3 causes for concern from Commanders’ Week 12 win over the Falcons

The Washington Commanders’ matchup against the Atlanta Falcons had the makings of an old-school football game. Once we learned there was extensive rain in the forecast, however, it became obvious both teams would engage in trench warfare.

Ultimately, the Commanders pulled out a narrow victory, as Daron Payne deflected a Marcus Mariota pass with the Falcons’ knocking on the doorstep of winning the game with a touchdown in the final minute of regulation. The batted ball landed right in the path of Kendall Fuller, who made no mistake and secured the game-winning pick.

This marks the Commanders’ sixth win in seven games and their second three-game winning streak of the campaign.

Washington has embraced the “a win is a win” mantra. While there’s nothing wrong with winning ugly, we identified some causes for concern in the game that must be addressed before the stretch run of the regular season.

3 causes for concern from Commanders Week 12 victory

3. Not enough looks for Curtis Samuel, Jahan Dotson

The weather undoubtedly contributed to this, but Washington isn’t going to win many games when Samuel and Dotson combine for one target .

While Samuel carried the rock four times for 13 yards, he wasn’t targeted in the passing game. Dotson, meanwhile, was targeted just once, and we wouldn’t fault fans who forgot the first-round pick played in the game; he was that invisible.

The Commanders’ offense is at its most lethal when the wealth is shared. On Sunday, though, it was Terry McLaurin or bust through the air. We’d never turn our nose up at peppering McLaurin with targets, but Taylor Heinicke’s affinity for his No. 1 receiver got Washington into trouble on more than one occasion.

Samuel and Dotson are too dynamic to combine for one target. The weather wasn’t exactly conducive for a big passing day, but Heinicke still attempted 23 passes. Need more targets (and touches) for Samuel and Dotson going forward.