Category: Washington

49ers bag Chase Young in massive deadline deal. Grade: A+

The 49ers’ blockbuster trade for Chase Young is one of those moves that’s impossible to criticize in the short term.

The Washington Commanders traded away their two foundational edge-rushers on Tuesday, Montez Sweat was traded to the Chicago Bears in a move that had a lot of people shaking their heads, and then, the San Francisco 49ers swept in and got Chase Young for a 2024 third-round pick, which has Steve Wilks’ defensive line looking like THIS:

Holy cats. How did this happen? The Commanders are clearly building (re: tanking) for the future, and the 49ers, who allowed 13.6 points per game in their 5-0 opening win streak, and 24.0 points per game in their recent 0-3 slide, have another impact guy on a defense that has underperformed of late.

The 49ers also now have the second-overall pick in the 2019 draft (Bosa) and the second-overall pick in the 2020 draft (Young) — both from Ohio State. This season, Bosa has 44 total pressures, ranking third in the NFL behind Maxx Crosby and Aidan Hutchinson, and Young has 29 pressures, tied for eighth in the league.

That should mean very, very bad news for opposing offensive tackles.

Young’s speed to the pocket is his calling card, as he showed on this sack of Tyrod Taylor of the Giants in Week 7. Left tackle Justin Pugh didn’t have much of a response as a career offensive guard.

And on this sack of Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4, Young gave left tackle Jordan Mailata a nasty double move on his way to the quarterback.

Like Sweat, Young is in the last year of his current contract. But unlike Sweat, Young goes to an absolute contender, and a re-signing might be far more in the Cards. Given the relative lack of draft capital given, and what Young should do for San Francisco’s edges, it’s hard not to see this as a pure steal.

Montez Sweat is a great player, but what are the Bears thinking? Grade: C (or A)

The Chicago Bears’ trade for Montez Sweat makes sense in the short term, but the long term is undefined and potentially nonsensical.

Usually, teams at the trade deadline are either buyers (teams in playoff contention looking to fill those few final holes) or sellers (teams out of the race looking to stack draft picks for the future). In the case of Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles, Tuesday’s trade with the Washington Commanders for the services of edge-rusher Montez Sweat for a 2023 second-round pick is a mixed message.

The Bears currently stand at 2-6, and even when Justin Fields returns from his thumb injury, there’s no guarantee that this team can get anywhere near the playoff hunt. Now, there’s no denying that Sweat, who Washington selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Mississippi State, is a superlative player at a position the Bears desperately need. This season, Sweat has eight sacks, four quarterback hits, and 15 quarterback hurries this season. Those 27 total pressures make him the most productive quarterback disruptor in his new defense — Yannick Ngakoue has 22 quarterback pressures, and Demarcus Robertson has 21.

And Sweat’s tape against the league’s best offensive linemen is entirely legit — his sack and four total pressures last Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles came primarily against right tackle Lane Johnson, the gold standard at his position.

So, the immediate on-field benefits are clear. The long-term ramifications are stickier. Sweat is in the final year of his rookie deal, and though the Bears might be able to sign him to an extension, if they can’t for whatever reason, you have a situation in which a team in desperate need of a rebuild just gave away a high pick (37th overall at this point) for a player who will not be a part of that process.

So, yes — if the Bears have some sort of tacit agreement in place for Sweat’s future, this is a wise move. But if not? Poles is putting himself out there in ways he really shouldn’t.

The fewest single-game net passing yards in pro football history

The Giants had -9 net passing yards in their loss to the Jets, but that’s not close to the most backward passing performance in pro football history.

In their Sunday overtime loss to the New York Jets, the New York Giants totaled -9 negative passing yards, which is especially impressive since they had -8 passing yards at the end of regulation. Tyrod Taylor completed four of seven passes for four yards before he left with a rib injury, and backup Tommy Devito completed two of seven passes for -1 yard in reserve. Add in four sacks for -16 yards, and there’s your final number.

The Giants also had the last game in which a team had negative net passing yards in a game, at the end of their 2021 season in a 26-3 loss to the Chicago Bears that mercifully ended the Joe Judge era. In that game, Mike Glennon completed four of 11 passes for 24 yards, two interceptions, and four sacks for -30 yards, which is how you wind up with -6 passing yards overall.

