Category: Washington

4-Down Territory: Best/Worst NFL teams, next coach fired, Worst of the Week

The NFL’s best and worst teams, the next head coach fired, and the Worst of the Week for Week 13. It’s time for “4-Down Territory!”

With 13 weeks of actual football in the books for the 2023 NFL season, and the Thanksgiving slate behind us, it’s time for Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, and Kyle Madson of Niners Wire, to come to the table with their own unique brand of analysis in “4-Down Territory.”

This week, the guys have some serious questions to answer:

  1. Which team is the NFL’s best right now?
  2. And which team is the NFL’s worst?
  3. Which head coach will be the next one fired?
  4. What was the Worst of the Week?

You can watch this week’s “4-Down Territory” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “4-Down Territory” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Worst of the Week: Clete Blakeman, Jamal Adams, Ron Rivera, Broncos in the red zone

Jamal Adams, Ron Rivera, Broncos in the red zone, Joe Flacco’s last two plays, and more bad officiating! It’s the NFL’s Worst of the Week!

Football is a wonderful, thrilling, inspiring game that can lift us to new heights in our lives.

But football is also a weird, inexplicable, at times downright stupid game that may force you to perform Keith Moon-level furniture destruction in your own living room.

So, as much as we at Touchdown Wire endeavor to write about what makes the game great, there are also times when it’s important to point out the dumb plays, boneheaded decisions, and officiating errors that make football all too human.

Folks, it’s time for the Worst of the Week for Week 13 of the 2023 NFL season.

Commanders QB Sam Howell throws third pick-six in as many games

Washington Commanders QB Sam Howell is now one game away from tying the NFL’s record for consecutive pick-six games.

In the 2013 NFL season, Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub threw an interception for an opponent touchdown in four straight games, which was a record one thinks might never be broken.

Well, Mr. Schaub, Sam Howell of the Washington Commanders is now on your heels. When Howell threw this interception to Miami Dolphins edge-rusher Andrew Van Ginkel for a 33-yard touchdown with 11:18 left in the first half…

It marked the third straight game in which Howell had thrown a pick-six.

Last week against the Dallas Cowboys, Howell allowed Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland to set the NFL’s single-season record with his fifth pick-six of the season, which now seems all too predictable.

And then, at the end of Washington’s Week 11 game against the New York Giants, Howell threw this lame duck to linebacker/EDGE Isaiah Simmons.

This is not the kind of record anybody wants to break, but after Washington’s Week 14 bye, the Los Angeles Rams will certainly be looking for opportunities in this regard.

4-Down Territory: MVP race, best under-the-radar team, mercy trades, Worst of the Week

NFL MVP? Most dangerous non-playoff team? Players in mercy trades? Worst of the Week? It’s time for this week’s “4-Down Territory!”

With 12 weeks of actual football in the books for the 2023 NFL season, and the Thanksgiving slate behind us, it’s time for Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, and Kyle Madson of Niners Wire, to come to the table with their own unique brand of analysis in “4-Down Territory.”

This week, the guys have some serious questions to answer:

  1. Who’s the NFL’s Most Valuable Player at this point of the season?
  2. Which current non-playoff team is the league’s most dangerous?
  3. Which player deserves to be traded from his current team as an act of mercy?
  4. What was the Worst of the Week for Week 12?

You can watch this week’s “4-Down Territory” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe the “4-Down Territory” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Burn This Play! Why do coaches call shotgun runs on fourth-and-1?

NFL coaches keep calling run plays out of shotgun in short-yardage situations, and they really, really need to stop.

With 4:19 left in the Seattle Seahawks’ 31-13 Thanksgiving night loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle made the decision to hand the ball to running back Zach Charbonnet. Quarterback Geno Smith was in shotgun, and the play went nowhere.

“The blocking scheme of the play was it was a downhill blocking scheme, but we’re in the gun to run it,” Carroll said the day after. “I think the call is hoping that you get them to widen, thinking ‘they may throw the football’ and we get an edge there. That’s all that was… Should have been an easy conversion right there. We didn’t get it.”

As for the Washington Commanders in their 45-10 Thanksgiving day loss to the Dallas Cowboys, they tried a shotgun run on fourth-and-1 with 8:19 left in the third quarter, and this thing was dead in the water before it even got in the water.

I mean… we love us some Eric Bieniemy, but Washington’s offensive coordinator might want to throw that idea out with the last of the leftovers.

Per Sports Info Solutions, NFL teams have run the ball on fourth-and-1 out of shotgun 27 times for 68 yards, two touchdowns, and 16 conversions to first down.

