What’s gone right — and wrong — for Commanders past the midway point

There is a level of uncertainty that can creep in whenever a team goes up for sale. Ron Rivera experienced it in Carolina when the Panthers were on the market in late 2017. The coach had to make sure players understood the task at hand back then with the Panthers, and he has to do it now at the helm of the Commanders.

The Commanders will “stick to business as usual” as potential buyers emerge, Rivera said.

“That’s the only way you can do it,” he said. 

Instead, the focus will be to move on from Sunday’s crushing 20-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings that snapped a three-game winning streak and dropped the Commanders to 4-5. Now past the midway point, Washington remains in the playoff hunt — still only half a game back from the last wild card spot — but the Commanders’ margin for error is thin. 

With the offense only averaging 17.7 points per game, the Commanders have had to grind out contests with a stout defense and at times rely on late-game heroics in order to win. But that’s hard to replicate every time out. 

Here’s what has gone right — and wrong — for the Commanders over the first half of the season.

Defense’s return to form: After the first three weeks, questions lingered about whether defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio’s job was in jeopardy, as Washington gave up at least 350 yards in each outing. But Del Rio’s seat is no longer hot — with the defense dramatically improving since then. The group looks closer to the unit that dominated in 2020 rather than last season’s bottom-10 defense.

According to Football Outsiders, the Commanders now rank 15th in defensive DVOA — a metric that measures efficiency. More notable, Washington ranks as the league’s best run defense by those rankings, shutting down elite backs like Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook (47 rushing yards), Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor (76) and Green Bay’s Aaron Jones (23).

The success starts up front as Washington’s defensive line has controlled the trenches. Defensive tackle Daron Payne, a pending free agent, leads with a career-high 5 1/2 sacks — while Jonathan Allen (4 1/2) and Montez Sweat (3) aren’t far behind. Though the Commanders lost to Minnesota, the defense hit Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins 11 times. 

Roller-coaster quarterbacks: Rivera described the Carson Wentz Experience as a rollercoaster ride in Washington’s season-opening win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he broke out the same metaphor Sunday to describe Taylor Heinicke. Neither quarterback has been able to provide much-needed stability to the position.

Wentz, Washington’s big offseason acquisition, struggled before landing on injured reserve last month with a fractured finger. Heinicke, Rivera said, has brought a “bit of a spark” over the last three games, but the gunslinger has demonstrated the same flaws — limited arm, questionable decision-making — that led Washington to pursue an upgrade in the offseason.

“It’s feast or famine at times with him,” Rivera said of Heinicke. “But, he’s done the things that you need to do to give yourselves an opportunity.”

In six games with Wentz, the Commanders averaged 320.3 yards and 17 points per game with Wentz under center. Those numbers have improved with Heinicke, but not by great lengths: The Commanders have averaged 329.7 yards and 19 points per game.

Rivera will have to decide whether to stick with Heinicke or go back to Wentz once the latter is healthy. The earliest Wentz would be eligible to return is for the game against Houston on Nov. 20, though there are no assurances that the quarterback will be cleared by then. For now, Heinicke gets the start for next Monday’s showdown in Philadelphia.

Third downs: This has gone right or wrong for the Commanders, depending on what side of the ball you look at. Let’s start with the positive: The Commanders have had the third-best defense on third down this season — holding teams to a 32.8% conversion rate. That’s surprising as Washington ranked second-to-last (48.5%) a year ago. Washington’s defense has been significantly better at getting off the field. 

The offense? They’re technically good at getting off the field, too. The Commanders are converting only 34.2% of their third downs — the seventh-worst mark in the NFL. Never a good sign for an offense, Washington’s Tress Way leads the league in punts with 50. Way was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month last week and he should be on his way to another Pro Bowl. The Commanders, though, would like to keep him on the sideline.