The Washington Commanders have four first-round picks on their defensive line, star players who can be counted on to deliver big performances.
That confidence, though, may have turned into complacency during September.
During losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears, the defense struggled to rattle quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields.
Bears offensive lineman Teven Jenkins said his team realized that the Commanders weren’t going to blitz, suggesting that players who were faking it “either weren’t aware or they were just being lazy about making the shift and that led to some really open plays for us.”
During last Sunday’s win in Atlanta, the Commanders sealed up a few of those cracks in the foundation.
The defense blitzed at key moments, including three third-and-long situations, as well as a fourth-down conversion attempt.
Coach Ron Rivera said that while extra rushers can pay immediate dividends, there’s also long-term gain from making the opposing quarterback have to account for the possibility.
“I think if we do anything as far as mixing it up, what it does show is that there’s always that ability, there’s always that capability to bring the extra guy if you need be,” he said.
Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio gave an overall assessment of the defense on Thursday, describing it as a group that has “had some ups and downs.”
“I would say the best is yet to come for our group, and what we’re capable of, and what we’re going to do,” he said.
“I love the fact that we are a relentless group. We’re a group that has stuck together, and we’re working through some of the issues that were the problem. We’ll come out on the other side — I feel very confident about that.”
Rivera and Del Rio also switched up the line in a major way on Sunday. The Commanders have played with five defensive linemen before, known as their “Cinco” formation, but leaned heavily on it against the Falcons.
Defensive end Chase Young seems particularly well-suited to the alignment since he has the speed to play like an outside linebacker would in a 3-4 defense.
Using five defensive linemen is primarily intended to stop the rush, which was a focus against the Falcons and their talented rookie Bijan Robinson, as it will be Sunday against Giants star Saquon Barkley. It also provides extra options against the pass.
“One of the things that we do intentionally is when we do the five-man, we do bring the fifth guy (at the quarterback) a lot,” Rivera said. “We do drop the fifth guy as well. So that does seem to help us when we do have to go into the bigger packages.
“So doing that, whether we’re in the bigger packages or our base four-man front, I think it adds a little bit more to the thinking process of our opponent.”
For Del Rio, it’s an acknowledgment that just having a collection of talent up front isn’t always enough to get the job done, it will also take some creative scheming.
That’s particularly true in must-stop situations like third-and-long.
When Washington’s opponents need between 6 and 10 yards on third down, they’ve converted 14 of their 32 attempts this year, well above the league average.
Those plays can benefit from an additional layer of complexity, instead of just relying on Young, Montez Sweat and company to win their matchups and create pressure on quarterbacks by themselves.
Injury update
Washington cornerback Kendall Fuller did not practice for the second day in a row with a knee injury, but told reporters he intends to play on Sunday.
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