Commanders' defense focused on leaving '21 shortcomings in past originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
ASHBURN, Va. — In blackjack, players have the opportunity to double down after the initial hand is dealt. By doing so, they create the chance to increase the value of their original bet by 100%.
Doubling down comes with a significant risk, though. Should the dealer win the hand, that player loses double the amount of that initial wager.
In football terms, the Washington Commanders have doubled down on its defense from a year ago. Ten of 11 starters are back in the fold this season; almost all of the team’s offseason additions on that side of the ball were depth-related.
How that plan of action will work out for Washington remains to be seen. The Commanders’ defense entered 2021 with sky-high expectations, but Jack Del Rio’s unit was overall disappointing. Last year, Washington ranked 27th in defense DVOA rating, a term created by Football Outsiders to calculate overall efficiency. In 2020, that same group finished third in DVOA and was a top-five unit in many other statistical categories.
Washington expects to take a leap as a franchise in 2022, Ron Rivera‘s third year at the helm. If the club is going to do that, its defense must play a lot more like the 2020 group than last year’s version. The pressure is on.
But with the 2022 opener just a few days away, Del Rio and his group aren’t thinking twice about last year’s shortcomings.
“To me, I don’t think you look back on last year and draw a lot of conclusions, whether it be from them or from us,” Del Rio said. “It’s a new year, new opportunities. We’ve had a good camp. We’re looking forward to getting started.”
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The Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington’s Week 1 opponent, underwent a facelift this offseason. The team hired a new coach in Doug Pederson and spent over $100 million in guaranteed money this March in free agency, attempting to move on from the mess Urban Meyer left.
Washington doesn’t exactly know how the Jaguars will look come Sunday, but Del Rio is confident in his group regardless.
“That’s what’s great about these opening day matchups: It’s a lot of unknowns, a lot of un-scouted things happen,” Del Rio said. “You stick to your principles and trust what you know. Play fast and go to the next play. That’s how we’re gonna approach it.”
Defensive tackle and captain Jonathan Allen expressed a similar belief in the group as well.
“I know we’re ready. I know the work we’ve put in,” Allen said Wednesday.”Now, it’s up to us to go out there and show it Week 1.”
It’s not just Jacksonville that’s going to look like a different team on Sunday, either. Even though Washington is returning many of the same players on defense, the franchise expects multiple guys to take significant strides this season, particularly second-year veterans Jamin Davis and Benjamin St-Juste. The growth of those two players should go a long way in Washington’s overall defensive performance.
Offensively, the Commanders have a new quarterback in Carson Wentz and a reworked front five. The wideout room is as deep as its been in years. At running back, Washington has multiple versatile, impact players. Scott Turner’s unit should look fairly different than the offense from a year ago.
Part of the beauty of the NFL is that every year is a fresh start. Every group enters 2022 with a blank slate. The league has more parity than any of the other major sports leagues in America. In the NFL, many things are nearly impossible to predict. That’s a major part of the excitement.
“Each year there are surprise teams that come along and exceed expectations,” Del Rio said. “Then there are others that are being talked about and are held up on a pedestal right now and they come crashing down. It starts tonight. And then for us, on Sunday. I’m looking forward to it.”
