Instant reactions to the Commanders convincing win over the Texans

The Washington Commanders thoroughly dominated the Texans on Sunday. In unusual fashion, the game lacked drama— Washington controlled this one from the start. To make today even sweeter for Commanders’ fans, this is the first time Washington is over .500 this late in a season since 2018.

The Commanders are winners of five of the last six, they are heating up at the right time, and did exactly what they were supposed to do today. They thoroughly beat down and handled an inferior opponent. For reference, the Commanders netted 344 yards to the Texans’ 148. Washington avoided the classic trap game.

Next week, the Burgundy & Gold has a huge home game, against the 5-6 Atlanta Falcons with playoff implications. As the Commanders enter a huge stretch, with playoff spots up for grabs, here are some reactions to the Commanders dominating win in Houston Sunday.

Instant reactions to the Commanders’ win over the Texans

1. The defense is dominant

Jack Del Rio’s unit thoroughly dominated the Houston Texans’ offense today. Houston’s catalyst, their rookie running back, Dameon Pierce, had just 8 yards rushing. Davis Mills struggled to get anything going throwing the ball down the field, averaging just 5.1 yards a pass attempt.

Washington’s defense is starting to clearly define their roles. The front four is playing at an elite level— with Chase Young on the way soon, hopefully. Jonathan Allen is playing at an All-Pro level, he completely dominated first-round pick Kenyon Green all day.

Daron Payne is playing his best ball at the right time, with a sack today he moves his season total to 6.5. The duo of Payne and Allen (The Alabama Wall!) is one of the best interior duos across the NFL.

Montez Sweat had two sacks on the day. Sweat can be one-dimensional in the way he wins but he plays with relentless effort. The depth players for the Commanders— John Ridgeway, James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill, and Efe Obada— are all filling out their roles well too. The front four for the Commanders is purely dominant and has been a catalyst for their play lately.

However, what has made the defense truly dominant at points this year, is the lack of issues in the back end. Jamin Davis has steadily improved, having fewer mental lapses, and taking on the role of wearing the green dot for Washington. His growth has been a pleasant surprise for Washington.

With Holcomb sidelined, Jon Bostic has filled in solidly in his absence. Hopefully soon, the former Tar Heel will be back to take the defense to another level.

In the secondary, a young group with loads of potential is coming into form. Benjamin St-Juste is still green, and grabby occasionally, but he competes at a high level against good competition weekly. Darrick Forrest has turned into a ballhawk for Washington, as his interception of St-Juste’s deflection, moved his turnover total to 5 on the year (3 INTs, 2 FF).

Kam Curl has been an all-important connector in the backend for the Commanders. He is rock solid fitting against the run, plays solid coverage, and rarely allows the big play. He is a few splash plays away from being recognized at the national level.

After a shaky, sometimes unlucky start, Kendall Fuller is playing his best football nabbing a pick-six today. His eye discipline and football IQ are key in the Commanders’ young secondary. Bobby McCain has played solid football as well, filling in as more of a slot cornerback this year for Jack Del Rio.

At every level, the Commanders are playing sound football on defense. The defense has played like one that has valuable assets invested at every level. And it has been the conductor of the Commanders’ 5-1 record over its last six games.

2. The offense was good…… enough.

Washington’s offense won’t ever be world-beaters. They have to walk a thin line weekly due to a shaky offensive line, and Heinicke’s inability to challenge the defense consistently with his arm. And today, they were fine. They were good enough to beat the Texans, but against others, that may not have been the case.

After the high point of the year with a win on Monday Night Football in Philly, the Taylor Heinicke experience went on a downslope today. From the jump, Heinicke seemed a tad off all day. He underthrew open receivers, was indecisive, and the offensive line did him no favors as well in pass protection.

Heinicke avoided the negative play (shoutout to Jalen Pitre). He has earned the starting job, rightfully so. His story, his hair-on-fire nature, and his accomplishments from being a backup in the XFL to being one of the 32 NFL starting QBs are nothing short of incredible. However, for him to take the team to the next step he will need to be more consistent.

The running game for Washington was the driving force for Washington today. They totaled over 150 yards on the ground, mixing in Curtis Samuel into the action, and were able to manufacture a few drives to methodically beat the Houston Texans.

They weren’t overly efficient again— averaging just 3.8 yards per carry. However, the Commanders are beginning to start to develop an identity on offense. A methodical operation that relies on wearing out its opponent and occasionally hits the big play.

Also, Logan Thomas had his best game of the year. He hauled in 5 catches for a team-leading 65 yards. Thomas looked spry and seems to be returning to old form. His presence will be a huge benefit down the stretch for Washington.

Washington’s passing attack has a few kinks in the armor and will need to be more consistent, however, there can’t be too much complaining. Washington took care of the ball, wore down the Texans, and made just enough plays through the air to never give Houston a chance.

The Commanders took care of business on Sunday.

3. Meaningful football on deck

At 6-5, the Commanders are firmly in the thick of the playoff race. In fact, an Arizona Cardinals win over the San Francisco 49ers tomorrow night would push Washington into the seventh seed in the NFC.

A massive game is on deck next week with the 5-6 Atlanta Falcons coming to the DMV. Then back-to-back massive games against the New York Giants await. After starting 1-4, Washington finds itself relevant in the playoff once again.

Ron Rivera has his faults and might be too old-fashioned for the modern game sometimes. You cannot deny his ability to galvanize his teams though. They fight. They play their best ball with their backs against the wall, and they get better consistently as the years progress.

This makes it a perfect three-for-three for Rivera to get his teams to be relevant in November (and December) despite poor starts. Now, if they could fix those poor starts, the need for perfection in the colder months wouldn’t be so apparent.

Moreover, this year fills a bit different for Washington. Yeah, they still have that same need to tight-rope their way to wins sometimes. The quarterback play is still lackluster. However, everything else is different.

The defense is dominant. The playmakers on offense can help the quarterback situation. And Washington dug out of the hole sooner than they did in 2020 (2-7) and 2021 (2-6). There is a bit more margin for error this time around.

For the third year in a row, Washington will be in the playoff picture. For a little bit longer than most, at least. And with a palooza of off-the-field distractions in those three years present, Rivera has done an admirable job.

He hasn’t been perfect. It has been ugly sometimes. They win ugly, most of the time, too. But overall Rivera is doing exactly what he has been tasked to do— improve the culture on the football side. The players are buying in, they are having fun, and they are winning. As ugly as it is at times, they are playing some of their best football.

And after the most dominating and stress-free win of the Rivera era since Thanksgiving 2020, Rivera and his staff deserve a ton of credit.

Buckle up, Washington fans. Meaningful football is on the way.

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