Commanders were their own worst enemy against the Falcons, and it has to change moving forward, or they’ll keep losing games
The Commanders need to fix this as soon as possible.
The Washington Commanders made the game against the Atlanta Falcons harder than it needed to be, and the results showed with a difficult loss.
We’ve seen two different teams so far this season. The disciplined Commanders, who play well at home, and then a team that gets in its own way on the road. Many factors went into the game, and the Commanders set themselves up to fail in third-down conversions, penalties, and time of possession.
Uncharacteristic on third downs
Going into the game, the Commanders had the best third-down defense, but that changed on Sunday. The Falcons, who were a struggling offense to start the season, went six of 12 on third downs, and everything just clicked for their offense. The time of possession showed how critical the third-down conversions were; The Falcons owned the ball for 34:15 of the game.
It was the complete opposite for the Commanders’ offense, and it only converted one of eight third downs on Sunday. This has been a trend, and it’s only 15 for 45 on third downs this season. A 33% conversion rate is a recipe for losing, and it had the ball for nine minutes less than the Falcons. Head coach Dan Quinn knew third downs would be a factor, and it clearly was.
“I thought, you know, really, the third down was a huge factor in the game,” Quinn said. “On both sides for us, them, we knew third and fourth down was going to be a big piece of it. . .But you know, the explosive plays, that was a big thing, and then not winning on third down enough. You know, when you get them into that spot, man, you got to deliver.”
Penalties are killing the Commanders
The easiest way to get behind the sticks and be stuck in third and long situations is with penalties, and the Commanders are struggling to play clean football.
The Commanders had six penalties for 50 yards on Sunday, bringing the season total to 30 flags for 223 yards. They have to clean this up on both sides of the ball, and you know it drives Quinn crazy.
The Commanders can’t keep up with big plays
Another factor Quinn pointed out was big plays, and the Falcons’ offense had its get-right game against the Commanders’ defense. The Falcons had 10 plays that went for 15+ yards, while the Commanders only had six on offense, and two came in the last two drives in the fourth quarter. This isn’t the first game with big plays being an issue. It’s been a real problem since the Green Bay Packers exposed how to attack the Commanders’ defense.
The defense has allowed 29 total plays of 15+ in the last three games. That’s a trend that will quickly derail any hopes and goals this season, and it needs to be addressed.
Getting Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin back would obviously help with the big plays on offense, but the defensive struggles were glaring after being the best third-down defense in the league.
Football comes down to the basics, and the Commanders are hurting themselves with penalties, a lack of third-down conversions, and struggling to match the big plays while giving up too many. Things need to change, or the Commanders will continue to lose games with a difficult stretch coming up.
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