Just like no team in the NFL is as good as its best win, no team is as bad as its worst loss.
The Washington Commanders prevented what looked like a sliding season stay on the rails for at least a few more weeks with its 24-16 win in Atlanta. This was a game that was there for the losing, but the Falcons made multiple mistakes in key spots, and if one were in court, they would be labeled a co-conspirator.
But big plays on defense (three interceptions) and special teams (a 61-yard punt return — that is WHY you sign Jamison Crowder), plus a turnover-free day on offense with a quarterback who took advantage of short fields result in a victory that might not look pretty — but counts just as much as any official league win in the standings.
And after six weeks, Washington is off to its best start in the Ron Rivera-era.
Howell About That: Quarterback Sam Howell threw for 151 yards and three touchdowns while getting sacked five times for 30 yards. That’s 34 times sacked in six games and, to be obvious, not sustainable.
Running with Robinson: Running back Brian Robinson Jr. gained 31 yards on 10 carries while Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Antonio Gibson added changes of pace, combining for 38 yards on seven tries. As a trio, 69 yards on 17 attempts is not ideal, but it’s at least over four yards per carry — and the threat of a run, hopefully will keep pass rushes at bay.
Pass Catch Fever: Terry McLaurin tallied six catches for 81 yards (on 11 targets), while Curtis Samuels added four grabs for 42 yards (on four targets). The duo combined for 10 of the 14 receptions and 15 of the 21 targets, while third member of their firm, Jahan Dotson, was thrown to just once.
Did we think the second-year pro was going to rip off an 80-catch, 1,200 yard season? No, but we thought he’d be on a better pace than 48 and 397.
Third and Long Gone: Washington moved the chains on only 2 of 10 attempts and went 0-4 in the second half. Howell completed 3 of 8 passes for two conversions while getting sacked twice. His top option was Terry McLaurin, who had one conversion and catch on five targets. Curtis Samuels had two receptions on two targets (with the other conversion).
Yardage Breakdown: The Commanders went 0 for 1 on third and short (1-3 yards needed) and 2 for 9 on third and long (7-plus yards needed). For the season: 7-13, 7-14 and 9-42. Over 70% of their third downs are long-distance. That potentially leads to more sacks — and more sacks potentially will lead to Howell getting hurt.
D earns an A-: Yes, Washington allowed over 400 yards to a Falcons team not known for firepower. But they dominated on third down, holding Atlanta to 5 of 15 and 1-7 in the second half.
All three of Washington’s interceptions occurred on third down, with one setting up a touchdown (after Kendall Fuller’s return), the second occurring in the end zone (Benjamin St. Juste preventing a TD) and the third extinguishing the Falcons’ final hopes (Jamin Davis making it happen).
Cody Barton had 14 tackles, while Kam Curl made 11 stops. Casey Toohill tallied a pair of sacks —both on third down.
Special Situations: Tress Way averaged 43.3 yards on six punts, while Joey Slye connected on all three of his extra points and made a 37-yard field goal while all five of his kickoffs were touchbacks.
Jamison Crowder’s 61-yard punt return placed the ball on the Atlanta 11-yard line and set up Washington’s first touchdown. Antonio Gibson had a 13-yard kickoff return. Punt coverage allowed three returns for 11 yards with a long of eight.
Flying Flags: Six accepted penalties in eight flags for 40 yards. One infraction was on the offense (holding), while the other seven (five accepted) were on the defense: two pass interference, one hold, one roughing the passer, two neutral zone infractions and one offsides.
After six weeks, Washington’s 32 penalties are the six-fewest in the league and it’s the same case with their 241 yards penalized. On Sunday, St. Juste was whistled twice (the hold was declined, the pass interference moved a 2-point conversion attempt just a yard).
The top penalty of the season is offensive/special teams holding (seven), with Nick Gates’ hold Sunday moving him into a tie with Chase Young for the most-penalized player (three) on the team.
Sunday’s most-costly penalty was a pass interference on Danny Johnson, that turned what would have been a fourth and six from the Washington 30-yard line into a first and 10 from the 21 — and the Falcons would score on the very next play.
Digesting the Division: Philadelphia (5-1) owns the NFC East lead and currently owns the No. 1 seed in the conference, thanks to the strength of a victory tiebreaker over San Francisco. Dallas (4-2) owns second place and has the No. 5 seed after winning on Monday Night Football. Washington (3-3) is in third place and is just outside the playoff pack after losing the strength of a victory tiebreaker to the Los Angeles Rams.
The New York Giants (1-5) are in the cellar of the division and 14th in the NFC because they own the head-to-head tiebreaker with Arizona.
Comparing the Quartets plus the Conference Competition: Break up the AFC North! A 3-0 week (Pittsburgh had a bye) moves that foursome to 13-9 on the season, just a little bit better than the AFC East and NFC East — who are each 13-11 to start the year.
The NFC South continues to sink at 9-14 after an 0-4 week. After six weeks, the AFC owns a 16-11 edge in the interconference competition.
Broadcast Booth: The CBS No. 4 team of Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber and Matt Ryan were on hand as Ryan visited his old stomping grounds. CBS’ No. 4 team is the first crew to announce a pair of Washington games, as they called the contest with the Bills.
This Sunday, they will become the first crew to announce three Washington games, as they’re also slated to call the team’s Week 7 game at the New York Giants.
CBS has also had their No. 5 crew (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta) on the Burgundy & Gold, while FOX has had its No. 2 (Joe Davis and Darryl Johnston) and No. 3 (Adam Amin and Mark Schlereth) teams in the booth for Washington games.
