Film Study: The Defense is Awful

There’s no way to sugar coat it, the Washington Commanders got run out of the building by the Detroit Lions Sunday.

Watching the All-22 tape isn’t needed to see this. The score, the stats and the naked eye tell you that, convincingly .

What the tape does reveal is some rather interesting details on why the game was as lopsided as it was. For weeks, fans and media types have been clamoring for a change in the defense which has been awful this season.

Joe Whitt Jr. is in charge of it, he was hired by Dan Quinn to be the defensive coordinator when DQ came to Washington last winter. Here at SportsJourney, we acknowledge what we are; journalists. We are not coaches, are not privy to the inner workings of the coaching staff or meeting rooms, we did not play football at a high level in college or professionally. What we can do is watch and think objectively. That being said, it can’t be ignored any longer; the Commanders defense is both out manned personnel wise, and scheme wise.

Dazed and Confused, the sequel:

Once again, the incompetence on defense has to be seen to be believed, and even then, it’s hard to comprehend what’s on tape.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff was playing pitch and catch with his receivers all day because, quite frankly, Washington’s defense didn’t seem to know what it was doing, especially on the back end.

The mistakes weren’t limited to one player either. Cornerbacks Mike Sainristill, Trey Amos, and Jonathan Jones routinely seemed to be confused as to which man to cover, particularly when Detroit brought a man in motion or lined up in a bunch formation. Linebacker Bobby Wagner would bite on a play action fake only to watch a tight end chip at the line, then leak out into the flat uncovered. Frankie Luvu took bad angles on a number of plays that turned into long gains on the ground.

Two of the most egregious examples happened on the Lions last drive of the first half. On 4th and 1 from the Commanders 41 yard line, Goff made an easy completion to tight end Sam LaPorta on a play action pass for a 14 yard gain. Had Goff looked deep, he would have seen Amon-Ra St. Brown blow past Sainristill down the seam for a potential touchdown.

Then faced with another 4th and 1, this time from the Washington 18, Goff hit Kalif Raymond for a 10 yard gain. This play was even worse. Detroit had three wide receivers lined up on the left side, Washington had two defenders with a third, safety Quan Martin playing 10 yards off the ball.

Injuries have decimated this team, there is no doubt, but pre-snap confusion and players out of position makes an already bad situation even worse.

The good news? Laremy Tunsil:

General Manager Adam Peters gave up a lot to get the all-pro left tackle and he’s gotten his money’s worth.

Once again, Tunsil performed at an all-pro level, perhaps his best game of the season.

Tunsil’s stat sheet was spotless. He gave up no sacks, no pressures, and no hurries. Granted, Lions all world edge rusher Aiden Hutchinson lined up on the opposite side most of the game, but you can only block the man in front of you.

Speaking of the other side, Josh Conerly Jr. only allowed Hutchinson one hit and one pressure, not bad for a rookie. He did commit two penalties, something that has to get better but still a good showing against one of the best edge rushers in the game.

There isn’t much more to say. This team is not good right now. Maybe a trip overseas will be the answer but right now, there is no evidence to suggest it will pull out of this spiral anytime soon.