Category: 2023 NFL Season

When they last met: Commanders and 49ers

The Commanders hung tough with the 49ers last season until they pulled away in the second half.

“When they last met” is an ongoing series during the NFL season, recalling the preceding game between Washington and the next opponent on the Commanders’ schedule.

San Francisco 37, Washington 20 – Week 16, Dec. 24, 2022

Brock Purdy completed 15 of 22 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns as the Commanders fell to the San Francisco 49ers 37-20 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Entering the game with a 7-6-1, the Commanders playing for a playoff berth, went toe-to-toe with the 49ers, as the game was tied 7-7 at the half. The Commanders had missed a huge opportunity in the second quarter when inside the 5, they ran four plays but could not score.

Purdy completed touchdown passes of 34 and 33 yards to George Kittle, extending the 49ers lead to 21-7.

But Washington starter Taylor Heinicke answered with a 3-yard scoring pass to Terry McLaurin with 2:46 remaining in the third quarter, narrowing the deficit to 21-14.

The 49ers defense then shut down the Commanders offense, resulting in three consecutive possessions resulting in Robbie Gould field goals, extending the 49ers’ lead to 30-14.

Ron Rivera benched Heinicke and turned to Carson Wentz. Wentz responded, completing 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel.

As a result of Wentz playing well, Rivera named Wentz the starter for the next week against the Browns, but Wentz played poorly; Washington lost at home to the Browns and was officially eliminated from the 2022 playoff race.

Commanders vs. 49ers: Week 17 Wednesday injury report

The Commanders had 7 players miss practice, but Brian Robinson Jr. was limited.

As the 4-11 Commanders prepare for their home game against the 49ers (11-4), six players did not practice, Wednesday.

Starters Jonathan Allen and Kendall Fuller were the most noticeable to not be on the field Wednesday. However, it was not due to any current injury that both missed the workout. Both Allen and Fuller were given a veteran’s day off.

CB Benjamin St-Juste left Sunday’s game with an apparent concussion, and he did not practice Wednesday as a result. RB Chris Rodriguez played well Sunday but did injure an ankle late and missed practice.

DT John Ridgeway played on Sunday, but OT Charles Leno Jr. did not play Sunday. Both were given Wednesday off to stay off of a foot and calf, respectively.

An injured knee resulted in C Tyler Larsen missing his first game vs. the Jets, and he was also still not practicing Wednesday.

Percy Butler (wrist), Brian Robinson Jr (hamstring) and Andrew Wylie (elbow) are each injured to some degree, and though they did practice, they were limited in their activity.

LB De’Jon Harris (quad) has been working out, is in the 21-day practice window currently, and could possibly be brought off of injured reserve.

Here’s a look at the 49ers’ Wednesday injury report.

Commanders’ Allen understands fans perspective, but he is an NFL player

Allen talks fans rooting for a higher position in the 2024 NFL draft and the quarterbacks.

Did the close loss to the Jets ruin Christmas for Jonathan Allen?

That was one of the early questions, asked of Allen on his weekly appearance on the “Sports Junkies” Tuesday.

“No, and here’s why. The amount of work I put in this week leading up to the Jets is probably some of the most I have done in my entire career. The way I was able to go out there and play hard, I can go to sleep knowing I left it all out there on the field.” Allen finished with four tackles and three of the four Commanders quarterback hits.

Allen said he has learned how fans look at it from their perspective of how can the team win over the next ten years. But he has also learned that as an NFL player, the only right way for him to look at it, is he is trying to win right now (this day, this game).

Allen then confirmed that a younger version of himself would have been upset with local fans and local media, wanting the team to lose for a better draft position, etc., but now that he has matured, having been in the NFL since the 2017 NFL draft, those things don’t bother him. He understands the fan base has their perspective, and they need to understand he has a player has his perspective.

As for the Commanders’ two quarterbacks and which should play against the 49ers next Sunday? “Obviously, Sam Howell is struggling, and Jacoby is playing great. Thank God, I don’t get paid to make those decisions. I just focus on what I have to do. Do you move on from him or do you continue to try to work with him (Howell)? I don’t know. That’s a tough question. I don’t think that is really a question I can answer.”

Allen was not being avoidant, he simply is mature and knows there is a time and place for everything.

 

How bad were the Commanders in the first half vs the Jets?

