Sitting at his locker Thursday, Montez Sweat started to talk about hunger. No, the Commanders edge rusher wasn’t discussing the need for food in a literal sense. But Sweat brought it up in relation to this season — and how his unit has performed.
“We hungry,” Sweat said of the defensive line said. “We want to eat.”
They’re back to feasting this year.
A year ago, the defensive line was the most disappointing unit on Washington’s roster. The group failed to live up to massive expectations, set by a dominant 2020 season in which the line helped fueled a late-season surge to the playoffs. They were hyped as one of the best units in football, only to look nothing like it.
That’s no longer the case. This year, Washington’s line has quietly — or maybe not so quietly, to anyone who has watched the games — returned to form. Need an example? The Commanders have 19 sacks so far this season. That already matches half the total (38) the team finished in 2021.
The Commanders (2-4) have only played six games.
“You always want to prove the naysayers wrong and all that type of stuff, but more so, we want to prove ourselves right,” Sweat said. “We know that we can be the best d-line in this league. And that’s what our goal is.”
There’s an argument to be made that this version is even better than the group that dominated in 2020 — even though star pass-rusher Chase Young has yet to suit up because he’s still working his way back from a torn ACL.
Statistically, at least, the Commanders’ defense is generating more pressure than it did two years ago. According to Pro Football Reference, the Commanders rank third this season with a pressure rate of 29.3% — an uptick over 2020’s 25.9% (ninth). The Commanders also have had more sacks (3.1 in 2022 to 2.93 in 2020) and more quarterback knockdowns (6.16 to 3.1) per game.
As Washington prepares for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers — a team that has struggled with pressure this year — the Commanders are coming off back-to-back outings in which the defensive line had its best performances of the season. Tennessee’s Ryan Tannehill and Chicago’s Justin Fields were each sacked five times.
What’s changed? Some may be tempted to point to coach Ron Rivera’s abrupt firing of (now former) defensive line coach Sam Mills III in August. But asked this week about the improvement, Rivera instead pointed to discipline.
Specifically, the defensive line, Rivera said, has done a better job of sticking to their lanes by cutting off the run and staying “vertical” when rushing the passer. The unit has been in sync, leading to an uptick in pressure.
“They have a chance to (be),” Rivera said when asked if he thought this year’s group was better than it was in 2020. “They’ve done some really good things, and again, we just gotta continue to work on being disciplined.”
What stands out about this year’s defensive line is that no one player is propping up the group with dominant play. Defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne are two of the best interior linemen in football — but they each lead Washington with only 3 ½ sacks.
Instead, Washington has six players with at least two sacks — five of them being from the defensive line.
That said, Allen, Payne and Sweat are playing at an extremely high level. According to Next Gen Stats, Sweat’s 21 pressures are tied for the fourth-most in the league, while Allen (18 pressures) and Payne (14) put them second and fifth among interior defensive linemen.
Further, Next Gen Stats found that Washington’s front four is generating pressure at a league-high 37.4% — meaning the Commanders are getting to quarterbacks without having to dial up blitz after blitz.
“It’s not about an individual in order to rush a quarterback,” defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said. “It’s gotta be coordinated, it’s gotta be understood. You’ve gotta play off each other and communicate with each other and execute together.
“I think we’re doing that at a higher level.”
And they’re doing it without Young, the former second-overall pick who won defensive rookie of the year in 2020. Young’s return, though, could be fast approaching. The defensive end will reportedly meet with Dr. James Andrews on Sunday and if that meeting goes well, then the 23-year-old will be designated to return from the Physically Unable to Return list.
Young’s speed and power should, in theory, make Washington’s line even more explosive. But so far, they’ve been able to make an impact regardless.
“We’ve been on the same page,” Sweat said.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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