The Commanders played horrible football in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. They spotted a beat-up and beaten down Eagles squad 10 points with inexcusable mistakes.
To Washington’s credit, they tightened up after that. The defense locked Philly down and the offense started moving the ball well enough to at least get a steady dose of field goals.
Philly on third down: 5-for-15. Good for Washington’s defense. Commanders on third down: 5-for-13. Meh.
Washington rattled
off 27 unanswered points after a slot start, which is a win no matter how you slice it. That’s why the Commanders ended up with a 27-10 victory – let’s be real honest here, the Eagles suuuuuuck right now – in a game that keeps them in the NFC East race.
Let’s grade out this individual performance in this Week 8 Commanders report card:
Rushing offense
The Commanders reached 135 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Every yard counts the same, but 33 of those came in garbage time, when Rachaad White busted loose for an explosive run with the game already put to bed. Take that run away and White averages 2.0 yards per carry. Yuck. Austin Ekeler was the night’s best runner, and Philly seems commited to keeping Jayden Daniels in the pocket. There’s some concern about Jeremy McNichols’ health (again). That ain’t good. Take that White explosive away and they’re under four yards per carry.
Sam Cosmi said he loved the commitment to the run. That was key, but it needs to be better.
Grade: B-minus
Passing offense
Daniels started slow. He was 4-for-11 for 26 yards in the first quarter. He was 12-for-18 for 191 yards and a touchdown after that. So, you know, better. Chig Okonkwo responded well after an early fumble, Treylon Burks led the team with 81 yards on just three catches and Antonio Williams have five catches for 54 yards on a team-high seven targets. And, of course, Stefon Diggs had a huge touchdown catch.
Let’s also shout out to right guard Sam Cosmi, who was lights out against Jalen Carter and the Eagles defensive front.
Grade: First quarter: F Last three quarters: B
Rushing defense
Let’s be real clear here. Saquon Barkley wasn’t right. The SNF broadcast crew pointed out that he never sat and was constantly trying to get right and go back in. He didn’t have it and averaged 2.3 yards per carries despite having an early touchdown. Part of that if Philly being a mess up front. Part of that is a Commanders defensive line that played well even without Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw. Eagles running backs averaged just 2.7 yards per carry.
Sonny Styles was everywhere and Frankie Luvu was solid. The game ball, here, goes to the Commanders defensive line.
Grade: A
Passing defense
Coach speak will tell you good pass defense is a combination of rush and coverage. On Sunday, the pass-rush pulled some serious weight. Blitzes were getting home quite often, but so many one-on-one matchups were won to produce five sacks and eight quarterback hits. Charles Omenihu was on another level Sunday night and Shy Tuttle stepped up big. K’Lavon Chaisson had some costly penalties but was all around the quarterback.
Also. Trey Amos had an interception negated by penalty and nearly had another, but he had a deep-shot PBU that might’ve been his best play of the game. He makes the Commanders secondary so much better. That’s also true with Nick Cross on the back end, leading the team in tackles.
Grade: A
Special teams
Luke McCaffrey was a tone setter in the return game, on the opening drive with a 44-yard kick return and with a 27-yard punt return. The Eagles stayed away from him after all that. Both plays were huge in this game.
Kicker Drew Stevens missed a field goal attempt but was integral in this one. He converted four field-goal attempts from 56, 39, 25 and 42 yards to close out this victory when too many Commanders drives ended without a touchdown. Tyler Owens had an ill-timed penalty, but that was the only blemish on a special teams unit that provided a real spark.
Grade: A-minus
Coaching
We’ve given Dan Quinn and coordinators David Blough and Daronte Jones the business in this space thus far. It was all justified. These three were bad during a 1-4-1 start. And it wasn’t just Quinn. After a rough first quarter, things got a lot better.
Jones’ pressures got home. Quinn kept things together after a brutal beginning. And Daniels credited Blough with getting calls in earlier and allowing him to dissect things at the line of scrimmage. That’s a win.
The continued penalties are not. But, despite the bleak nature of this season’s start (and some coaching issues contributing to it), this team is still fighting.
Grade: B
How would you grade each phase of the Commanders game in a Week 8 win over the Philadelpha Eagles? Let us know in the comments below:
