The Washington Commanders faced a daunting task against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17.
They were facing a dynamic offense despite missing half of their starting defenders. On offense, they were not only down their two best linemen but also starting their third-string quarterback, Josh Johnson.
Fortunately, the 10-year veteran who has been with 14 different NFL teams — taking snaps for seven of them — was up to the task.
When he had to step in the previous week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Johnson looked very rusty. Maybe that’s to be expected from a 39-year-old who, before this relief appearance, had attempted just five NFL passes since 2021.
Commanders got more than expected from Josh Johnson against the Cowboys
With a week of preparation, Johnson looked like a completely different quarterback. He was by no means spectacular, but he played a smart, efficient game and gave Washington a chance to pull out an unlikely victory. They didn’t manage the win, but not because of the signal-caller.
It was apparent from his first throw against the Cowboys that Johnson was going to be much better than he was against Philadelphia. It was a quick out to Treylon Burks, and the veteran could not have appeared calmer.
He wasn’t rushed, nor did he appear slow. His feet were perfect. So was the throw. The play resulted in a first down.
Johnson looked equally good on his next throw. Only this time, he added elements. It was a play action pass, and after the fake handoff, he rolled to his right and hit Terry McLaurin for another first down. Then came the perfect fake and throwback to Deebo Samuel Sr. for the offense’s first big play.
On that first drive, Johnson looked as good as Jayden Daniels or Marcus Mariota running the offense. His timing was impeccable, and his throws had zip.
As the game went on, minor deficiencies began to show up. At the end of that first drive, Johnson took an awkward sack on 3rd-and-goal from the three-yard line. He made a couple of mistakes managing a very tight clock at the end of the first half. But these barely mattered.
On that sack, Johnson avoided forcing a bad throw into a compressed window and made sure the team came away with points. That end-of-half hiccup probably didn’t cost the Commanders because they had virtually no time to accomplish anything.
The two most significant problem areas for Johnson involved running and deep throws. He is no longer a dynamic runner, but he did move well and picked up whatever yards were available when he had to use his legs. The deep throws became an issue as the game progressed.
Receivers were getting cushions early, but as the Cowboys' defensive backs realized Johnson wasn't going to beat them deep, coverage tightened.
Still, Johnson kept the team moving. He made several of his best throws in the second half with the game on the line. He may have been late with a few balls, but he was not intercepted and was sacked just twice.
The Commanders lost to the Cowboys because their defense could not get Dallas off the field. They lost because, despite some gaudy stats, they could not run the ball consistently. Aside from the two long runs by Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Samuel, Washington averaged an anemic 2.6 yards per carry on the day. They lost because they committed 10 penalties, several of which were total backbreakers.
They definitely did not lose because of their third-string quarterback. Johnson was ready to play.