Instant reactions to the Commanders’ gutting loss to the Titans

The Washington Commanders snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, as they dropped their fourth straight of the year to the Tennessee Titans at FedEx Field. With a quick turnaround against the Chicago Bears on Thursday, the Commanders had a chance to quickly make their way back to .500.

Well, that won’t be happening anymore. The Commanders’ season is quickly slipping away, as every other NFC East rival continues to win, while Washington continues to fall deeper into the bottom dwellers of the entire NFL.

It wasn’t all bad for the burgundy and gold today. Ultimately, though, the positives that come out of this are all for naught mostly. The reality is the Commanders are 1-4 and on a collision course to picking in the top five in the 2023 draft.

Without further bickering here are some reactions to yet another disappointing ending for the burgundy and gold.

Instant reactions to the Commanders’ fourth straight loss

Offense 

The Good 

• He may as well have a permanent place here every week but Terry McLaurin was spectacular today. He made catches in traffic, created valuable yards after the catch, and set the Commanders up at the 2-yard line with 19 seconds left after forcing a pass interference.

• Charles Leno is practically the only Commanders’ offensive lineman proving any pass protection. He allowed minimal pressure on the day, keeping Carson Wentz’s blindside protected.
• A quick shoutout is deserved for Brian Robinson Jr. Just a little over a month after being shot in the leg twice after being robbed at gunpoint, he had some key carries for Washington down the stretch. It is a shame they didn’t pull this one out for him.
• The Commanders patiently waited and Dyami Brown finally came through finally came through on his promise as a big play waiting to happen. He totaled over 100 yards on two catches, with each being hauled in for touchdowns. There are no moral victories in the NFL, but Brown showed the one thing this team doesn’t lack is weapons at the skill position.

The Bad 

• The goal line play-calling to end the game was absolutely horrendous. JD McKissic, a smaller framed back, was targeted twice. McLaurin, the guy you just paid over $20M AAV for that exact situation wasn’t targeted once. Neither was Cole Turner, the 6-foot-6 fifth-round pick selected for that exact situation too. Instead, the Commanders lined up in bunch sets, force-fed their scat-back, and even used McLaurin as the “rub” player on the interception.

• Andrew Norwell continues to be underwhelming for Washington. He allowed multiple pressures, and a sack, and had a key false start penalty. He looks slow and disinterested. With Ereck Flowers still on the market, the Commanders have to consider bringing him back because Norwell is atrociously awful right now.
• Nick Martin had multiple bad snaps today and was absolutely manhandled by Jeffrey Simmons on multiple occasions. Simmons does that to everyone so we’ll let that one slide, but those bad snaps are unacceptable.
• Carson Wentz was largely good today. He gave the Commanders a chance with some explosive plays down the field and balls that were perfectly placed between defenders. However, the final sequence just cannot happen. Yeah, the play-calling didn’t give him much of a chance, but he never once looked McLaurin’s way in the goal-to-go situation. McLaurin ran what appeared to be a corner route to the back right corner of the end zone, and he had a step on his man. Instead, Wentz tried to force it to McKissic over the middle underneath and was lucky to not be intercepted.

The offense was wildly inconsistent today. They were far too reliant on explosive plays and failed to sustain drives. And that last sequence is embarrassingly bad on every level from play-calling, the execution, and the decision-making by Carson Wentz. Every part of it was bad.