Joey Slye and 1 other former Commanders player who struggled in Week 12
By Seth Jones
It's been a downward skid for the Washington Commanders over the last three weeks. Dan Quinn's men have gone 0-3 in that span and now find themselves at 7-5.
An inexcusable defeat to an inferior Dallas Cowboys team was the worst performance of the campaign so far. The execution was non-existent on offense. Coverage failings on defense and not getting enough rest also played a leading role in their demise. That's without counting for the special teams' errors in critical moments.
It was an unmitigated disaster almost from start to finish. To get our minds off the lackluster stretch the Commanders have been on, let's look at a couple of former Washington players who also struggled in Week 12
Two former Commanders players who struggled in Week 12
Joe Slye
After what was the worst special teams game possibly ever seen in the Commanders' loss against the Cowboys, it's a relief that it would be uncertain if Joey Slye, the team's starting kicker in 2023, could have saved the game.
Slye has struggled for much of the 2024 season. He was notorious for mixed extra points in Washington. Ironically, this was why Quinn's squad lost the game at the hands of Austin Seibert.
The difficulties continued for Slye as the New England Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins 34-15. He missed his only field goal attempt of the day.
Trent Williams
It's rare to say this about the All-Pro left tackle, but Trent Williams did not have a performance that meets his typically high standards.
The Commanders have overperformed overall this year. That is not the case with the San Francisco 49ers, who've been a major disappointment. Concerns grew further after they fell to 5-6 on the season after a 38-10 defeat to the Green Bay Packers.
The run game was not able to get going on Sunday for the Niners, even with superstar running back Christian McCaffrey back in the mix. It's important to note that starting quarterback Brock Purdy was ruled out, which didn't exactly help San Francisco's chances of improving their postseason outlook.
Green Bay's defense stacked the box more often than not. However, Williams' run blocking was not up to par like usual. McCaffrey only earned 2.8 yards per carry and the blindside enforcer earned a measly 68.2 run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.
The pass blocking did not get any better. Williams allowed two pressures which made quarterback Brandon Allen get hit twice. PFF was not generous on the pass-blocking grade, giving Washington's former franchise left tackle a 64.3 mark for his efforts.
We likely won't see an off-game like this by Williams for the rest of the season.