3 changes the Commanders' coaching staff must consider in Week 3 at Bengals

Commanders must improve discipline

With the red zone woes the Washington Commanders have faced this season, a lot of that can be traced back to the discipline of the offensive line. They got away with it versus the lowly New York Giants, but that won't be the case against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The five false start penalties were drive-killers that should have unquestionably lost them the game. The penalties could have potentially erased 15 points off the board. Without those, the contest is nowhere near as close as it wound up being and the Commanders would have been able to leave the stadium with much more confidence.

This one is on the coaches. There is no excuse for that to keep happening. But it could be a silver lining because now fans everywhere will get to see how this team responds to Dan Quinn and company when he gets on them.

The future of the Commanders could hinge on Quinn and the players' reactions to him. If this problem disappears, it will be a fabulous sight.

The Commanders can't always count on their kicker going 7-for-7 on field goals. But as team leader Jonathan Allen has stated on several occasions, it's better to learn a lesson in victory than through defeat. Good teams do that. Washington is far from a good team yet. A lot of that has to do with the offensive struggles in the red zone.

For a team that ranks No. 10 in the league in yards-per-game after two weeks, and for a team that is struggling - it's the discipline that could eventually help the Commanders receive one of those final playoff spots in the NFC this year and give Jayden Daniels the type of confidence to take this organization where it wants to go.

If something doesn't change up front on the line, the Commanders won't have a shot at achieving any of their 2024 goals.

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