An injury turned into a breakout game for a young Commanders player who deserved more playing time this season in one key area
The Commanders were without Daron Payne, but Johnny Newton stepped up and had the best game of his career, yet the team refused to play him in passing situations all season.
The Washington Commanders fell to the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Day, in a game that was much closer than anticipated.
It wasn’t all ugly this time, and a handful of players definitely made the most of the second-to-last game of the season. The Commanders needed to see a youth movement to end the season, especially in the recent draft picks, and one player had the best game of his career so far.
Defensive tackle Daron Payne was out with an injury, and Johnny Newton made the most of it with a three-sack game for the Commanders’ defense.
Johnny Newton has a breakout game against the Cowboys
The Commanders were short-handed, as they have been all season, and they needed someone to step up to have a chance to win. The most impressive performance of the day came from Johnny Newton, who had a three-sack game for the first time by a Washington player since Preston Smith did it in 2015.
The Commanders’ pass rush has struggled over the last few weeks, and six sacks is the most the team has had in a game this season. Newton stepped up in place of Payne, and now he has more sacks on the season than Payne and Javon Kinlaw combined. The confusing part, however, is that the Commanders didn’t play Newton enough in passing situations, which is where he thrived in college.
The Commanders didn’t give Johnny Newton enough opportunities this season
Newton was a top pass-rushing defensive tackle in college, and he finished with 102 pressures and 11 sacks in his final two seasons at Illinois. It hasn’t been the hottest start to his career, and people have been waiting for a breakout. The Commanders haven’t helped much, though, with only limited opportunities in the pass-rushing game.
Newton only had 77 true pass set rushes this season, which is much lower than other defensive tackles in his draft class, and he’s been one of the more productive defensive tackles when he gets the chance. He definitely needs to improve in the run game, where he struggles the most right now. However, not having him on the field in passing situations is mind-boggling, especially since Newton and Payne clearly aren’t getting to the quarterback this season.
The Commanders need to see the recent draft picks developing, and the best way to do that is by playing them more. General manager Adam Peters has a decision to make regarding Payne this offseason, as the team’s highest salary cap hit. However, Newton’s strong play will make that decision much easier.
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