The Commanders won their ninth game of the 2024 season Sunday when they held on for a 20-19 escape from the New Orleans Saints.
Washington led 17-0 early in the third quarter. The last half-hour was troublesome for the Commanders and disappointing for fans.
Plain and simple, though I wish it were much, much different; the Commanders weren’t good enough to defeat a bad Saints team on Sunday. They couldn’t run the ball when needed in the second half, and they couldn’t effectively protect Jayden Daniels, giving up eight sacks.
In the final 25 minutes of the game, Joe Whitt’s defense resembled the version from the Week 11 loss to the Eagles. On the Saints’ last four offensive possessions, the Commanders’ defense was… well… poor.
I hesitated because I honestly wouldn’t say I like to overstate things. But consider this: the Saints, on their second-half possessions, drove 71 yards for a touchdown, 51 yards for a field goal, 59 yards for a field goal, and 56 yards for a touchdown.
Keep in mind, on Sunday, the Saints lost running back Alvin Kamara during the game due to injury, and they never had wide receiver Chris Olave nor quarterback Derek Carr.
In addition, keep in mind that the Commanders’ defense was outplayed late by the Bears, Giants, Steelers, and Eagles for four consecutive weeks. Yes, Chicago outscored Washington 15-0 before the ‘Hail Mary’ rescued them.
The reality is that the Commanders’ second-half defense has become an ongoing problem. It’s a dilemma, a predicament.
This has to be a significant part of Dan Quinn’s, ‘Tell the Truth, Monday’ in Ashburn.