5 first quarter plays that doomed Commanders in loss to Lions

After 23 minutes of football on Sunday, the Washington Commanders were trailing the Detroit Lions 22-0. How? Why? The Lions have one of the better young coaches in the league in Dan Campbell. They fought last season and stayed in games in which they were clearly overmatched. But this is still the team that went 3-13-1 in 2021.

It is also the team that defeated Washington back in 2020, in a game not unlike the one this past Sunday. Detroit dominated early, Washington fought back valiantly, and Detroit pulled it out late. The 2022 version of that game was not as close. Though Washington fought back, some bonehead plays and decisions late prevented a complete comeback.

And those first 23 minutes proved to be too massive a hole to dig out of.

What went wrong in those early minutes? Let’s focus on five key plays to understand.

3 first half plays that doomed Commanders in Week 2 loss

1. First quarter (10:18), 3rd and 3 from the Detroit 27

The score was tied after the first two series. Both teams had gone 3 and out. Washington’s defense actually looked great on the first series. They employed a five-man front, with the quick tackle Daniel Wise lining up over center, and Cole Holcomb as the only linebacker. Darrick Forrest, William Jackson III, and Jamin Davis (on as a blitzing linebacker on 3rd and long) all made plays. Sadly, that would not continue.

On Detroit’s second series, D’Andre Swift and Jamal Williams managed modest runs to set up a 3rd and 3. Then, Jared Goff found his number 1 receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown running free across the middle and hit him in stride. 49 yards later, Darrick Forrest finally ran him out of bounds.

This was a blown coverage, pure and simple. Both corners playing on the left, Jackson and St-Juste went with the outside receiver Josh Reynolds as he went deep. Kendall Fuller had coverage on the other side. Bobby McCain was on the tight end on a short cross. Forrest was playing 25 yards deep, also shading to the left on Reynolds.

So essentially, the Washington Commanders devoted three fifths of its secondary to covering Josh Reynolds on a fly pattern, leaving Detroit’s best receiver uncovered over the middle.

This is a mental mistake. All three players responsible for it are now in their second season with the Washington Commanders. I have remained optimistic about the talent in the secondary but I have to admit this game, and a play like this, is chipping away at that confidence. This defensive backfield, especially William Jackson III, continues to look lost.

Is that Jackson’s fault? Defensive backs coach Chris Harris’? Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio’s? As with most things, it’s probably a bit of everything. No matter whose fault it is, Washington would soon be trailing 3-0. That is in large part due to the fact that Jonathan Allen, Daniel Wise, Jamin Davis and Benjamin St-Juste all made pretty good plays to prevent Detroit from reaching the end zone.

See, this team does have the ability to pay good defense. It just doesn’t do it nearly consistently enough.

2. First quarter (6:22) 1st AND 10 from the Detroit 43

Washington’s offense stalled again and the special teams very nearly gave up a big return on the punt. Christian Holmes and Cam Sims allowed Kalif Raymond to split them and only a desperate tackle by Jeremy Reaves prevented a huge return (this would be a recurring problem).

It didn’t matter, because on the next play, D’Andre Swift, running behind a makeshift, injury-depleted line, abused Washington’s defense for a 50-yard run.

Jonathan Allen was clearly diminished in this game. He was not on the field as often as usual, and when he was, he was rarely the dominant interior presence we have come to expect.

But on this play, as on so many big runs against the Washington Commanders defense over the past two years, it was on the linebackers.

Swift ran right, and the line held up. But Cole Holcomb, who is being asked to play some sort of hybrid middle linebacker in a defensive scheme that seems in designed to put players in positions to fail, overran the play. Holcomb is overrunning plays on a regular basis these days. He had one of the worst 10-tackle games I have ever seen on Sunday, because most of those tackles came with him chasing down the play from behind.

I’ll say this again, and then I’ll stop (for at least five minutes.) Holcomb is a very good strongside linebacker who is being ruined by this coaching staff asking him to essentially become a super-do-everything linebacker. He cannot do that.

Case in point, his overrun on this play would not have been so egregious if Washington actually had another outside linebacker watching the backside. They do not. They have not had one since Jon Bostic’s injury a year ago. They have never addressed this problem.

On Swift’s run, rookie Percy Butler was essentially playing the role of weakside linebacker. He was obliterated by guard Dan Skipper. Skipper is a below-average fill-in. But if you let him block a defensive back – especially a rookie who was largely expected to be a special teamer this year – he’s just fine.

So Holcomb overran the gap. Butler was taken out. And once again, Darrick Forrest is left chasing after a free runner fifty years downfield. Once again, the defense stiffened near the goal line and held Detroit scoreless. But the field position proved key, as Washington would surrender a safety on the next series, and the first half rout was on.

3. First quarter (3:17), Free kick from the Washington 20

After the safety, Tress Way booted a 63-yard punt to the Detroit 17. Kalif Raymond fielded it. This time, Jeremy Reaves did not make a saving tackle.

