Which Washington Commanders find themselves on the hot seat entering Week 5's primetime clash against the Chicago Bears?
The NFL is a fast-moving beast with real relentlessness during the regular season. This is something the Washington Commanders are about to find out as they take the field to kick off Week 5 on primetime against the winless Chicago Bears.
Looking at how the two teams are matched, this is a game the Commanders should win. Nothing is given, obviously, but an encouraging display at the Philadelphia Eagles is enough to suggest Ron Rivera's men have enough in their arsenal to get the job done against a franchise that looks destined for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Of course, coming off a short week in terms of recovery and preparation complicates matters. But this is all about the high character and increasing belief that's made the Commanders strong favorites to attain success in front of a sold-out crowd at FedEx Field.
But for some, the pressure to perform is evident. With this in mind, here are four Commanders who find themselves on the hot seat entering Week 5 versus the Bears.
Commanders OL
We'll put them all together because it was a rough outing as expected versus the Philadelphia Eagles. Aside from Nick Gates and some nice flashes from Charles Leno Jr., the protection in front of Sam Howell was suspect - something that made the quarterback's performance all the more impressive in such a hostile environment.
The Chicago Bears bring a different challenge. They have two decent edge rushers and a prolific linebacker in Tremaine Edmunds, but this is a winnable matchup if certain weak links such as Andrew Wylie start living up to their contracts.
There have been some good moments through four games of the campaign, but the Commanders are still giving up too much pressure. Until this changes, it's always going to be a potential complication.
Emmanuel Forbes - Commanders CB
First of all, Emmanuel Forbes wouldn't be on the proverbial hot seat as such. He is a talented kid learning on the job and being tasked with some significant responsibilities by the Washington Commanders right of the gate, so some growing pains were obviously expected.
However, there's been closer scrutiny on the first-round selection in recent days. This stems from a less-than-stellar showing at the Philadelphia Eagles, where Forbes was given a torrid time by stud wide receiver A.J. Brown during the overtime reverse.
Granted, Brown is one of the league's most physically dominant wideouts. Forbes couldn't cope effectively with his strength and ability to stretch the field, which resulted in conceding some big plays and scores that the Commanders could have done without.
Ron Rivera affirmed his belief in Forbes throughout the week, something I also have in abundance despite such an indifferent outing. But all eyes will be on how the cornerback bounces back versus the Chicago Bears, who could also target him heavily based on the success Philadelphia generated going in this direction.
The former Mississippi State star has all the athletic intangibles needed to be a tremendous asset for Washington in the short and long term. It might be worth those in power handing over No. 1 weapon responsibilities to Kendall Fuller given his exceptional start to the campaign, but Forbes must be ready to perform far better when the football comes his way with the national audience watching intently.
Jack Del Rio - Commanders DC
Many anticipated the Washington Comanders defense to be among the league's best in 2023. Stud defensive end Chase Young was coming back from a long-term absence and the secondary got reinforced encouragingly via the draft, so it's not hard to see why hopes were so high regarding the unit heading into the campaign.
Through four weeks, it hasn't been good enough. The Commanders have given up more than 100 points over the last three contests, which isn't a recipe for success and something that has to change as a matter of extreme urgency.
This puts Jack Del Rio squarely under the microscope. The defensive coordinator's bland schematic concepts and inability to adjust effectively are playing a leading role in this unit's underachievement - whether he has the mindset to alter his current way of thinking is another matter.
Just why Del Rio insisted on keeping rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes versus veteran wide receiver A.J. Brown last weekend when he was clearly having difficulties at the Philadelphia Eagles is a testament to his stubbornness. Opposing teams are figuring his scheme out relatively early in games, which makes it that much harder for the outstanding weapons on Washington's defense to do damage.
Del Rio needs to figure this out, and quickly. Otherwise, a situation could emerge where the Commanders begin looking at alternatives with a more progressive way of thinking.
Cody Barton - Commanders LB
It tried, I really did. But the All-22 footage didn't lie once again where linebacker Cody Barton was concerned.
Barton is not living up to expectations following his free-agent switch from the Seattle Seahawks. Pete Carroll is a shrewd operator, so there's probably a good reason why he didn't bring the former third-round selection out of Utah back into the fold once his contract expired.
Something the Washington Commanders are finding out to their cost.
It was another woeful performance from Barton at the Philadelphia Eagles. He looks like a rabbit in the headlights and devoid of any confidence, which is a real concern with just four games of the 2023 campaign gone.
We spoke this week about the Commanders potentially making changes at the defensive second level alongside Jamin Davis. That might be difficult on a short week, but Khaleke Hudson's been around the set-up long enough to potentially provide better assistance, especially considering the flashes he showed in Week 18 last time around and throughout the preseason.
Barton is giving up a 118.7 passer rating in coverage and even though he's only missed two tackles, is extremely hesitant with his run pursuit angles and lacks the explosiveness needed to get to the points of attack before significant yardage is gained. Something reflected in his measly 41.0 grade from Pro Football Focus.
If last weekend was the last chance saloon for Barton, it's hard to project a bright future for the player with another subpar outing against the Chicago Bears. And the Commanders need him to produce the goods versus a decent running back tandem and one of the league's more mobile quarterbacks in Justin Fields.