Commanders must avoid history repeat with Bears WR D.J. Moore in Week 8

Caleb Williams will dominate the pre-game headlines, along with the status of Jayden Daniels, but the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft shouldn't be the focus for the Washington Commanders in Week 8.

Instead, the Commanders must commit to stopping the favorite target of the Chicago Bears' rookie quarterback. That means preventing D.J. Moore from repeating the 230-yard, three-touchdown performance he dropped all over Washington's defense in Week 5 last season.

Moore feasted on an overmatched secondary because the Commanders stayed in off-man coverage most of the night. There was rarely safety help directly over the former first-round pick, who was also given a large cushion by cornerbacks who allowed too many free releases for a long-striding, physical receiver.

Changing those things and taking a page from an NFC East rival, should form the bedrock of a smarter plan for Moore this time.

Commanders must play press vs. D.J. Moore

Washington's secondary can't grant Moore a free release on any play at Northwest Stadium. Playing press is a must, even if it means risking giving up a double move or two.

Moore needs to be contacted early out of his break. He's a sudden mover with terrific acceleration, so the Commanders need to stall his momentum.

Giving Moore a cushion last season let him reach top speed too soon. It meant he feasted after the catch, as he did for this touchdown against Kendall Fuller, who was a good 10 yards off before the snap.

Commanders' head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. shouldn't sanction a single repeat of this alignment. Rolling corners in press coverage is the key, provided the coaching staff can find the right matchup.

Doing so isn't as straightforward as it might appear. Benjamin St-Juste, at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, seems like the logical candidate for a rougher brand of coverage.

The problem is that St-Juste doesn't always play a physical game. This is a mindset as much as anything, so the Commanders can risk putting rookie Mike Sainristil over Moore.

A slot corner at Michigan, Sainristil knows how to play downhill and is naturally grabby in coverage. The second-round pick in this year's draft has improved mightily in recent weeks, both inside and on the perimeter.

Sainristil could be an X-factor against Moore, but surrounding the flanker with numbers wherever he goes will be more important. The Commanders can take their cue from a plan the New York Giants put into practice effectively a few weeks ago.

Commanders can lift plan from New York Giants

Borrowing from the Giants can help the Commanders keep Moore quiet. Specifically, if Quinn and Whitt follow the distinctly Bill Belichick-like strategy New York deployed against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6.

It involved not using their best cornerback, Deonte Banks, to shadow All-Pro Ja'Marr Chase. ESPN's Jordan Raanan explained what this meant for their coverage plan.

There are several advantages to the Commanders following this strategy. First, putting their best corner over Chicago's second-best receiver should be an obvious matchup advantage.

The tricky part is identifying who is the team's best cornerback. Numbers show Noah Igbinoghene earns that status because he's allowing just 7.8 yards per completion and 5.2 yards per target.

Trusting Igbinoghene over the Bears' next-best wideout makes sense, but who is Williams' No. 2 option? Is it veteran Keenan Allen, a brittle but brilliant chain-mover? Or perhaps it's rookie Rome Odunze, the No. 9 overall pick this year?

One solution is to have Igbinoghene trail Odunze, who's more of a big-play threat outside the numbers, on first and second downs. Then the Commanders could switch and put their best cover man over Allen on football's money down, where the six-time Pro Bowler does his best work.

Having some nuance to the coverage plan will be necessary when the Bears have wisely surrounded Williams with so much receiving talent. Yet, the central part of Washington's strategy has to be keeping a bracket around Moore.

He needs to see a corner in press coverage and a safety over the top when he's hugging the sideline. If Moore works inside, he must be made to quickly shake hands with the nearest linebacker or box safety.

Some form of double coverage on every play will test Williams' ability to decipher coverage, spread the ball around, and thrive without his go-to target. It'll also save the Commanders from being on the wrong end of another monster stat line for Moore.

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