Washington’s special teams were supposed to be improved this season. That comes with an overall increase in the talent level of the reserves. Last season, Ron Rivera clearly lost faith in longtime kicker Dustin Hopkins and replaced him. First there was the mind-boggling switch to Chris Blewitt, before eventually settling on Rivera’s kicker from his Carolina days, Joey Slye. (More on that later. No, on second thought, no more on that. You already know he missed a vital extra point late. No need to torture ourselves any further.)

Letting DeAndre Carter walk was a very questionable move. Dax Milne is not much of a kickoff returner, and though he may develop into a good punt returner, he is still very new and prone to making poor decisions.

Detroit, on the other hand, has a quality returner in Raymond. And Washington’s coverage team, which was supposed to be improved this season, is dangerously bad right now. On the free kick. Dyami Brown and Rachad Wildgoose both got blocked, allowing Raymond to split the initial wave.

Excuse me? Dyami Brown and Rachad Wildgoose? This is our improved coverage team? Brown is only playing special teams because there is nowhere else to put him. His future on this team is very much in doubt. And Wildgoose was a late signee – a small slot corner who the Commanders coaches obviously consider to be an improvement on quality special teamer Danny Johnson. Well, he sure wasn’t on this play.

With those players doing nothing to affect Raymond, he was free to beat David Mayo, and then –gasp – Tress Way. You could almost hear Raymond laughing as they flailed after him. Fifty yards later, Raymond was finally caught at the Washington 31. And three plays later, Jackson slipped in the end zone and St. Brown had an easy touchdown. 12-0.

4. First quarter (O:53), 2nd and 5 from the Washington 21

So far, we’ve just looked at the three big chunk plays given up by the defense and special teams. If you are a glass-half-full kind of fan, you can say these are anomalies. (REMINDER – if something keeps happening over and over, the term “anomaly” no longer applies.) This is a small, largely inconsequential offensive play, but it says something very important about this team right now.

After a decent Antonio Gibson run on first down, Washington ran Gibson again on a sweep right. The right side of the line, tackle Sam Cosmi and guard Trai Turner pulled on the play. Detroit played it well. They strung Gibson out, running him out of bounds with a one-yard loss.

Watch that play again and here’s what you’ll see. 320-pound Trai Turner getting knocked on his butt by 230-pound linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez. Even worse, the young, strong, athletic Cosmi utterly incapable of handling 206-pound cornerback Will Harris. Gibson was run out of bounds because two Lion defenders, each giving up about 100 pounds to the Commanders’ blockers, won their battles handily.

Remember earlier when I said even a journeyman backup like Dan Skipper could block a defensive back on a run play? Well, apparently the Washington Commanders’ starters cannot do that.

The Commanders line played very poorly in the entire first half. Both tackles, Cosmi and Charles Leno Jr, had arguably their worst games as Commanders. And we’re beginning to see why Trai Turner was so quickly jettisoned by Pittsburgh after one season. He is not the answer at right guard. If Wes Schweitzer is unavailable, it’s time to turn the spot over to Saahdiq Charles.

To be fair, the line blocked much better in the second half. But that is at least partially due to the fact that Detroit rookie Aiden Hutchinson was clearly hobbled in the second half. When he was healthy in the first half, Washington’s offensive line looked helpless.

5. First quarter (0:01), 1st and 10 from the Detroit 42

It looked like Washington would get out of that horrific first quarter. But not before one final chunk play. This was fairly simple. Josh Reynolds simply beat Kendall Fuller. Fuller is playing soft, even 20 yards downfield. Normally, a corner of Fuller’s ability, would be able to make a break on a deep out like this. But Fuller is so far off – again, 20 YARDS DOWNFIELD – that it is a relatively easy throw and catch. Cole Holcomb picks up a tackle by hustling downfield and catching Reynolds from behind. That’s good, because Fuller, like the rest of the defensive backfield, looks so out of it right now, that he was on the verge of allowing Reynolds to juke right past him.

Washington would hold Detroit to another field goal here, but on the next drive, Reynolds would get his touchdown when he ran by a totally discombobulated Darrick Forrest for an easy score. I’m not sure how a professional defensive back allows a receiver to simply sprint past him from the 3-yard line, but there obviously is a way, and the Washington Commanders found it.

One more thing about the long pass to Reynolds that ended the first quarter. Montez Sweat got a decent push on the play. I thought Sweat was the only defensive player who had a decent game on Sunday. But it is clear that without Chase Young and with a depleted Jonathan Allen, this defensive line, the supposed strength of the team, is a problem – not an answer. They are getting nothing from any of the other ends. Daron Payne makes some plays, but without Allen next to him, he is not nearly as effective.

OK, so 23 minutes in and it’s 22-0. Again, for you pollyannas out there, Washington won the rest of the game 27-14. Too bad it doesn’t work that way.