Fourth-and-1 runs from under center have been far more successful — 89 attempts for 233 yards, one touchdown, and 68 conversions to first down. Even when you take out the “tush push” numbers engendered by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (seven fourth-and-1 attempts from under center for 16 yards and seven conversions to first down), the metrics tell a very clear tale.

You’re not fooling anyone with these short-yardage shotgun runs, NFL coaches. Don’t overthink this — sometimes, one yard and a cloud of dust is still the best way to go.

Washington Commanders had no choice but to fire defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio

The Washington Commanders have mercifully fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio after a host of horrible pass defense moments.

It’s never nice to root for a coach’s firing, but based on the tape and the metrics, the Washington Commanders had to do something about their pass defense. They did just that on Friday, sending defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio packing.

This less than 24 hours after Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys blew up Del Rio’s defense — in Prescott’s case, and in a 45-10 Dallas win, that meant 22 completions in 32 attempts for 331 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 142.1.

That’s been par for the course for the Commanders this season — through Week 11, they’d allowed a league-high 24 passing touchdowns to just six interceptions, and a league-high opponent passer rating of 101.0.

Washington’s defense came into Thanksgiving ranked 30th in DVOA, and dead last in the league against the pass. Tape study has shown SEVERAL examples of the issues with Del Rio’s defenses in recent times.

The absolute nadir of Del Rio’s defense may have been in Week 11, when Washington sacked New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito nine times… and still allowed the undrafted rookie to go off against more bad coverage.

Commanders sack Giants QB Tommy DeVito nine times… and lose by 12 points

After a 2-0 start to the season, head coach Ron Rivera’s team now stands at 4-8, and Rivera might be next on the block.

Commanders fire defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio

The Washington Commanders fired a pair of their defensive coaches

After an ugly Thanksgiving, it was a Black Friday for defensive coaches on the Washington Commanders staff.

Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer were fired a day after the team lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 45-10.

The Commanders are 4-8 and have lost three games in a row. In 12 games, they have allowed 350 points, by far the worst in the NFL.

Twitter reacts to Cowboys’ cooking Washington 45-10 on Thanksgiving

Here are some of the best comments from Twitter as the Dallas Cowboys carved up Washington for Thanksgiving.

The Dallas Cowboys invited Washington over for the 11th time on Thanksgiving. As had happened eight out of the last 10 visits, the Cowboys got the better of their NFC East rival on Turkey Day.

Fans got a treat to NFL history as Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland returned his fifth interception for a touchdown in a season. If the game wasn’t over by that point, in more ways than one, Bland’s pick-six did it.

Quarterback Dak Prescott was electric as he completed 22-of-32 for 331 yards and four touchdowns.

With the Cowboys blowing out Washington on Thanksgiving, it was fodder for Twitter. Here are some of the best remarks.

4-Down Territory: Best/worst coaches, Ohio teams without QBs, Worst of the Week

Next coach fired? Coach of the Year so far? Browns and Bengals without QBs? Worst of the Week? Doug Farrar and Kyle Madson get into it in “4-Down Territory.”

With 11 weeks of actual football in the books for the 2023 NFL season, it’s time for Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, and Kyle Madson of Niners Wire, to come to the table with their own unique brand of analysis in “4-Down Territory.”

This week, the guys have some serious questions to answer:

  1. Will there be another head coach fired in-season this year?
  2. Who’s the Coach of the Year so far?
  3. Can the Browns or Bengals make it to the postseason without their franchise quarterbacks?
  4. And, what was our Worst of the Week?

You can watch this week’s “4-Down Territory” right here:

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You can listen and subscribe to the “4-Down Territory” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

The NFL’s Worst of the Week: Bad officiating, Steelers’ offense, Dion Dawkins’ flop, Quentin Johnston’s drop

More bad officiating! The Steelers’ broken offense! Dion Dawkins’ flop! Quentin Johnston’s drop! It’s time for the NFL’s Worst of the Week!

Football is a wonderful, thrilling, inspiring game that can lift us to new heights in our lives.

But football is also a weird, inexplicable, at times downright stupid game that may force you to perform Keith Moon-level furniture destruction in your own living room.

So, as much as we at Touchdown Wire endeavor to write about what makes the game great, there are also times when it’s important to point out the dumb plays, boneheaded decisions, and officiating errors that make football all too human.

Folks, it’s time for the Worst of the Week for Week 11 of the 2023 NFL season.