Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlines as preparations gather pace for their Week 6 game at the Atlanta Falcons?
The calls for change have been deafening among some sections of the Washington Commanders' fanbase after their dismal loss against the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. But for Ron Rivera, his staff, and the players, looking back with regret is not an option as they look to get their campaign back on track this weekend at the Atlanta Falcons.
Until then, the stories causing debate include Jeremy Reaves' concerning status, putting pressure on quarterback Sam Howell, Jonathan Allen's confidence, and where the Commanders stand in ESPN's weekly power rankings.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Commanders' concern for Jeremy Reaves
The Washington Commanders made the expected move of placing starting safety Darrick Forrest and All-Pro special teamer Jeremy Reaves on injured/reserve. But in the latter's case, the prognosis is much more concerning than many feared.
According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the perception is that Reaves will be out for the year thanks to a torn ACL. This is nothing short of disastrous for the player and Washington, especially considering he's out of contract in 2024 after getting tendered earlier this spring.
"Commanders DB Jeremy Reaves, a first-team All-Pro special teamer last year, suffered a partially torn ACL on Thursday and could miss the rest of the season, sources say. Reaves is gathering more medical opinions before making a decision on his immediate future."Mike Garafolo via X/Twitter
Obviously, further developments will emerge once more tests are done. Until then, all fans can do is wish Reaves the best and hope he gets back onto the field sooner rather than later.
Commanders DT Jonathan Allen's confidence
Seeing the Washington Commanders' defense struggling through five weeks is surprising and concerning in equal measure. This unit has the talent to become one of the league's best in 2023, but they've failed to meet lofty expectations as yet and pressure is mounting on defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio as a result.
Del Rio is sticking around, for now at least. But it's imperative every single defensive player takes a good long look in the mirror and shows some fight heading into Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons and their vaunted rushing attack led by first-round sensation Bijan Robinson.
Things aren't looking too promising right now. However, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen is confident things can start trending upward based on his comments via USA Today Sports.
"In the NFL, one thing about defense is any plays you struggle with, you are going to see them again…so we have to get better at the things we are struggling with. We are definitely struggling right now, but we are going to improve. I need to play with more energy, more effort, better technique, go back to the fundamentals. Obviously, when things are going well, people want to see the passion. They want to see that we care. One thing I can guarantee without a shadow of a doubt is we care. Obviously, this one hurt for the fans. It hurts for the players and coaches as well. I understand the frustration, I’m not calling out anybody, not blaming anybody, but I promise you, this isn’t going to continue."Jonathan Allen via USA Today Sports
Allen knows he has to do better. But his leadership will be integral to Washington getting out of a difficult slump and back to their usual standard.
Commanders nosedive in ESPN's power rankings
If there were encouraging signs to emerge from their defeat at the Philadelphia Eagles, that was not the case in Week 5. The Washington Commanders were punched in the mouth against the then-winless Chicago Bears, which was a stark reality check about the current state of affairs and what more is needed to get this team back among the contenders.
This was reflected in ESPN's weekly power rankings. The Commanders fell five spots to No. 21, with beat writer John Keim highlighting wide receiver Terry McLaurin as the team's most disappointing player from a fantasy football perspective through five games.
"[Terry] McLaurin remains a very good receiver; the opportunities have changed, however. He's averaging career lows in targets per game (6.5), yards per catch (10.4), yards after the catch (2.52) and also in percentage of catches for 20-plus yards (12). He is catching five passes per game, second best in his career, but McLaurin has now gone nine consecutive games without a 100-yard game, dating to last season. He averaged 13.5 fantasy points last season and that has fallen to 12.6, ranking 27th at receiver. One big game could change this direction, but Washington needs to get him more involved downfield to create big plays as he's done in the past."John Keim, ESPN
As previously stated, things aren't looking good after a three-game skid and pressure mounting across the board. However, there is time for the Commanders to turn things around - and this weekend versus the 3-2 Atlanta Falcons would be a good place to start.
Commanders puttng too much on Sam Howell?
It's hard to look at Sam Howell's overall performance levels over the first five weeks and not be impressed. The quarterback is growing in confidence with every passing week and even though results aren't where they need to be right now, the Washington Commanders might have found their franchise presence under center at long last.
Howell is doing what's required in the face of extreme pressure. He's the league's most sacked quarterback and thanks to some slow defensive starts, the former fifth-round selection is having to do a lot in pursuit of keeping his team in games.
When discussing this situation, Ron Rivera admitted via USA Today Sports that the Commanders are putting a lot on Howell's shoulders given the way things are unfolding. Although it's enhancing his personal development, the head coach wants things to become more balanced moving forward.
"It’s interesting, and I had a conversation with EB [offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy], and that was one of the things that we talked about; we didn’t want to have to do, but we’ve had to do, unfortunately, that has put so much on Sam [Howell] early. That’s expediting his development, that’s for sure, but we don’t want that. We want to be balanced; we want to be able to run, use play action, and drop back passing. We want to be able to use those phases of offense as opposed to getting stuck and saying, ‘Okay, we gotta try and do this and try and do this to give yourself a chance to win."Ron Rivera via USA Today Sports
Establishing the run, providing better protection, and improving from a defensive standpoint is the only way pressure will diminish on Howell. Something that would benefit the entire operation.