3 overreactions from Commanders’ ugly Week 2 loss to the Lions
By Jerry Trotta
The Washington Commanders generated playoff buzz after their thrilling comeback victory over Jacksonville in Week 1. Fast forward to Week 2 and the Commanders looked like a team in contention for a top 10 pick in next year’s draft … for the first half, anyway.
The Commanders deserve credit for making things interesting in the second half. The offense did its part and then some, but the defense started off strong before falling on its face, culminating in allowing D’Andre Swift to score a touchdown on 3rd and 15 after he fell over and missed several chances to bring him down.
While the second-half comeback was inspiring, Washington gave fans several reasons to be concerned moving forward. Whether it be from fans or the media, performances like the one you saw Sunday often lead to rash overreactions.
These don’t fall into the rash department, but we have our own batch of overreactions after Washington’s first loss of the year.
3 overreactions from Commanders loss to the Lions.
3. William Jackson III is a bust signing
Again, this is an overreaction. It’s not how we actually feel. But man, is Jackson trending dangerously close to bust territory. A solid man corner for the Bengals, Jackson was adamant that he’d rebound in his second season in Washington’s zone scheme. That’s … been anything but the case through two games.
In Week 1, Jackson allowed six catches on seven targets and Trevor Lawrence boasted a 100.6 passer rating when targeting him.
In Week 2, Jackson was involved in a miscommunication with Benjamin St-Just that allowed Amon-Ra St. Brown to break free for a huge gain. On the ensuing possession, St-Brown beat Jackson for a touchdown. It was a risky throw from Jared Goff, but St. Brown won the shoving match with Jackson, who lost this footing as the ball arrived.
It might be an organizational failure that Washington signed a man corner to play a zone defense, but Jackson hasn’t done his part adjusting. Plenty of season left, but Sunday was another lackluster showing from the $40.5 million corner.
Don’t fault any Commanders fans who think he’s a bust signing.