Dan Quinn learns brutal truth as Commanders’ old demons return

After fielding the league’s second-worst run defense last year, the Washington Commanders looked like they had turned a corner in Week 1 against the New York Giants, giving up just 74 yards on the ground.

It looks like that success was short-lived.

The Commanders' run defense was one of a myriad of things that went wrong for head coach Dan Quinn on Thursday Night Football. Joe Whitt Jr.'s unit allowed 135 rushing yards against the Green Bay Packers, falling fairly in line with what it allowed throughout the previous campaign.

Commanders' run defense reverted to type in embarrassing Week 2 loss

Josh Jacobs isn’t the explosive threat he was in his prime with the Las Vegas Raiders, and his 3.57 yards per carry suggests as much. Yet against Washington, the seventh-year running back slowly and steadily broke down the spirit of an already struggling defensive unit, capping off a 10-play, 92-yard drive with a two-yard scamper to increase the Packers' lead.

Not only did Jacobs continue his streak of 11 straight games with a rushing score, but to add insult to injury, the Packers ran trick plays. They got the ball into the hands of two dynamic playmakers, Savion Williams and Matthew Golden, adding to their rushing total.

The Commanders had no answer for anything. Matt LaFleur came into the game with an exceptional game plan that Washington failed to counteract. Things weren't any better offensively, which magnified just how much hard work is ahead for them before Week 3 versus the Raiders at Northwest Stadium.

However, if there was one play that summed up the night for the Commanders' defense, it was Jordan Love's 14-yard scramble on 3rd-and-9. This was capped by a stiff arm that flattened rookie cornerback Trey Amos, forcing him out briefly with a shoulder issue.  

Love was driven all the way back to the 30-yard line, but still managed to pick up the first down. Just infuriating for the fans watching helplessly.

One play later, Love hit Romeo Doubs for a touchdown to put the finishing touches on a seven-play, 96-yard drive that set the tone for the rest of the evening.

The Commanders suffered an additional blow to their run defense. Veteran defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. departed with what looked to potentially be a season-ending leg injury. This would be a massive blow to an already thin edge group.

With 10 days before the next game, Washington has time to figure out what went wrong in Week 2. But the road doesn't get any easier with a match-up against imposing rookie Ashton Jeanty on the cards.

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