Biggest duds from Week 3 as Commanders get steamrolled by Eagles

Well, that wasn’t fun. A week after falling down 22-0 in the first half to Detroit, the Washington Commanders dug themselves a 24-0 halftime deficit against the Eagles in Week 3; one that extended well into the third quarter.

The stats won’t favor the Commanders’ defense, but they gave the offense a chance in the first half before Jalen Hurts and DeVonta smith caught fire and put the game out of reach late in the second quarter. Unfortunately, Carson Wentz had no time to throw and was absolutely rattled after a couple of early takedowns.

This wasn’t the performance you’d expect from a team that was just handed a humbling home defeat. Washington was back home against (arguably) its foremost rival and laid an egg. We’re so deflated that we don’t even feel like highlighting players who came to play Sunday. Strictly duds after this one, folks.

Biggest duds from Commanders demoralizing loss to the Eagles

Dud: New OL signings and entire OL

We feared the Commanders would have trouble weathering the storm of the Eagles’ interior defensive line and those fears were realized, as Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave and rookie Jordan Davis wreaked havoc against their counterparts.

More specifically, Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner, the guards Washington signed this offseason to replace Brandon Scherff and Ereck Flowers, were not up to the challenge, surrendering consecutive sacks on the Commanders’ second drive.

This rep from Turner was especially alarming, but the entire offensive line deserves criticism for giving Wentz zero time to throw in this one.

Dud: Ron Rivera (game management)

Look, Rivera and his staff deserve credit for their game plan. The D had Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense out of sync early. Of course, there’s more that entails a head coach’s job than game-planning and Rivera has now made a puzzling game management decision in each of Washington’s first three games.

In Week 1, he burned a timeout with a challenge that had no chance. In Week 2, his decision to go for two in the fourth quarter backfired and saw the Commanders without a chance to tie the game late after Joey Slye missed a field goal.

On Sunday, Rivera didn’t get his challenge flag out fast enough after replayed showed DeVonta Smith failed to get both feet in bounds on a deep reception. The Eagles went hurry up and ran a play before Rivera’s flag came out. Rivera was incensed that the refs didn’t give him the challenge, but he’s got to be more decisive.

Dud: Carson Wentz

Wentz’s offensive line did him zero favors. It quickly became apparent, however, that he got happy feet in the pocket after a couple early sacks. He never looked sure of himself when the pocket collapsed and was far to reckless with the football on his second-quarter fumble that preluded an Eagles touchdown to make it 10-0.

Replay shows Wentz had two hands on the ball, but Brandon Graham jarred the ball loose by simply wrapping him up for a sack. Wentz has to be more conscientious of his surroundings when opposing defenses generate pressure.

Fumble aside, it was a brutal day for Wentz. You’d expect a quarterback with his experience to be more poised in the face of pressure. After the first couple drives he rushed his progressions and was often throwing off his back foot.

Dud: Kam Curl

Curl definitely had some bright moments — a third down stop on a Jalen Hurts scramble with Philly leading 10-0 chief among them — but he whiffed badly on Dallas Goedert’s catch-and-run touchdown in the second quarter.

Instead of wrapping Goedert up by the legs, Curl lunged in with his shoulder and the Eagles tight end dodged him like a practice dummy before dashing towards the end zone. Curl’s long been one of the most sound tacklers on Washington’s defense, but he looked silly on this play and his team paid the practice.

Need better effort and composure here.

Dud: Rachad Wildgoose

We’re not going to ramble on with Wildgoose. Making his first career NFL start, Hurts and the Eagles smartly tested Wildgoose’s discipline on deep balls. Unsurprisingly, the young corner was flagged twice for defensive pass interference that helped move the chains for Philly. You’re certainly right to question why he was even in a position to start this game in the first place.

Dud: Kendall Fuller

The roast continues with Fuller. Typically a model of consistency in the Commanders’ inconsistent secondary, Fuller has been anything but that to start the year. In Week 1, Christian Kirk had his number. In Week 2, he was beaten several times by Lions receivers and in Week 3 DeVonta Smith (and AJ Brown on occasion) took his lunch money.

Luckily for Fuller, PFF’s player grades wont come out until Monday. Our guess is he allowed close to 100 yards and a handful of receptions.

Stud: Benjamin St-Juste

Nobody on the Commanders deserves “stud” recognition besides St-Juste.

The injury to William Jackson III forced St-Juste to kick back outside after he started the campaign defending the nickel. The second-year corner was. up for the challenge as he recorded three third-down pass breakups in the first half alone, including an end zone shot to DeVonta Smith, who went ballistic in the first half.

St-Juste was beat in man cover for an AJ Brown touchdown, but he responded by recording another PBU on a deep shot to Smith in the third quarter. Washington’s secondary is a mess right now, but St-Juste is a solid player in the making.

The rest of the team, however, was a colossal dud.