4 Commanders on the hot seat entering Week 6 at Falcons
By Dean Jones
Jonathan Allen - Commanders DT
Jonathan Allen is one of the defensive lynchpins and an undisputed leader within the locker room. Someone other players turn to for advice and provides a source of motivation that inspires far more than any coach could accomplish.
The vaunted Washington Commanders' defense has been anything but through five weeks. Some real soul-searching is needed and Allen laid down the gauntlet to his teammates in the wake of their inept performance against the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football.
That's a good sign, but it also raised pressure on Allen in terms of raising his production to the level we're more accustomed to seeing. The former Alabama star hasn't been terrible by any stretch, but fans have every right to expect high-caliber efforts given how the lineman's influenced proceedings since entering the league.
This is a time for big characters and for elite-level performers to stand up and be counted. Allen fits both categories to a tee, so anything less than a dominant display at the Atlanta Falcons - especially after his recent comments - would be classed as a big underachievement.
Allen has the tools and boasts proven credentials when it comes to dominating almost everyone in his path. The Atlanta Falcons have one of the league's best guards in Chris Lindstrom, so it'll be interesting to see how Washington's formidable defensive tackle tandem fares versus one of the NFL's most prolific rushing attacks.