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5 Commanders reality checks for Week 9 against the Vikings

By Tim Payne

LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 23: Taylor Heinicke #4 of the Washington Commanders celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass during the third quarter of the game against the Green Bay Packers at FedExField on October 23, 2022 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 23: Taylor Heinicke #4 of the Washington Commanders celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass during the third quarter of the game against the Green Bay Packers at FedExField on October 23, 2022 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

4. The Reality Is, the big play will kill you this week.

With Sam Ehlinger pulling the trigger and Frank Reich calling the shots on the other sideline, the Commanders were able to survive giving up some “explosives” last week. But against this Vikings offense, there’s no margin for error. Washington can’t afford to have any lapses defensively. The best (maybe only) way to slow down Minnesota’s versatile offensive attack is to force them to string together long drives.

The Vikings certainly have their share of sloppy moments and penalties, so if you can force them to string together 10 plays to get into scoring position, there’s a chance they can’t pull that off. Look for Del Rio to utilize a pretty cautious “bend don’t break” approach to this gameplan, including very few blitzes and very little man coverage on the back end.

Justin Jefferson will get his. He’s too good not to. Just don’t let him get loose in the back end of the secondary or Washington will be in trouble.

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