“Are you guys playing with the speed that you want to, that you need to, to be more effective?”
This question was posed to Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn early Wednesday in his time with the press at Arizona State University ahead of the Week 4 game against the Cardinals.
“Not yet,” replied Quinn. “I’d say we are gaining there. We’re still building on that. But we’re not hitting the mark that we want to yet. By no means is that where we’re going to end up.”
Quinn is certainly correct, as the Commanders are 29th in yards surrendered after three games. They simply can’t get off the field. The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t have to punt once Monday night.
Furthermore, the Commanders are 31st in yards yielded per play, giving up 6.6 yards an offensive snap. They are tied for last with the Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders as the only teams to have one takeaway in three games.
Rick Snider’s Washington says the Washington Commanders have an interior defense problem. Gimme two minutes. pic.twitter.com/R28nnRnL18
— Rick Snider's Washington (@Snide_Remarks) September 25, 2024
Yet Quinn was still believing in his guys, preaching them up and encouraging them to be what he believed or needed them to be.
“I love the crew. I love what we’re about,” Quinn said. “As we’re going to grow, we are going to play faster. They’re going to play more violent. So, the more of that, that we do, then you stack on some more and stack on some more. But we’re not to the space that we will be.”
The Washington defense is tied for 30th with the Los Angeles Rams, giving up 70 first downs in three games. They next face Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. Murray is quick, and he loves picking up first downs and sliding neatly, avoiding all contact.
Murray is going be another very tough challenge for the Commanders defense.