Commanders must win the fourth quarter
If the offensive line plays well and the Washington Commanders control the football, it should go a long way to correcting one of the biggest problems they have had in recent weeks. They have not commanded the fourth quarter.
They led against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles entering the final frame but were unable to close the deal. That is in part because both teams had been beating them down across the line of scrimmage for the better part of the first three quarters.
Washington stayed with the Steelers right until the end. They were dominated by the Eagles at the business end of their primetime contest.
Both games were largely decided earlier. Washington lost the time-of-possession battles badly in both. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia held the ball 14 minutes longer than the Commanders. That showed up in the fourth quarter, during which Washington was defeated by a combined 27-8.
If Sam Cosmi and company can control the line early, Brian Robinson Jr. can grind away at the Dallas Cowboys' suspect run defense. Then the Commanders will be the fresher team in the final stanza and it should pay off on the scoreboard.
Regardless of how the first three quarters go, Dan Quinn needs to find a way to get his men playing their best when the game is likely to be on the line late.
Commanders must have a plan for KaVontae Turpin
Just for good measure, here’s a bonus issue for Washington to address.
Dallas has very few explosive players outside of CeeDee Lamb. The prolific wide receiver has been fighting off injuries over the past few weeks. With diminished quarterback play, he is not quite as scary as he typically is.
KaVontae Turpin is.
The diminutive Turpin is one of the most dangerous kick returners in the league. Last week he turned on the jets to burn the Houston Texans defense for a 64-yard touchdown catch from Cooper Rush.
Look for Dallas to get him involved against a Commanders secondary that has been playing better of late, but still struggles against good passing attacks. On both returns and receptions, Washington needs to corral Turpin.