3 overreactions from Commanders’ ugly Week 2 loss to the Lions

1. Jack Del Rio should be fired

Look, the defense can only underperform so much before heads must roll and Washington’s defense underachieving under Del Rio’s tutelage is nothing new. The Week 1 performance against Jacksonville was a worrying sign for things to come and Week 2’s defeat against the Lions confirmed those concerns.

Big plays once again victimized the Commanders defense Sunday after the Jaguars compiled eight explosive plays in Week 1. A hobbled D’Andre Swift logged a 50-yard run and Amon-Ra St. Brown, whom Del Rio will surely have nightmares about for the rest of the season, breaking free for a monster gain on a simple crossing pattern. Those are just two examples.

The bottom line is Del Rio’s unit made zero adjustments after the opener.

In 2021, Washington finished 25th in points per game, 31st in opponent third-down conversion rate and 22nd in total yards per game. The only improvement we’ve seen has been on third down, but two games is a really small sample size.

We hate to call for someone’s job, but Del Rio entered 2022 on the hot seat and Washington’s defense has looked just as bad as last year. Yes, the unit rebound in the second half, but only initially as St-Brown ripped a 58-yard run on an end-around before Swift converted a 3rd and 15 for a touchdown after falling down. When all was said and done, the Lions hung 36 points and 425 total yards on Del Rio’s group.

How many more sloppy defensive performances do we have to watch before Del Rio is held accountable?

Asking for every disgruntled Commanders fan.