The Washington Commanders fell to the Los Angeles Rams in yet another finish that just left you shaking your head. And it's becoming crystal clear that the fault lies with offensive coordinator David Blough.
With one final chance to potentially tie the game from the Rams' 31-yard line, the Commanders needed to take a shot at the end zone.
Instead, quarterback Jayden Daniels threw a quick pass across the middle to tight end Chig Okonkwo, setting up a series of laterals that never even had a chance.
David Blough's end-of-game management is officially a problem for the Commanders
It was the equivalent of the final possession of a basketball game where a player just dribbles the ball around and then heaves up a contested jumper. And this one falls squarely on Blough.
There were red flags in promoting a 30-year-old first-time play-caller to offensive coordinator, who a year ago was Washington's assistant quarterbacks coach. And over eight weeks, those concerns haven't been fully alleviated.
Blough has shown some potential with the creativity in his designs, but he's also exceptionally raw. And it's shown in the biggest moments.
In Week 1, the Commanders dialed up a shovel pass to backup tight end John Bates on a game-tying two-point conversion attempt against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Then came the infamous overtime ending against the New York Giants, when Blough took responsibility for not communicating the situation to Daniels.
David Blough's inexperience is again raising the questions everyone had about his promotion
Now, there's this. Once again, the young coordinator tried to outsmart himself, and it backfired horribly.
Washington took a chance on Blough, and it was certainly justifiable. For years, Commanders fans have begged the organization to bank on upside and keep bright offensive minds in the building.
Blough learned under Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson, the latter of whom has spoken glowingly of his potential in the coaching ranks. But it's evident that there is much work to do.
He was supposed to fix Washington's run game that was underutilized under Kliff Kingsbury. He hasn't.
Blough was supposed to turn the Commanders' tight ends into lethal weapons. He hasn't. And he was supposed to make Daniels' life much easier than it is.
Obviously, Blough is in a tough spot because of Washington's poor offensive line and the injuries piling up in the wide receiver room. But any coach must work with what they have, and the results have been underwhelming.
And if there's one undoing of his tenure thus far, it's been the way the Commanders have closed out games they've had a chance to win.
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