Instant reactions to the Commanders’ narrow victory over the Bears

The Defense

The Good 

• The defensive line was dominant again today. Montez Sweat had 4 quarterback hits, 2 tackles for loss, and a sack. That is the second week in two Sweat consistently won against both run and pass. Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen each combined for 3 QB hits, and 2 sacks. The Commanders’ three first-round picks on the front playing like this can keep them in ballgames.

• The red zone defense for the Commanders was elite tonight. On three red zone trips, the Bears came away with zero points. Washington’s ability to tighten up in the red zone won them the game.
• Kam Curl still is awesome. He is solid in coverage, and really good against the run. In the secondary, he is the team’s best player. Darrick Forrest is also looking like another day-three steal at safety.
• Efe Obada has slowly started to emerge as an exciting rotational piece. He had 3 quarterback hits, 1 quarterback hit, and a sack. On the interception, Fields’ pass went right off his helmet.

The Bad 

• William Jackson III just got benched, and Kendall Fuller may be getting close to that point. On one of the Bears’ lone explosive plays, Fuller was beaten horribly by Dante Pettis for a long touchdown reception. The better days of Fuller’s career may be over.
• Jamin Davis still just remains extremely average. He makes some splash plays but then he will blow an assignment. As a first-round pick, he still is struggling to live up to the bill.
• The two 12-men on the field penalties is frankly inexcusable to occur. The fact that were nearly three adds insult to injury.

Ultimately, the win is encouraging. But the long-term outlook still remains murky. The team didn’t trust Carson Wentz to throw the football in crunch time, despite giving up multiple assets for him. The offense averaged 4 yards a play.

Their defensive front is far too dominant at times to have another wasted season. The team had 2 (almost three!) too-many-men-on-the-field penalties. Absolutely inexcusable stuff. Still though, this team won’t be horrible most likely. The team seems to be destined again for 6-8 wins, which is an absolute worst-case scenario. A win is a win but it is ultimately unsatisfying.