5 disappointments from Commanders victory vs. the Cardinals in Week 1

Commanders OL breakdowns

I thought that on many plays, especially early on, the Washington Commanders offensive line blocked rather well. But they clearly had both physical and mental miscues that almost cost their team.

Veteran right tackle Andrew Wylie could prove to be the biggest liability as the campaign goes on. He was awful in the first preseason contest but seemed to settle down in the second, but watching him in a competitive setting provided a broader indication of what to expect.

Against the Arizona Cardinals, Wylie had a lot of trouble with the speed of Dennis Garbeck. If he struggles against this caliber of edge rusher, the prospect of the offensive tackle lining up against Kayvon Thibodeaux and Micah Parsons is terrifying.

There were some mental breakdowns as well. For example, when center Nick Gates was slow to slide over to pick up pressure coming from his left, or when linebacker Cameron Thomas came in untouched from Sam Howell’s right and deflected his throw.

Those kinds of issues should be resolved in time. But the Commanders clearly cannot continue to allow six sacks - to five different defenders - if they hope to have success this season.