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The Washington Commanders’ preseason raised concerns for everyone, it seemed, except the Washington Commanders. Their third-down defense was the worst in the NFL, their secondary was gashed for big play after big play, and their pass rush prompted questions about who could fill in for Chase Young on the edge.
But, often to the chagrin of the fan base, coordinator Jack Del Rio and Coach Ron Rivera preached patience. The players did, too.
“It’ll clean up,” safety Bobby McCain assured.
Seven games into the season, McCain has proved to be right. Amid Washington’s offensive inconsistency, its defense has steadily improved, even amid injuries to key players. Just as in past years, the crux of Washington’s defense is the line, but this year the Commanders haven’t depended solely on the guys up front to carry the load. That has made a difference.
The Green Bay Packers were 0 for 6 on third down in their 23-21 loss Sunday, the first time in more than five years that Washington didn’t allow a conversion. The Commanders now rank second in the league in opponent third-down conversion percentage (29.5), a massive leap from their ranking of 31st last season (48.5).
“A big part has obviously been how we’ve played on first and second down, not being in third and shorts as much but being more in a third and medium to third and long,” Rivera said Monday. “I think that helps. Obviously, it helps with the pass rush.”
Last season, no defense fell into third and short (four yards or fewer to go) more than Washington’s, which averaged more than six such plays per game. In seven games this season, it has averaged just four.
In the offseason, the Commanders were concerned with finding a reliable fill-in for Young and solving the defense’s penchant for allowing big plays. With Young still sidelined as he recovers from an ACL tear (he could return in the coming weeks), the Commanders have relied primarily on 2020 seventh-round pick James Smith-Williams and a backup rotation of Casey Toohill and Efe Obada on the edge.
The results have perhaps exceeded expectations.
Throughout the preseason and early in the regular season, Rivera preached rush responsibility. When players freelanced or got out of their lanes, the pressure dissipated and mobile quarterbacks were able to escape the pocket easily. That was the case for much of last season and throughout the preseason. But Washington’s line has been in sync this year, running rush games to create even more pressure and, at times, split double teams.
“We have been able to contain in our gaps, and … for the most part, those guys get vertical and get the … push they need,” Rivera said Sunday. “I know today they did not get a sack, but if you watch them, they affect the quarterback. And if they can do that, that’s a huge plus.”
More significant: The Commanders can create pressure without allocating more resources up front. Against Green Bay, they blitzed just once — on the Packers’ last play, when they used three laterals in a last-gasp attempt to score.
“I think you know what it tells you: They didn’t need to,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “That’s what they thought: The rush could get home, and they pressured enough and were covered on the back end. … They ran man coverage maybe one or two times. It was all two-highs, some match, occasional drop-down safety, but they didn’t really do a whole lot.”
Washington has 56 quarterback hits, tied for the most in the league. The Commanders’ 36.5 percent pressure rate ranks sixth, and they’re one of only two teams to have three defensive linemen with at least 20 pressures. End Montez Sweat leads the way with 27, and tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne have 22 and 20, according to TruMedia.
Elsewhere, the emergence of several young players has bolstered the secondary and created a more consistent marriage between the rush and coverage.
Second-year safety Darrick Forrest showed a marked improvement in training camp and then had a career showing in the season-opening win as Kam Curl was nursing a thumb injury. And second-year cornerback Benjamin St-Juste, who missed most of last season because of concussions, has developed into one of the team’s most promising players, so much so the Commanders benched William Jackson III for him.
Curl is the centerpiece, a Swiss army knife who can play both safety spots, move into the slot, drop down as a linebacker and even shift outside to cornerback. His presence gives Washington an edge that no other player can provide, and his return after missing the first two games sparked a noticeable difference: Washington allowed 7.5 yards per rush without Curl but only 3.7 in the five games since he returned.
“He has kind of a calming influence on the group, I think,” Rivera said. “He’s so reliable, and his communication is so strong. His understanding of what we’re doing is so strong.”
The result is a more coordinated defense that communicates well and can adjust on the fly.
With pressure up front, sound play from linebackers Cole Holcomb and Jamin Davis, and stout coverage on the back end, the Commanders didn’t allow a play of 40 or more yards Sunday — a first this season. The longest play was the Packers’ last one, the lateral-filled desperation attempt that covered 33 yards before they fumbled out of bounds.
“I do like the way Jack is using the personnel groupings that we have,” Rivera said. “He does a great job of mixing those personnel groupings, whether it’s four down [linemen] with two linebackers; it’s four down with one linebacker; it’s four down with two linebackers in a Buffalo [package with three safeties]; it’s four down, two linebackers and a nickel.”
The Commanders’ defense has come up with critical stops, including two to preserve a win at Chicago in Week 6. But it’s hardly a finished product, and takeaways continue to elude the group. The Commanders have forced just four, tied with Las Vegas for the fewest in the league.
Asked about that late last month, Rivera again showed his faith that the situation would improve.
“[Turnovers come] in bunches,” he said. “… Those are all the things that you talk about, you work on. And, again, it’s one of those things that, when they happen, they happen.”