The Washington Commanders head into the postseason for the first time since 2020 riding a five-game winning streak. But Dan Quinn’s team hasn’t played the type of complete game they will need to secure playoff success in more than a month.
Despite some spectacular play from quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Terry McLaurin, Washington has had a lot of breaks bounce their way. Especially over the last four games.
The four quarterbacks Washington has beaten in the past month — Spencer Rattler, Kenny Pickett, Michael Penix, Jr., and Trey Lance — had started a combined 31 games when they took on the Commanders. Almost all of those starts had come from Pickett, who only played after Philadelphia Eagles’ starter Jalen Hurts was knocked out early.
None of those quarterbacks began this season as a starter. Only one — Penix — projects to be a starter next season.
That is not going to be the case on Sunday Night Football when Pro Bowl signal-caller Baker Mayfield welcomes the Commanders to Tampa. The former No. 1 pick has more than 100 career starts, including four in playoff games. He also torched Washington in Week 1, completing 80 percent of his throws for 289 passing yards and four touchdowns.
The Commanders cannot expect to advance to the second round of the playoffs if they don’t up the level of their recent performances. How can they do that? Here are three problems they must solve heading into Wild Card weekend at Raymond James Stadium.
Problems the Commanders must solve before Wild Card clash at Buccaneers
Assessing risk-reward with Marshon Lattimore
The Washington Commanders' secondary was largely helpless against Tampa Bay's dynamic receiving duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in Week 1. Baker Mayfield targeted the pair 14 times and completed all but one of those passes. They combined to score three touchdowns.
The Buccaneers struggled mightily when both star wideouts missed time in the middle of the season. Godwin’s ankle injury was far more serious. He will not be on the field against the Commanders. Evans did return and wasted no time in resuming his future Pro Football Hall of Fame production. This is exactly why Marshon Lattimore was brought to Washington.
Since he entered the league in 2017, Lattimore has squared off against Evans twice a year as a member of the New Orleans Saints. For the most part, he has been very effective in shutting him down. They have engaged in one of the most heated personal rivalries in the NFL during that time.
Fights, fines, and penalties galore have defined their matchups. It seems apparent that though the rivals may respect each others’ skills, they do not like each other very much.
Lattimore was able to rest his balky hamstring over the past two weeks. The Commanders need him at full strength to keep a lid on Evans. They must also identify the risk versus reward regarding his injury issue.