The Washington Commanders are now 0-2 in the preseason after falling to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Saturday afternoon. In the simplest of terms, it wasn’t the performance Ron Rivera and Co. were hoping for. If this was a regular season game, the Chiefs would’ve blown the doors off Washington.
That’s how much the Commanders’ starters were out-played.
Of course, just because the team as a whole disappointed doesn’t mean some players didn’t shine bright in hostile territory. Let’s bring back the postgame studs and duds from last year and highlight Washington’s best and worst performers.
Commanders studs and duds from Week 2 preseason loss
Stud: Brian Robinson
A fitting first-time stud, Robinson got the start after his eye-opening preseason debut and continued running hard. He was treated like a starter and came out after the second-team, which included Antonio Gibson, entered the game.
Like Week 1, the Chiefs needed multiple defenders to wrestle Robinson to the ground. The third-round pick out of Alabama manufactured consistent positive yardage even when he had minimal room to work with and finished the afternoon with 31 yards on eight carries for a respectable 3.9 yards per attempt.
Dud: Kam Curl
This will likely be the only time Curl will show up as a dud. However, the ever-consistent safety was picked apart by Mahomes in the first half. Curl was unfortunate to give up a touchdown to Jody Fortson, as Mahomes went scorched earth on the play, but he gave up a long third down earlier in the drive.
Better days are ahead for Curl, who was one of Washington’s best defensive performers last season, but Saturday was a rough day at the office.
Stud: Jahan Dotson
Dotson didn’t light up the box score, but he notched his first NFL catch after going target-less against the Panthers. On Washington’s first pass attempt, Carson Wentz hit Dotson on a tunnel screen and the rookie made a nice cutback upfield and followed his blockers to pick up the first down.
The play was an encapsulation of Dotson’s ability to operate on the perimeter and in the slot. Expect the Commanders to get more creative with their first-round pick during the regular season.
Stud: Cam Sims
Commanders fans held their breath when Sims got popped on a crossing route late in the second quarter. The fifth-year receiver stayed down and was tended to by trainers, but stayed in the game and caught a touchdown in the back of the end zone two plays later. No reason to think the 6-foot-5, 220-pound WR can’t be a red zone factor for Wentz this year … that is if the coaching staff actually uses him.
Dud: Entire First-Team Defense
We’d be here for hours if we highlighted every defender who underperformed, so we’re throwing everyone in the pot. That’s not to say there weren’t a few standouts, but the starting defense offered no resistance vs the Chiefs’ first-team.
In mid-season form, Mahomes navigated around pressure with ease and picked apart Washington’s secondary to the tune of finishing 12-of-19 for 162 yards and two touchdowns to zero interceptions. To make matters worse, Mahomes converted all of his third-down tries before he was pulled.
Brutal showing from the Commanders’ starters.
Stud: Taylor Heinicke
Heinicke needed a bounce-back game after his lousy showing vs Carolina and he admirably did just that. On his first drive, the fan favorite quarterback went 8-of-10 for 78 yards and a TD while targeting five different receivers. Perhaps this performance will cool the Sam Howell hype, as the rookie QB tossed an interception and held onto the football a little too long for our liking against Kansas City.
Dud: Return Game
Ron Rivera expressed his disappointment with the return game in Week 1 as the group struggled to get beyond the 20-yard line against Carolina. Those struggles were front and center Saturday. Antonio Gibson and Alex Erickson each totaled 17 yards on their returns and Kyric McGowan managed just 13 on his before Matt Cole compiled 26 yards on his lone return in garbage time.
Anyone else miss DeAndre Carter?
Stud: Kendall Fuller, Montez Sweat
OK, we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge Washington’s standout defensive players. Fuller applied sticky coverage in his limited reps, including an outstanding diving breakup on a Mahomes deep ball to the end zone. Sweat, on the other hand, generated consistent pressure and drew a holding penalty. His contributions will get overshadowed by the defense’s dud performance.
N/A: Carson Wentz
We would’ve liked to see more from Wentz in what was likely his final preseason action (Ron Rivera didn’t play starters in Week 3 last year), but there was no sense keeping him in there after Kansas City pulled its starters.
In two games, Wentz is 16-of-22 for 138 yards and zero touchdowns or interceptions. He made some plays (an 18-yarder to Terry McLaurin between the numbers) and missed some; taking a killer sack on 3rd and 5 that knocked Washington out of field goal range, but he’s the least of the team’s concerns right now.