Well, I knew it would be close, but I did not expect that outcome. The Commanders lost to the Giants, 14 to 7, on Sunday in the Meadowlands. It was a disappointing loss but let’s dive into some things I saw during the game on Sunday and then later in the NFL All-22.
Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way. How do you expect to win a game when you let your quarterback get pressured constantly throughout the first half? Wylie, Cosmi, and Charles are all currently ranked in the top 5 when it comes to pressures allowed and Sunday did not help. Sam Howell was sacked 5 times in the first half and 6 times total in the game. Not to mention that every time he dropped back there seemed to be pressure in his face before he could set his feet to get the ball out. Now that is not only on the offensive line, but they deserve the most heat this week because they couldn’t block anyone in the first half. The rest of the blame goes to Eric Bienemy, not Sam Howell, because he continued to call pass plays that required Sam to take a 5 to 7 step drop backs, he called no screen plays or draw plays in the first half, and he didn’t help out his offensive line or QB by keeping his tight ends and running backs in to block until the second half. Also, Sam did a way better job this week throwing the ball away, when he had the chance, instead of taking more sacks. Whether you like it or not, that’s improvement. Now I know what you will all say, “Sam threw a pick”. Yes, he threw a pick, but it was a tipped pass, so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt because we don’t know what would have happened if the pass wasn’t tipped.
We played better in the second half, but I don’t understand why we don’t call more outside runs or jet sweeps. It seems like every week I am screaming at my TV for us to stop running the ball up the middle. I mean think about it. We are running the ball toward the strength of their defense, Dexter Lawerence and Leonard Williams. We did the same thing in Atlanta by running the ball towards Campbell and Jarrett. We need to run a more balanced offense and having Brian Robinson average 2.9 yards a carry is not going to be beneficial for us. So, I hope EB fixes this against Philadelphia because we need B-Rob's production.
The last thing I will talk about is Jahan Dotson. Look, I know the throw Sam made on 4th down was slightly behind him, but he still has to make that catch. The game was on the line, and it hit his hands. I wish I knew what was going on with Jahan this year because we all know the player he is and can become but this year he has dropped some passes that could have helped the offense tremendously. I still haven’t given up on him because I know he is going to come around, but I hope that’s sooner rather than later.
Next up, we have the Philadelphia Eagles here at FedEx Field. So, get your jerseys, overalls, hard hats or whatever you wear for gameday ready and show up to support the home team as we look to get this win.
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