Commanders are improving in key area that can easily help them beat the Bears in upcoming Week 8 matchup
The message was clearly sent by Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and defensive Joe Whitt Jr. a couple of weeks ago: The defense needed to step up and force more turnovers – specifically interceptions."One thing that we're still not doing, [is] forcing turnovers," Whitt Jr. told reporters ahead of the Week 6 matchup against […]
The message was clearly sent by Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and defensive Joe Whitt Jr. a couple of weeks ago: The defense needed to step up and force more turnovers – specifically interceptions.
"One thing that we're still not doing, [is] forcing turnovers," Whitt Jr. told reporters ahead of the Week 6 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. "We talked about the ball being life, and we have to make that come to come to life. We have to start getting the ball at a bigger clip…
"… We're not touching the ball. I think it's been five games and we haven't had an interception. I don't know if in my whole career, we've been five games and not had an interception. So apparently I'm not doing a good enough job of exposing these guys to enough ball drills and understanding the, you know, different type of throws [and] different type of anticipation of where the ball goes. So, we'll drill it more. We'll get creative with it, but we have to produce the ball more."
Whitt Jr. was correct in terms of an interception-less defense through the first five games. And, the defense had recovered just three fumbles over the same span. Meaning, the grand total of takeaways for the Commanders defense, heading into the Ravens game, was three.
Well, since then, I think it's safe to say the message has been received by the Commanders defense. The unit has as many takeaways in the last two games as it did over the first five and all of them have come in the form of interceptions.
The defense picked off Lamar Jackson early in the Week 6 loss and while it was the lone takeaway for the Commanders defense, it was certainly a good start. Next up was Sunday's 40-7 dismantling of the Carolina Panthers, where the defense intercepted Andy Dalton twice. The first of which was Dante Fowler's pick-six on the game's opening drive that set the tone for the rest of the game.
"The guys really started fast," Quinn told reporters after the game. "I thought Dante's touchdown was really the thing that set it off as they [the Panthers] were driving down the field to create momentum."
Forcing takeaways against Caleb Williams and the Bears offense will be key for the Commanders defense
The Commanders have Monday to enjoy Sunday's big win, but they're going to have turn right around and face the red-hot Bears, who are winners of three straight and look to be finding their groove. Especially when it comes to rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense.
And if Washington wants a good shot at beating the Bears (Jayden Daniels' availability aside), the defense is going to have to force Willams and co. into mistakes. But it doesn't stop there. The unit is going to have to finish plays and create takeaways. Ideally, multiple takeaways.
The evidence is already on display throughout the season. In the Bears' two losses, multiple turnovers were forced via the offense. The Houston Texans took the ball away twice and the Indianapolis Colts took it away three times. The Bears were in the negative at (-1) in both games, as well.
In their four wins, the Bears offense has turned the ball just twice and that came in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans and their most recent game in Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They didn't turn the ball over, at all, in the other two wins.
If Daniels plays, the vast majority of conversation will revolve around the first and second overall picks of the 2024 NFL Draft and for good reason. But, the defenses will play just as important of a role in the game.
And if the Commanders defense can continue to climb the ladder in the turnover department, then we could certainly be looking at a 6-2 team after Week 8.
