Well, that didn’t go according to script.
The Commanders worked with a rookie quarterback in Athan Kaliakmanis for most of Sunday’s game, so it’s no shock that Washington suffered a 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Tottenham Stadium in London.
That doesn’t describe everything that happened on Sunday, and this report card is an opportunity to discuss different facets of the game and how Washington fared on a granular level.
Let’s go into that here, after things went sideways from an injury perspective
and after the Colts were able to wear the Commanders down and send Washington to a disappointing 1-3 start to the season.
Rushing offense
The Commanders started this game without Rachaad White (shoulder) exposing Bill Croskey-Merritt and his influence on this season as a feature back. What we saw was not encouraging. He finished with 15 yards on nine carries (1.7 ypc). I mean, yikes. We know the line factors into the equations here, but Austin Ekeler averaged 7.3 yards per carry on four rushes. Overall, the run game wasn’t good. But Croskey-Merritt’s sophomore slump is on. Sure seems like he’s going to start losing carries, especially when White returns.
Grade: D
Passing offense
We aren’t grading on a curve here, but we’re adjusting grades based on quarterback expectations. With that in mind, Athan Kaliakmanis did just fine considering the circumstances. He completed roughly half his passes and seemed comfortable tossing it deep, almost over the natural flow of the offense. That’s a complete difference from how David Blough’s likes to run, and the pass operation wasn’t great at times. The Commanders clearly missed Terry McLaurin in this situation, and Stefon Diggs wasn’t ideal on this day as a marked man, with nine targets and just five catches. Also, Chig Okonkwo was virtually invisible. To this early point, he’s not the dominant force the Commanders paid for.
Grade: C-plus
Rushing defense
The Commanders entered Week 4 as one of the NFL’s top run defenses, and for good reason. They held Jonathan Taylor to just 4.0 yards per carry in the first half, which is a relative win. The overall totals look worse, with him totaling 95 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
The defense just looked worn down at the end of this one, when it got out of hand. The injury to Charles Omenihu should not be discounted in this effort. Overall, defense should be graded independent of what happens offensively. We still this is a good run defense. The game just got into a situation where the Colts could run a ton and the yardage totals got out of hand.
Grade: C
Passing defense
The Commanders are starting to sort the secondary out and realize that Mike Sainristil is unplayable. Colts quarterback Daniels Jones was just 19-for-34 for 143 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Cornerback Amik Robertson continues to show that he’s the best bargain in football, with nine tackles and a pass defenses. Rasul Douglas had a pick and the linebacker corps looked just fine while watching the game live. Daron Payne had a spur in his saddle, too.
Grade: B
Special teams
The injury to Jaylin Lane (ankle) is going to be a big one, even if it only influences the special teams. Drew Stevens seems to be fine. Tress Way dropped three of five punts inside the 20, which has become (somehow) ho-hum.
Grade: B
Coaching
We’re sure a vote of confidence in Dan Quinn and the coordinators he hired won’t be welcome after a loss that puts the Commanders at 1-3 and where Washington gave up 30-plus points for the third time in four weeks, but it’s clear that the culture and the schemes remain strong. The talent and the execution is not great. We generally deal in As or Fs here based upon the result, but coaching kept this team afloat and should continue to do so without Daniels and an unreal number of injured players.
Grade: B
How would you grade the Commanders performance on Sunday? Give us your letter grades for the Commanders performance in the article comments below.
