5 winners and losers from the Commanders defeat vs. Eagles in Week 8
By Dean Jones
Loser No. 1
Commanders pass defense
After getting torched by stud wide receiver A.J. Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles' passing attack during their first game against the defending NFC conference champions, significant adjustments were needed to avoid a similar fate. Unfortunately, the Washington Commanders couldn't find the right answers.
It was the same old story. Brown had his way with Washington's secondary to continue his exceptional recent run of form, quarterback Jalen Hurts was clinical in key situations, and the Eagles moved the ball through the air almost at will en route to 319 combined yards and four touchdowns.
The pass rush mustered just two sacks, but the secondary had no answer. Kendall Fuller had some nice moments in coverage, but nobody else emerged from the contest with any real credit during a disappointing afternoon in this key area.
Jack Del Rio is another coach coming under severe fire recently. The concepts are outdated and not in keeping with the modern-day NFL, but placing Emmanuel Forbes versus Brown on his first snap was just another fine example of the deployment not being up to the required standard.
Washington currently ranks No. 29 out of 32 teams in passing yards allowed per game with 256.8. This is unacceptable given the talent at their disposal - something that points the finger squarely at Del Rio and his defensive coaching staff.