The Washington Commanders took the field for the first time since January when they hosted the Carolina Panthers for their preseason opener Saturday.
With no joint practices, this marked Washington’s first look against opposing competition since the offseason started so it wasn’t overly surprising Ron Rivera’s group came out a little rusty and Carolina took an early lead.
When the dust settled, the Commanders fell short thanks to a 45-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez with under a minute left in regulation.
It’s important to know the preseason (largely) isn’t worth an overreaction unless a player suffers a major injury. Having said that, there were no shortage of noteworthy developments from Saturday. Let’s highlight some of them, shall we?
3 major observations from Commanders’ preseason opener
3. Third Down Defense Still a Concern?
Perhaps the Commanders’ greatest defensive flaw from last season was their inability to get off the field on third down. Believe it or not, Jack Del Rio’s group finished 31st in opponent third down percentage at 48.47 percent. Only the Chargers had a worse percentage and it was by a slim margin at 49.54 percent.
On the Panthers’ first drive they completed their first three third down attempts, which ultimately helped them get into field goal range and take a 3-0 lead. The lowlights included a wide open receiver on a crossing route and Danny Johnson getting beat in man coverage on third and long.
Luckily, Kendall Fuller saved the day with sticky coverage to limit Carolina to three points, but this drive wasn’t a sight for sore eyes, that’s for sure.
Yes, it’s only one preseason game, but it was a tad alarming that the Commanders’ first-team defense got sliced up by Baker Mayfield, who’s still learning Carolina’s playbook after they acquired him via trade a few weeks ago.
2. Antonio Gibson Flops, Brian Robinson Shines
It’s unclear if the Commanders view Brian Robinson as the future of their backfield, but the third-round pick out of Alabama looked the part on Saturday after Antonio Gibson fumbled on his second carry of the game.
We don’t know if we’re more psyched about Robinson or gutted for Gibson, who worked hard this offseason to rectify his fumbling woes. Unfortunately, though, the third-year running back had a lapse in concentration and had the rock, which wasn’t close enough to his body, punched loose on his way to the ground.
Like so many of Gibson’s fumbles from last season, this one came in Washington’s territory. Gifted with a short field, Carolina ultimately made Gibson pay in the form of a 19-yard touchdown from Sam Darnold to wideout Rashard Higgins.
To make matters worse for Gibson, he was benched for Robinson on the Commanders’ ensuing drive and the rookie looked … impressive. Regarded as a bruising, downhill back coming out of Alabama, Robinson displayed excellent patience and quick feet between the tackles and picked up multiple first downs.
It was almost fitting the rookie back capped the drive with a short touchdown; the first of his career and first in Commanders history.
Gibson better get his act together for the rest of camp and the preseason, because Robinson’s stock is on the rise after Saturday.
1. Carson Wentz Looked Good
No, Wentz didn’t set FedEx Field on fire in his limited snaps, but he checked all of the boxes Ron Rivera mentioned in his pre-game presser, including consistency in the huddle, success with the plays that were called and just an all-around comfortability in the new offense.
Across three drives, Wentz finished 10-of-13 for 74 yards. Again, nothing crazy but mistakes were avoided and Wentz didn’t try to do much. He took what the defense gave him and spread the ball around to several pass catchers.
While Armani Rogers was his favorite target early on (the undrafted tight end drew three early targets), he completed passes to Terry McLaurin for 16 yards, JD McKissic for 15 yards and connected with Curtis Samuel a few times.
Wentz didn’t have to throw multiple touchdowns for his debut to be considered a success. What matters is he looked in full control of the offense.
The only mistake we can recall from Wentz was a dangerous pass over the middle that got Dyami Brown blown up. Wentz shouldn’t have put his receiver in that situation and cameras appeared to show him apologizing to Brown
We didn’t get to see as much as Wentz as we wanted, but Commanders fans should have nothing but positive things to say about their new quarterback.