Washington Football Team: Studs and duds in Week 3 loss vs. Browns

Dud No. 3 – Washington’s run defense

In fairness, the Washington Football Team’s run defense looked very good early on. Nick Chubb only got six yards on his first five carries, and when Cleveland tried to feed him early, they only found themselves coming up short of the fifty-yard line.

Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, and Montez Sweat all contributed to that early success, giving up minimal space to opposing offensive linemen. But as the game went on, and as Washington got worn down by offensive inconsistency and the attritional resilience of the Browns’ front, Cleveland started to find more running room.

Toward the end, when Washington was still in it, but on their way out, Cleveland’s running game hit its stride, and the defense wasn’t able to make stops when necessary. In total, the Browns rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries, good for a healthy average of 4.2. Chubb had 108 yards on 19 attempts, and 102 yards on 13 attempts after his slow start.

It wasn’t just Washington’s line that softened over the course of the game; without Chase Young, the edge wasn’t set as strongly on outside runs, and linebackers failed to navigate through blockers reaching the second level. The safeties, particularly Landon Collins, took uninspiring angles and at times missed altogether. It was a perfect storm for Chubb to succeed, and in the future, other teams might notice and wear Washington down in a similar way.