It was depressing to watch Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota get injured early in the first quarter and not be able to return to the game. Rookie Athan Kaliakmanis did the best he could under the circumstances, but he led only one drive that resulted in points for the Commanders.
Washington’s defense at least kept things competitive for the first half. However, things completely changed in the second half. While the Commanders scored their only touchdown of the game, the Indianapolis Colts put up 20 points to win in a dominant fashion, 30-13.
After the game, rookie linebacker Sonny Styles didn’t think the defense was worn out in the second half. But he also said you couldn't feel the fire and energy as much in the second half.
“I
didn’t feel like I wore down,” Styles said via Martenzie Johnson of The Washington Sun. “I don’t feel like the defense got worn down, but it’s just consistency. I think we just started really fast. You felt the fire. You felt the energy. Second half, maybe not as much.”
Washington’s defense was definitely different in the second half, even though time of possession was nearly equal between the Commanders and the Colts. What proved to be costly for Washington was its inability to capitalize on the two turnovers the defense generated early in the game. They only scored three points off those turnovers, and if they could have each turned into touchdowns instead, this game could have been a lot different, and maybe the defense could have carried that fire into the second half.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Sonny Styles breaks down Commanders' second-half defensive performance