Sam Howell was bad on Sunday, but in that first half, the entire team looked ridiculously bad.

Sunday, the Commanders coaches again pulled Sam Howell, but this game stands out in seeing just how bad Howell was against the Jets.

Howell was horrible, yes. But you should not simplistically think as bad as he was; it was all on him. In fact, you might be surprised to be reminded how bad the Commanders’ team was in the first half, Sunday.

On his first play, Howell hit Curtis Samuel right in the hands for what could have been a first down, but Samuel dropped it. On his second play of the game, Howell hit Logan Thomas in the hands, and the pass was then intercepted. Don’t you think that shakes up a young quarterback on the road in New York?

Tight end John Bates decided he would also contribute a dropped pass, so in the first quarter, Washington receivers dropped three passes on Howell. Isn’t it time we are as equally hard on the receivers for all of their dropped passes this season? Howell had a tough game, but it is true: the three drops in the first quarter were huge as well.

In addition, what was Terrell Burgess thinking on the Tress Way blocked punt? Five offensive plays, and Washington was down 10-0.

Early in the second quarter, Howell was about to start a possession in Jets territory because Jamison Crowder was returning a punt 24 yards, which he then mysteriously, with no contact, fumbled right back to the Jets. So much for that possession opportunity for Howell.

After a Casey Toohill fumble recovery, Chris Rodriguez scored to narrow the Jets lead to 20-7. The Commanders then put together an excellent defensive series, and the Jets were three out. Then, with the Jets in punt formation, Tariq Castro-Fields jumped offsides for some inexplicable reason.

The penalty provided the Jets a first down at their own 41, and they proceeded to drive the rest of the 59 yards for a touchdown, extending their lead to 27-7.

Yes, Sam Howell was bad Sunday. It was his worst game of the season, and the Commanders also contributed in various ways toward the worst first half of the season.

 

Will Ron Rivera start Sam Howell or Jacoby Brissett vs. the 49ers?

The signs points to Washington turning to Brissett for the final two games.

For the fan base, Sunday’s Jets 30-28 win over the Commanders is a win for many; however, it is a loss for the actual players.

While fans are hoping to continue climbing up the draft board (now 3rd), perhaps one-third of the roster won’t even be returning next year. So, they don’t care at all about draft positioning.

Players have invested years of weight lifting, training, and injuries. They have pride and want to win; they don’t want to be losers to help next year’s team.

Please understand that Sunday’s first half was only rivaled by the first half pathetic performance against the Bears. How could an NFL team start a game as poorly as the Commanders did Sunday? How prepared were they mentally to come out and be intense from the first play?

Then there is Jacoby Brissett. All he has done is enter the game late against the Rams and lead the offense to two touchdowns. Then against the Jets, he led the Commanders to three consecutive touchdown drives.

So, what does Ron Rivera do next week?

All season long, Rivera has sung the tune of “the growth and development of Sam Howell.” However, it is hard to watch Howell now, as his confidence has spiraled downward, and his play sadly decreased.

The players once believed in Sam Howell and publicly declared their support. But the evidence they’ve seen in recent games, leads them to now want Brissett to be the starter the last two games, correct?

And if that is so, Rivera knows he owes it to the locker room to play the guy that gives the players the best chance to compete.

Patriots surprise Commanders with a gift

The Patriots gave the Commanders a Christmas gift in Week 16.

The Commanders received another unexpected Christmas gift on Christmas Eve.

The gift came from a rather very unsuspecting giver, the New England Patriots.

The Patriots have been absolutely horrible this season offensively, losing five of their first six games and a hard-to-believe 6-0 shutout loss to the Chargers that lowered their regular season record to 2-10.

Suddenly the Patriots have now won two of their last three games. What’s more, both teams they defeated were home favorites because they were still in playoff contention. Yet, the Patriots went to Pittsburgh and won 21-18, and Sunday night, they went to Denver and beat the Broncos 26-23.

As a result, the Commanders are now up on more spot on the draft position ladder at third overall, and the Patriots fall to fourth.

The Giants, Chargers and Titans all have a 5-10 record, and with Washington needing to play the 49ers and Cowboys next, it seems more unlikely the Commanders could earn a fifth victory this season.

Consequently, they may have locked up the third overall draft position in the next draft. This could be huge for Washington if they wanted to draft a quarterback, or if they are offered a package that a new general manager and head coach can’t pass up, it could be a big boost in launching the rebuild.

