On this day of Christmas, the Commanders gave to Washington their 12th loss of the 2025 season. But one player gave it his all, and it's one who desperately needed to start making an impact.
Washington managed to keep its Week 17 contest much more competitive than anybody would have expected after it was announced that Josh Johnson would be getting the start at quarterback. The offensive supporting cast stepped up, but so did the Commanders' pass rush, sacking Dallas Cowboys signal-caller Dak Prescott six times.
Three of those sacks belonged to second-year defensive tackle Johnny Newton, who had a wildly up-and-down day.
Commanders now know what Johnny Newton is after Week 17 display
Newton got his first start of the campaign due to the absences of Daron Payne and Eddie Goldman. The 2024 second-round pick from Illinois showed some promise as a rookie, when he started 11 games, but he's stalled out in his development in Year 2 and taken a lot of heat in recent weeks.
Entering Washington's regular-season home finale at Northwest Stadium, Newton had two sacks all season long. He more than doubled that in one outing, getting home on Prescott by himself twice and contributing to two additional takedowns. In the process, he also eclipsed the combined sack totals this season of Payne (two) and Javon Kinlaw (zero).
Among Washington's healthy defensive linemen, there's a case that Newton is Washington's best pass-rusher. He hasn't been on the field enough to consistently show it, but there is legitimate upside as a playmaker. There's a reason he was considered a major steal when the Commanders selected him with the No. 36 pick.
Unfortunately, Newton's shortcomings were also once again exposed. He has been a nightmare in the run game, and it showed against a Dallas team that repeatedly went straight at him up the gut. The Cowboys rushed for 211 yards against the Commanders' helpless unit, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
Newton was a significant part of that, raising a dilemma about one of Washington's key building blocks. He has promise, but he's limited. There is room for improvement as a run defender, but he probably won't ever be especially good at it.
As a result, it's far from a sure thing that he'll ever be a consistent every-down player.
There is a role for Newton in Washington, at least for the next two years. But Dan Quinn will have to be creative in how he uses him moving forward. In obvious passing-down situations, he should be on the field much more often. But he can't stop the run.
If the Commanders don't know that by now, they never will.