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On an afternoon the Washington Commanders’ offense was missing four starters, including quarterback Jayden Daniels, it was the defense that had issues in a 34-27 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons delivered big plays, including passes for 43 and 69 yards, while extending drives when it mattered (three straight third down conversions on a key fourth quarter possession).
Four games into the regular season, Washington’s defense ranks near the bottom of the league in stopping the pass, and it won’t get any easier in October, with games against quarterbacks Justin Herbert, Caleb Williams, Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes.
First Down: The offense is far from blameless in this one, as it ran just five plays from scrimmage in the first quarter while the Falcons took a 10-0 lead. Marcus Mariota averaged fewer than 10 yards per completion, with the offense desperately missing the secondary-stretching abilities of Terry McLaurin.
Even when the Commanders were moving the ball in the third quarter, Washington traded field goals for touchdowns and went from down seven to trailing by 15.
Second Down: The Chargers were one of four unbeaten teams to lose Sunday, along with San Francisco, Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. Two unbeatens remain as Philadelphia continues its charmed life after posting its fourth win by a touchdown or less this season, while Buffalo’s four wins are against teams that are off to a 1-13 combined start.
Looking up Interstate 95, the Ravens are 1-3 for the first time since 2015, and quarterback Lamar Jackson is dealing with hamstring issues. Inside the NFC East, the New York Giants (1-3) win Jaxson Dart’s first career start and Dallas (1-2-1) posts the first 40-40 tie in NFL history.
Third Down: Washington moved the chains once on eight opportunities, with Marcus Mariota completing one of four passes for zero conversions. He scrambled to move the chains once but also took one third down sack. Chris Rodriguez failed to reach the marker on his two third down carries. The top target? I guess it was Deebo Samuel as he was the only receiver to make a third down catch.
Yardage breakdown: 0-2 when needing fewer than four yards and 1-6 when needing more than six. It’s not a good thing when 75% of your third downs are long yardage.
Flag on the Play: Washington committed 11 penalties, six of which were accepted (one was offsetting, another occurred on the same play as another infraction and three were declined). Seven of the penalties were on offense, three were on defense and one was on special teams.
Marshon Lattimore’s defensive hold that was declined gave the cornerback a team-high four flags through four games, while offensive/special teams holding has garnered the most whistles (eight) through four games.
The most costly penalty? A false start on Zach Ertz that turned a third and two from the 29 into a third and four from the 34. Washington would settle for a field goal instead of tying the game up and the Falcons would reach the end zone twice on their next three possessions.
Fourth Down: Washington drew the No. 2 CBS crew of Ian Eagle and J.J. Watt for its game with Atlanta, and this week the Commanders head back to FOX for a 4:25 p.m. game with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The other game in that window is Detroit-Cincinnati, so I wouldn’t be shocked to see Burkhardt-Brady in the booth for the second time in five games. And if not, Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez are the regular secondary late pairing.
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