So … what did you think of the new uniforms? Unfortunately, the only thing that has been uniform of Washington over the last decade is the team’s inability to beat the Cowboys.
Sunday’s 25-10 loss was the team’s 13th in 19 games against Dallas, even though they outgained their NFC East foes by 18 yards and faced a backup quarterback in Cooper Rush.
Some will point to the penalties (11 for 136 yards!) and others will focus on a pass rush (just one sack) that couldn’t get there enough, while a ramshackle offensive line (more lineup changes than the group Spinal Tap) also will be mentioned.
But once again another slow start to the season has the Burgundy and Gold 1-3 (they started 2-6 last year and began 2020 2-5).
The colors and name may change, but the franchise with one playoff win in the new century remains the same.
Wentz’s Woes: Quarterback Carson Wentz completed 25-42 passes for 170 yards-6.8 yards per completion — while tossing a touchdown and two interceptions. He was sacked twice but also had a pair of intentional grounding penalties. And while he’s on pace to throw for over 4,000 yards, he’s also on pace to toss 21 interceptions.
Ground Game Takes Off: Washington ran for 142 yards with the running back triumvirate of Gibson, Williams and McKissic gaining 137 yards on 26 carries (5.3 per attempt). Antonio Gibson led the trio with 49 yards on 13 tries while making three catches. J.D. McKissic also made three catches and ran for 40 yards while Jonathan Williams gained 48 yards on the ground.
Pass Catch Fever: Jahan Dotson caught three passes for 43 yards with all three of them coming on third down and one resulting in the team’s lone touchdown. He’s now out at least a week with a bad hamstring. Curtis Samuel knows what it’s like to be on the shelf after last season and has 26 catches through four games this year after making four more Sunday. Terry McLaurin was held to two receptions for 15 yards by the Cowboys. So much for the other weapons giving TMC free reign through opposing secondaries.
Hold the Line: The front five has not made things easy for Carson Wentz this season as he was under fire again Sunday. He’s already dealing with his third center of the season in Nick Martin. Coach Ron Rivera announced Monday that Saahdiq Charles would be the team’s starting right guard moving forward. Let’s see how long this five holds together, and when I say “holds together” I’m not referring to the penalty.
Third and Lacking: Washington converted 5-15 third downs including 3-10 after halftime. They ran twice with McKissic gaining four yards on a third and two and Gibson getting stopped for no gain on a third and three. Thirteen pass plays were called and Wentz completed 7-12 attempts for four conversions while getting sacked once. His top option? John Bates was thrown to four times (two catches and one conversion), while Dotson made three catches on three targets for two conversions (and one touchdown). Yardage breakdown: 2-3 on short-yardage, 1-1 when four to six yards were needed, and 3-11 on long-yardage. So on 11 of 15 third downs the Commanders needed 7+ yards. Not ideal.
D earns a C: Jonathan Allen led the team with eight tackles and had their only sack. Cole Holcomb also had eight stops. Washington held the Cowboys to 5-15 on third down and Dallas needed 7+ yards on nine of those attempts. But Dallas on its final drive of the first half converted four straight third downs on its way to the touchdown that put them ahead to stay.
Special Situations: Joey Slye finally got to attempt a field goal, connecting from 45 yards out. He also drilled an extra point and recorded touchbacks on all three of his kickoffs. Tress Way averaged 45 yards on six punts with a long of 52 and five of those punts landed inside the Dallas 20. Dax Milne returned one kickoff for 18 yards and had punt returns of eight and minus-one yard. The Cowboys had one punt return for minus-three yards.
Flying Flags: After being whistled 12 times over the first three weeks the Commanders were penalized 11 times in the loss to Dallas. Seven were on offense (three false starts, two holds and two intentional groundings) and four were on defense (two pass interferences, one defensive hold and one illegal contact). William Jackson III’s two pass interferences not only moves him into the team lead with four penalties on the season but also slides DPI into the lead for most infractions (false starts is second with five). The most costly penalty? Jackson’s second PI that moved the ball from the Dallas 27 to the Washington 35. The Cowboys would score two plays later to take a 22-10 lead.
Digesting the Division: Philadelphia (4-0) not only owns the best record in the NFC East and NFC, but the Eagles are the last remaining unbeaten team (bummer Miami couldn’t have had that title 50 years after the Dolphins’ 17-0 season). Dallas (3-1) owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with the New York Giants and has the No. 5 seed in the NFC while the Giants are No. 6. Washington (1-3) currently holds down last place in the division and last place in the conference.
East is a Beast: The Commanders have the misfortune of competing in the best division through four weeks as the NFC East is a combined 11-5. The AFC East and NFC North are both 9-7 while the NFC South is 6-10 and the AFC South is 5-9-2 (but 4-4 after a 1-5-2 start). The NFC also owns an early 9-5 lead over the AFC for those keeping count.
On the Air: Washington got the No. 1 team from FOX with Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen on the call this past week. (The Cowboys despite four playoff wins since 1995 will likely draw either a prime time game or the number one team from FOX or CBS for the first seven weeks of the season).
