Jonathan Allen's grueling Commanders' journey was worth its weight in gold

Jonathan Allen's presence is being felt for all the right reasons.
ByDean Jones|
Jonathan Allen
Jonathan Allen | Brooke Sutton/GettyImages

Jonathan Allen wasn't going to let a partially torn pectoral stop him from helping the Washington Commanders in the playoffs. He's made of much sterner stuff than that.

The veteran defensive tackle went down with what many believed to be a season-ending injury in Week 6 at the Baltimore Ravens. But with the Commanders exceeding expectations and on course to make the postseason, Allen produced a rousing effort to get back much sooner than anticipated.

Allen pushed through the pain barrier. It wasn't easy — far from it. However, the interior force wanted to return after experiencing almost nothing but misery since joining the Commanders as a first-round pick out of Alabama.

His triumphant return came in Week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons. The Commanders brought Allen along gradually, using him as a rotational piece alongside second-round rookie Johnny Newton and veteran Daron Payne. The two-time Pro Bowler's performance at the Detroit Lions was his best since coming back, which helped Washington reach the NFC Championship game for the first time in more than three decades.

The significance of his journey isn't lost on Allen. He's a top-level performer at the peak of his powers and a respected leader within the locker room. His reintroduction into the lineup gave everyone a much-needed boost at the best possible time. This is exactly the impact he had in mind.

Jonathan Allen's gruelling effort rewarded with Commanders' playoff success

Allen lifted the lid on his grueling fightback from adversity when speaking to Michael Silver from The Athletic. It also typified the new culture within the locker room — a willingness to overcome the odds and sacrifice everything to contribute.

"The biggest thing I’ll say is, we had hope. I mean, fans want to have hope going into a season and going into every game. And when RGIII was here, we felt that we had him and you didn’t. And it’s really the same thing with Jayden [Daniels]. To be honest, I know I said ‘no setbacks,’ but more times than not, my mindset was, ‘If it tears, it tears — I don’t care'. You can’t be halfway in and halfway out. So, everything I did, I was gonna go full throttle. I mean, in football, it’s either full speed or it’s not. So if I tear it, I tear it. We’ll deal with the repercussions later. It’s incredible, but we’re not satisfied in the slightest. We’ve still got a lot of work to do."
Jonathan Allen

Allen's presence will be needed in no uncertain terms this weekend at the Philadelphia Eagles. Payne is listed as questionable after suffering a gruesome dislocated finger at the Lions. Even if the lineman will participate, he's unlikely to be 100 percent. His old college teammate must pick up the slack versus Philadelphia's formidable offensive line.

Nothing else will do. After all, this is a win-or-go-home situation with a place in the pinnacle of his profession at stake.

Nobody expected the Commanders to be in the final four. That doesn't mean anyone in the building is settling. They want more from this sensational campaign, knowing one more rousing effort is needed to clinch their place in the Super Bowl.

That's the prize. It's also everything Allen wanted and why he pushed himself to the limit to lend a helping hand.

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