3 changes the Commanders' coaching staff must consider in Week 3 at Bengals
On the back of Austin Seibert's franchise record seven field goals against the New York Giants, the Washington Commanders improved to 1-1 on the season and 1-0 in the division. Despite the outcome of the game, a lot of fans are not convinced that they look the part of a winning football club.
And for good reason.
With six trips into the red zone, they did not score a touchdown. To add insult to injury, the defense continued to show signs of struggle against Daniel Jones, Terry McLaurin has under 40 receiving yards combined, and the formerly imposing defensive tackle duo of Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne haven't been consistent enough.
Although the Cincinnati Bengals sit at 0-2 going into the matchup, don't let that fool you. They lost in Week 1 by less than a touchdown to the New England Patriots and then by one point last weekend at the Kansas City Chiefs.
To make matters even worse for the Commanders, stud wide receiver Tee Higgins is returning for Monday Night Football. With the state of the secondary and Washington's lack of pass rush, Joe Burrow can carve up the Washington defense.
A tough challenge awaits. With this in mind, here are three changes Washington's coaching staff must consider in Week 3.
Changes the Commanders' coaching staff must consider in Week 3
Open things up for Jayden Daniels
The New York Giants are not going to be a good team this year. Daniel Jones is likely not their preferred long-term solution at quarterback. Yet, for some reason, the Commanders, though they didn't lose and he didn't put up extraordinary numbers, once again managed to make the signal-caller look better than he was.
Coming on the heels of Baker Mayfield's four-touchdown performance in Week 1, the Commanders simply don't have the fearsome defense many were hoping for when they went out and added key guys like Frankie Luvu, Bobby Wagner, Jeremy Chinn, and Mike Sainristil. The other side of the ball needs to step it up and start putting touchdowns on the board.
In a game that could have a lot of points put up by Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati offense, there's a chance that Washington will simply have to keep up with them. For Jayden Daniels' potential to be achieved, there is going to come a time and a game when the Commanders have to let him loose.
Sooner or later the Commanders are going to have to give it a go and see how the rookie responds. It should be this week.