a way to match scores with an opposing offense. He should get his chance this weekend against Miami.
Welcome back Cody Barton
Yes, this is a stretch, as the defense played horribly but Barton picked up where he left off before his injury.
The free-agent linebacker signed from Seattle in the off-season struggled to start the year. Seattle and Washington play different gap concepts when it comes to linebackers (nice move front office Ron).
While Barton seemed lost early in the season his play has improved every week. Against the Cowboys, he recorded six tackles, four of them solo and one for a loss. He also had his highest PFF grade of the season at 76.7. As the Commanders look towards the future, an improved Barton would mean one less off-season worry for whoever becomes the new general manager on January 8th.