Commanders’ Sam Howell benched again in loss to Jets

That second-half comeback masked how bad the Commanders really were.

For the second consecutive week, Commanders’ starting quarterback Sam Howell was benched.

How bad was it for Howell? In his 22 passing attempts, he generated only 56 passing yards. That means Howell’s average yardage per attempt was a woeful 2.54.

In addition, Howell was intercepted twice and sacked once for minus 13 yards. To make matters worse there were the first half dropped passes by Washington receivers. Furthermore, on the second play of the game, his pass hit Logan Thomas in the face mask and was intercepted. It was downhill from the beginning.

Brissett entered the game Washington down 27-7 in the third quarter, and he then completed 10 of his 13 attempts for 100 yards and a touchdown to Thomas.

Back to Howell, on the second play of the game, Howell was intercepted, resulting in a Jets field goal.

On their second possession, Tress Way’s punt was blocked in the end zone and the Commanders were down 10-0.

Third Commanders possession, it was three and out, a punt which the Jets then turned into a 36-yard touchdown run. That quickly, the Commanders were down 17-0.

The team looked lifeless, a step slow, not ready to play with intensity. The comeback, which saw Washington down 27-7, and score three touchdowns in the second half, will mask how bad this team was in the first half.

They were bad, really bad.

Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste leaves game vs. Jets with concussion

St-Juste departed Washington’s game against the Jets with a concussion.

Washington Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste battled injuries during his first two NFL seasons. A third-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, he missed a total of 13 games in his first two seasons.

In 2023, St-Juste has yet to miss a game, remaining healthy all season in what has been an up-and-down year for him. St-Juste is often targeted by opposing quarterbacks, and while that has led to several pass breakups, he has given up his share of big plays all season.

In Washington’s Week 16 game against the New York Jets, St-Juste was often matched up with Jets star wide receiver Garrett Wilson. The pair went back and forth, with St-Juste called for two penalties, but in the second half, the third-year cornerback was injured and left the game.

It was revealed that St-Juste was being checked for a concussion. Shortly afterward, St-Juste was confirmed out for the game.

The Commanders have two games remaining in the 2023 season, and St-Juste will enter the NFL’s concussion protocol.

 

WATCH: Commanders LB Cody Barton with an interception and long return

Cody Barton had his best play of the season against the Jets, playing a large role in Washington’s comeback.

Washington Commanders linebacker Cody Barton struggled badly through the first month of the 2023 NFL season. Barton had his best performance in Washington’s Week 6 win against the Atlanta Falcons.

He was injured the next week and would miss the following four games.

He returned in Week 12 and resumed his place in the middle of Washington’s struggling defense.

Barton had his most memorable moment in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets since coming to the Commanders this season.

With the Jets leading 27-7 midway through the third quarter, they had a chance to put the game away, but Barton had other ideas. New York quarterback Trevor Siemian stared down his receiver on second-and-goal, and Barton made him pay, intercepting the pass and returning it 56 yards into New York territory.

The play proved pivotal for the Commanders. Jacoby Brissett would enter the game at quarterback in place of the struggling Sam Howell and led Washington on consecutive touchdown drives.

Jets lead Commanders 27-7 at halftime

Another bad half of football for the Commanders.

The New York Jets (5-9) lead the Washington Commanders (4-10) 27-7 at halftime of their Week 16 encounter.

Washington began the game on offense, with quarterback Sam Howell’s first pass to wide receiver Curtis Samuel dropped. It would prove to be an ominous beginning for the Commanders.

On the very next play, Howell’s pass to tight end Logan Thomas bounced off his hands into the waiting arms of a Jets defender, and New York was off to the races.

Washington’s defense actually held the Jets to a field goal on that play, but it didn’t last.

On the next Commanders’ series, they’d go three-and-out, and New York would block a Tress Way punt. The Jets quickly scored.

The Commanders went three-and-out again, and Jets RB Breece Hall would score on a 36-yard touchdown run to make it 17-0 just five minutes into the game.

The Jets had only scored one first-quarter touchdown all season entering this game.

The Commanders continued to struggle on offense, and the defense wasn’t much better. Washington went 0-for-6 on third downs, Howell completed just five of 17 passes for 51 yards. He was under pressure throughout the half, and the Commanders’ receivers dropped multiple passes.

New York begins the second half with the football.