Monday Post-Mortem: Another Washington Defeat in Advance of a Short Week

     1st and Goal from the 2 yard line, what would you call? Power run up the middle? Sprint right option? Play action bootleg? If you answered yes to any of those hypothetical plays you are already more than qualified to be a coach on this Washington Commanders staff. This Sunday’s 21-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans put all the problems with this franchise on full display. The little things that should be easy are instead constantly made difficult. 

     With the game on the line, and needing to go just 2 yards for a game winning touchdown, Washington lined up in shotgun for all 3 plays before quarterback Carson Wentz threw his trademark back-breaking interception. The Commanders did not even present the threat of running the football. Giving the defense multiple looks, and the threat of dynamic playcalling, is crucial to offensive success in today’s NFL, but instead Washington went one dimensional when it mattered most. 

     What is even more infuriating about the end of game sequence was who got these shotgun pass targets. The first look was to John Bates, the backup tight end who was starting in place of the injured Logan Thomas. The next two targets went to running back J.D. McKissic who was barely even at the goal line when Wentz delivered the inaccurate pass. This offseason Washington gave Terry McLaurin a $68.2 million dollar contract making him among the highest paid wide receivers in the league, and make no mistake he was worth the money. So with the game, and arguably the season on the line, you throw the ball to the backup tight end and the backup running back? Make it make sense. 

     The lack of looks for Terry on the goalline is a microcosm of the whole season thus far. McLaurin has received 33 targets through 5 games compared to the 45 looks Curtis Samuel has gotten. For a team that throws the ball 40 plus times a game you would think a star receiver would be more involved. So who is to blame for these results? It is easy to focus on quarterback Carson Wentz, but the true culprits are the coaches on the sidelines.

     Head Coach Ron Rivera has been in D.C. for 3 years now and the results have been mixed to say the least. Since making the playoffs in his debut season, with a 7-9 record mind you, Washington has gone 8-14 with only 2 wins in the last 10 games overall. The promise this team once showed, with a top rated defense and an offense that won games in spite of its quarterback play, is completely gone. Defensive Coordinator Jack del Rio has failed to improve upon that top ranked 2020 defense and is lucky to still have a job. The front office traded for a discarded Carson Wentz AND drafted a 1st round wide receiver yet the team has only hit 20+ points twice this year. Washington has even invested heavily in the running back position with 3 players who all have multi-year deals but the team refuses to establish the ground game and then doesn’t even trust them to get 2 yards with the game in the balance. Now yes, they had no timeouts, but with 19 seconds on the clock that is more than enough time to at least attempt a run on first down. 

     People will shift the blame around after another defeat sends the Commanders to 1-4, and far off the lightning pace the NFC East has established. But the fact remains, whether it is Offensive Coordinator Scott Turner who makes the play calls or not, the head coach has the biggest impact on a team's success.

     Rivera is constantly saying the culture needs to change and the team needs to build something, but it is year 3 and nothing has changed and nothing has been built. Rookie head coach Brian Daboll has done more with less in New York to have the Giants at 4-1 than Rivera, del Rio, and Turner have done in 3 years in DC. At some point the same excuses need to be ditched and the veteran coach has to take responsibility for the failures of his team. He says it's not time to panic, but it is time to find urgency. Well I say it is urgent that we panic. 

     If the Commanders drop to 1-5 with a loss to a pitiful Chicago Bears team on Thursday night then moves need to be made. Dan Snyder doesn’t typically fire head coaches in the middle of the season, but starting with replacing Jack del Rio would be nice. This defense has too much talent to be performing the way it does. 

     Even with that, maybe nothing will change. As long as Dan Snyder owns the team things will never get better. Snyder is the ultimate villain, he is like Thanos from the Avengers. He cannot be stopped, he cannot be destroyed, and he made half of our fanbase disappear with the snap of his fingers. 

     Regardless of the big bad man upstairs, Thursday night is a must win. But in many ways I am hoping they lose.

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