Commanders' impressive resilience shines despite Week 6 loss at the Ravens

The main takeaway from the Washington Commanders’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens is obvious. This team is not yet good enough to seriously threaten the league's best.

They indeed have an exceptional young quarterback and more than a few playmakers on offense. They have indeed improved their defensive line and linebackers. But it is equally true that they simply do not have the talent in the secondary to stop balanced offenses.

They do not have a single secondary player who is above average in man coverage. That has to change before they can compete at the highest level and go deep into the postseason.

However, there was one positive element above all else from the Week 6 performance. This team - the second-worst in the NFL in 2023 - went on the road against one of the league’s powerhouses. They played without their best running back and lost two top defensive linemen during the game. They were, for the most part, thoroughly outclassed by a very talented, well-coached team. Yet right up until the final minute, Washington made this a competitive game.

Commanders showed resilience in the face of exceptional opposition

For the first time in many years, Washington has a tough resilient squad that can play with anyone in the league.

That resilience was on display during the opening drive. On the second play, Lamar Jackson hit Zay Flowers with a short screen in the left flat. Two Commanders defenders - Mike Sainristil and Quan Martin - were in position to make a play. They essentially ran into each other, allowing one blocker to handle both of them.

Flowers was off to the races. He scampered 44 yards to the Washington 20-yard-line. It was something Commanders’ fans would grow tired of seeing by halftime - the explosive wide receiver running at will through the secondary.

On the ensuing play, Martin crashed the line and brought down Derrick Henry as he tried to bounce outside. The running back is a future Pro Football Hall of Famer who outweighs the second-year safety by more than 50 pounds, yet he got him on the ground. The next play, Jackson’s pass for Mark Andrews was deflected and Sainristil was there to snag Washington’s first interception of the season.

Think of that for a moment. Washington’s two young defensive backs get burned on a huge gain early, and immediately come back to each make a play that helped give the Commanders an early lead. Several years from now, Martin and Sainristil may be the only current members of the defensive backfield still on the team and they showed why.

That resilience was on display throughout the game. With the score tied 3-3, the Ravens' excellent defense forced a three-and-out. This is typically the time when momentum would begin to shift and Baltimore would seize control. But they didn’t, at least not right way, because Washington’s beleaguered defense forced their own three and out on the next series. Percy Butler, Johnny Newton, and Dante Fowler Jr. - all players who have not done very much this season - made plays on the series to force a quick punt.

In the series that followed, Olamide Zaccheaus dropped a beautifully thrown Jayden Daniels pass that would have resulted in a first down. The Commanders had to punt. Right before half-time, the wide receiver redeemed himself by catching a quick out, breaking a tackle, and getting out of bounds. This gave Washington a shot at a field goal just before the interval.

Austin Seibert missed that field goal, his first wayward effort since joining the franchise. It was blocked by the 6-foot-6 Ben Cleveland. He came back in the first drive of the second half and drilled a 55-yarder, the longest of his career. It kept the Commanders less than a touchdown behind.

Of course, the most resilient of all is Daniels. The No. 2 pick couldn’t run against the tough disciplined Ravens defense. He didn’t have Brian Robinson Jr. to help shoulder the load. Still, he consistently made big plays at crucial moments. He ultimately could not do enough to overcome a porous pass defense, but he gave the Commanders a chance to win a game that they would have lost by three touchdowns in recent years.

If you need any further proof of the toughness and resiliency that this team plays with, look no further than its fourth down conversion rate. It remains 100 percent. All nine times they have snapped the ball on fourth down this season, they have gotten a first down or a touchdown.

That is a remarkable number. It obviously will not continue, but the total is too big to be considered a fluke. This team finds a way to stay in games. Thus far, they have won a lot of them.

The cornerbacks made Flowers look like Jerry Rice, and Rashod Bateman looked like John Taylor. Older fans will know who that is.  And yes, Joe Whitt Jr., Jason Simmons, and Tommy Donatell had better be pulling some all-nighters to figure out how to help this besieged defensive backfield find some solutions.

But as long as they bounce back from disaster by making big plays, the Commanders will continue to be in every game this year. And as long as Daniels is leading them, they will continue to win a lot.

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