The Washington Commanders parting ways with head coach/personnel chief Ron Rivera was not a surprise by any stretch of the imagination. There were those who had moved on from the current regime as early as the team’s faded from 7-5 to 8-8-1 last year (seriously, going 0-1-1 in consecutive games against the Giants?).
Whatever gray area there was entering 2023 regarding keeping the status quo (and many thought they’d have to not just make the playoffs but win a postseason game to keep their jobs) was out the window, perhaps as early as the Week 5 Thursday night debacle against Chicago. And if not then, certainly after the losses to the Giants. What ends is an era of another quarterback carousel (seven different starters over four years), underwhelming draft picks and neglected offensive lines.
Ron Rivera took perhaps one of the worst jobs in the NFL (actually two of the worst jobs as he had personnel decisions under his umbrella as well) and led a franchise with plenty of off-the-field issues to the playoffs in his first season at the helm. He provided stability during a very unstable time while fighting cancer. Rivera should be applauded for his efforts, but it’s time to move on and hopefully the new ownership group will find the right people to lead the Burgundy and Gold.
Howell About That: In his final game of his first season as a starter, Sam Howell completed 19 of 27 passes for 153 yards while tossing one touchdown and two interceptions. Breaking down his year, Howell’s passer rating for his first six games was 90.1, 85.1 over his next six starts, and 46.6 over the final five games of the season. He’s proven that he can play in this league but there’s also no question that Washington shouldn’t draft a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick.
Running Aground: Fifty yards on 17 carries, a far cry from the offseason desire for 2-to-1 ratio voiced by head coach Ron Rivera. Brian Robinson Jr. gained 25 yards on nine carries while losing a fumble and Antonio Gibson gained eight yards on two attempts while catching three passes for 28 yards. Gibson becomes a free agent in the offseason.
Pass Catch Fever: Terry McLaurin scraped his way to 1,000 yards receiving for the fourth straight season after making six catches for 56 yards. But behind the numbers, the fifth-year pro posted his lowest yards-per-catch and per-game averages of his career. Jahan Dotson made two receptions for 17 yards, giving him 49 receptions (14 more than last year) for 518 yards (five fewer than 2022) and four touchdowns (three less than his rookie campaign). Curtis Samuel caught a pair of passes for 15 yards to finish with 62 and 613, roughly the same as last year (64-656). I thought this trio would light up defenses this fall. I was wrong.
Third and Lost: Washington finished a season wandering in the offensive wilderness by converting 2-10 third downs (they did go 3-3 on fourth down), with Howell completing 2-5 passes for two conversions while getting sacked twice. He also scrambled and had a planned run that didn’t move the chains. Brian Robinson was held to a one-yard gain on a third-and-2. The top option? Terry McLaurin made one catch for a conversion on two targets. Yardage breakdown: 0-4 on short-yardage, 0-1 when needing four to six yards, and 2-5 on long-yardage. For the season: 35-64 (55%), 14-41 (34%), and 26-109 (24%).
Dismal Defense: The Commanders allowed 440 total yards and 38 points, wrapping up the season ranked last in passing and total yards as well as points allowed. A vanishing pass rush (no sacks again), decimated by the midseason trades, finished the year with 39 sacks (26th in the NFL). But even before those moves the team coughed up 30+ points in five of their first eight games. Let’s see who comes back next year.
Special Situations: Tress Way had one 50-yard punt while his other punt was blocked. Joey Slye made his lone extra point attempt and kicked a 36-yard field goal. Joshua Pryor blocked a field-goal attempt to set up the team’s lone touchdown. Byron Pringle had three kickoff returns totaling 77 yards with a long of 29. Punt coverage allowed a four-yard return while kickoff coverage surrendered a 29-yarder.
Flying Flags: Four penalties for 39 yards with a two on offense (both false starts) and two on defense (both unnecessary roughness). The two false starts upped that total to 20 yards, most of any infractions this season. Benjamin St. Juste was not flagged Sunday but his nine penalties led the team in 2023. The most costly flag? Actually two of them. The two false starts came on consecutive snaps in the Cowboys’ red zone and moved what was a third-and-1 from the Dallas 16 into a third-and-10. Washington had to settle for a field goal for their final points of the season.
Digesting the Division: Dallas (12-5) takes the NFC East with a win and secures the No. 2 seed, while they would have backed into the title because Philadelphia (11-6) lost to the New York Giants. The Eagles get the No. 5 seed and a Wildcard Round matchup with Tampa Bay, bringing with them into the postseason the memory of a late-season slide that saw the club drop five of their final six games. The Giants (6-11) finish 13th in the conference and third in the division, while Washington (4-13) takes last place for the second straight year and 14th in the NFC.
Comparing the Quartets and Conferences: The AFC North (43-25) plants three teams in the playoffs and becomes the first division to have all four teams finish with winning records. If (and this will happen sooner or later) the playoffs expanded to eight teams per conference Cincinnati would have been the last team in. The NFC South (27-41) remain the division of depression while the NFC East (33-35) regressed late with a 6-14 combined mark after Nov. 30. The AFC wrapped up the interconference contest in Week 17.
In the Booth: Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen called their first Commanders game of the season, as the game was flip-flopped to CBS. So the winner in 2023 of doing the most Washington games goes to former Washington offensive lineman Mark Schlereth of FOX with four (he announced three with Adam Amin and one with Chris Myers during baseball’s playoffs). A close second is the CBS crew of Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber and Matt Ryan, who called three early games and hopefully have recovered.
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