The NFL gives us a couple of notable Mondays. One is the notorious “Black Monday” that comes after the last game of the season. Coaching staffs are unceremoniously taken to the curb. Some get recycled, most go to the trash bin. Many of them continue to get paid by the people firing them. In a game of win or lose the penalty for losing is swift in coming. The other notable Monday is after the first slate of games in the season. That’s known as “Overreaction Monday.” Fanbases are either searching for Super Bowl tickets and accommodations or are already resigned to depression. After 25 years of angst and despair the veneer of hope over the WFT fanbase is never going to be more than an Angstrom thick. So, it was no surprise that the loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was regarded by many as “Same Old, Same Old.”
It’s a logical reaction. The hope was that new ownership, new management, and a new coaching staff would ignite the moribund franchise. Not all fires burn brightly at the onset. This crew has shown a penchant for patience. It will need to lean heavily on it. Ron Rivera orchestrated a drafting operation that was about as awful as one could imagine. The former Head Coach selected 33 players over four years. Only thirteen remain. Last year’s #1 pick is in jeopardy of either being relegated to insignificance or simply being released. The roster overhaul removed half of last year’s team. Expect similar bloodletting next year. Anyone thinking this would be an instant rise from worst-to-first should have had that bubble burst last Sunday.
In Search of Defense
Every team, yes, every team has holes. Washington’s happen to be big ones. Time after time the two stud Defensive Tackles pushed Tampa’s interior line back to the QB. It was the reverse of the conventional “Pocket.” Edge rushers did little to assist. That gave Baker Mayfield escape lanes which he fully utilized. He didn’t throw in rhythm often. But, the extended plays were extremely effective. Washington stayed in Cover-3 most of the day. WFT’s coverages on timing throws was good. But, when Mayfield extended the play, much like Aaron Rodgers did in his prime, the cornerbacks got abused. The dilemma for Joe Whitt Jr was that sending Linebackers on dogs opened up the short crossers and dig routes because the inside help for the Corners would be upfield. When the corners are bad, and the Edge rushers are poor you get what you saw on Sunday from the Defense.
Washington blitzed Mayfield 15 times. He threw 10 of 13 for 137 yards, two touchdowns, and a QB rating of 152.6. The blitz got home once for a sack. This is going to be the conundrum going forward: Rush four and slowly bleed out? Or blitz, leave the underwhelming Corners on islands, and then bleed out quickly. Of course, it takes a competent opposing QB to punish the Defense. Blitzing Patrick Mahomes is completely insane, for example. But, low-tier QBs like Daniel Jones are another matter.
Kicking Where it Hurts
Open tryouts for a place kicker may be a Tuesday staple for this team. Pittsburgh won a game where Chris Boswell made six of six field goals with three of them from over 50-yards. It was their only scoring. In his nine-year career he has only had two years with less than a 90% success rate. And, that coming with a home field notorious for being unkind to Kickers. Surely Adam Peters has a lamp somewhere in his office that he rubs often wishing for someone similarly successful in Burgundy and Gold. Field Goals do have some momentum associated with them. It’s not so much the positive bounce received from a good kick, it’s the letdown of a missed one. Don’t underestimate the importance of that first missed kick when the game was still there in front of them.
Offensive Fits and Starts
As for the Offense, there were 20 points put on the board. There were ten games last year with that production or more. For grins let’s say the two Field Goals were good and Dan Quinn opted for a one-point conversion at the end. That’s 27 points. There were only four games last year with that many. So, the Offense was not dazzling. But, it was not atrocious either. As expected Todd Bowles threw the kitchen sink and all the plumbing at the rookie Jayden Daniels. He went 5 for 9 for 22 yards, was sacked twice, and had a QB rating of 69.2 against the blitz. What really mattered was that he threw no interceptions.
Daniels’ sixteen runs garnered the most attention. Kliff Kingsbury said that “…about half” of those were by design. For a rookie in his first-ever real-speed game this was about what one may have hoped for; decent decision-making, ball protection, and a few scores. It’s more than the other two rookies did in their games. Caleb Williams’ offense didn’t score a TD. Bo Nix threw 42 passes for 132 yards (3.1 yards/attempt), no TDs, AND two picks. Daniels held his own. Improvement in reads and progressions comes next. It won’t come overnight.
What really killed the team last week was third down. Washington went 2 for 9. Tampa went 9 for 13. Numbers like that grind a Defense into dust.
A Winnable Game
The fates are occasionally kind. After last week the focus shifts to the next opponent. New York’s Giants, celebrating their 100th anniversary are coming to town Last week they got boat-raced by the Minnesota Vikings 48-6. Sam Darnold had a career day. This looks like a turkey shoot from a distance. It more than likely won’t be.
Giants’ teams have played Washington well historically. Overall the series sits at 108-71-5 in favor of New York. In the last 10 years the series is 13-6-1 also in favor of the G-men. They tend to save their best games for the WFT. Along the Defensive front is where the real talent is on the visitors. Dexter Lawrence is terrific. Brian Burns came over from Carolina at Outside LB. He’s a “Blue” player. But, the guy to watch is #5 Kayvon Thibodeaux. Last year, in two games against Washington he had 9 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 5 hits on the QB, and 2 passes defended. He dons the Superman cape for Big Blue when the opposition is wearing the “W” on the helmet.
Daniel Jones, the Giants QB is just plain gawdawful. If he looks good against the WFT Defense, pull the shoulder straps tight. It would mean a rough ride is on tap.
Expect a tight game.
New York Giants vs. Washington Commanders
Date: Sunday, Sept. 15
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Northwest Stadium, Landover, MD
Channel: FOX
Announcers: Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth, Jen Hale