Incredibly, that’s nowhere near the fewest net passing yards in a game in pro football history. There are multiple teams with much more futility over time, and we’d like you to know a bit more about them.

Sam Howell connects with Terry McLaurin and Commanders lead Eagles

Sam Howell and Terry McLaurin have given the Commanders a lead over the Eagles

The Washington Commanders took the Philadelphia Eagles to overtime before falling in their first meeting at the Linc.

In the rematch on Sunday, quarterback Sam Howell has Washington out of the blocks and with the lead.

He threw a touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin that was good for 26 yards.

After the PAT, Washington had a 7-0 lead over the NFC East leaders.

Howell completed his first seven passes for 55 yards and the TD.

4-Down Territory, in which Doug and Kyle are REALLY tired of bad officiating

More bad NFL officiating, trades we’d like to see happen, defensive player MVPs, and the Worst of the Week — it’s time for 4-Down Territory!

With seven 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 discuss these four downs:

  1. Does the NFL even care how bad officiating is right now?
  2. Which NFL trade should happen before the October 31 deadline?
  3. Could a defensive player win NFL MVP this season?
  4. And of course, our 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.

The NFL’s Worst of the Week: Bad officiating, Deshaun Watson’s issues, Derek Carr’s loud misses

More bad officiating! The Saints, Raiders, and Commanders are disasters! What happened to Detroit’s defense? 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 7 of the 2023 NFL season.

Jonathan Allen goes off in expletive-laden rant after Commanders loss

Commanders star lineman Jonathan Allen is fed up with losing

At some point, losing has to get to everyone.

(Language in video hyperlinked is NSFW)

Washington Commanders defensive lineman Jonathan Allen reached his breaking point after his team’s 14-7 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.

The Commanders are 3-4.

Washington’s 8-8-1 mark last season was the lone time in Allen’s NFL career the team finished at .500.

The best Amazon Prime Big Deal Days deal for each NFL team

See our favorite Amazon Prime Big Deal Days deal for each of the 32 NFL teams.

The 2023 NFL season is turning its first corner. Just in time for another important time of the year: Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.

The latest rounds of deals on the site have now hit the web. Get your holiday shopping done early this year and find the perfect gift for the football fan in your life

Are you ready to celebrate Jonathan Taylor’s new contract with the Indianapolis Colts?

How about preparing for another potential deep run for your Kansas City Chiefs or Philadelphia Eagles?

Or are you ready to jump on the Miami Dolphins’ bandwagon?

Whatever the team, use Amazon Prime Big Deals Day as an excuse to gear up for the rest of the 2023 NFL season starting with our team-by-team list below:

Why Jack Del Rio’s Washington Commanders defense has been a disaster

Jack Del Rio’s Washington Commanders defense was an abject disaster against the Chicago Bears. Is it time to make serious changes?

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In the first three weeks of the 2023 NFL season, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields completed 51 of 88 passes (58.0%) for 528 yards (6.0 YPA), three touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 67.8. Fields was throwing his coaches under the bus (somewhat justifiably), offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and head coach Matt Eberflus were on the chopping block, and Chicago’s season looked like a lost cause.

Then, in his next two games against the defenses of the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders, Fields looked like a completely different guy. He completed 43 of 64 passes (67.2%) for 617 yards (9.7 YPA), eight touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 131.3. Was Fields playing at a new level with more expansive passing concepts from Getsy? Yes, but Fields was also going up against two bad, overwhelmed defenses, and that was especially true in Chicago’s 40-20 win over the Commanders on Thursday night.

Even when Fields was unable to connect with his receivers, it didn’t matter — he completed 15 of 29 passes against Jack Del Rio’s defense for 282 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 125.3. Most disconcerting for the Commanders was Fields’ ability to create explosive plays — both on long passes, and shorter passes in which Washington’s defense simply fell apart.

On Friday, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, head coach Ron Rivera seemed bereft of answers.

Rivera cited the choices in defensive play calls. He mentioned the possibility of allowing some defensive players more liberties with their techniques — or even mandating that players adhere to certain techniques. He also said players need to be more disciplined.

“We’ve got to stop trying to do more than we need to and do our jobs,” he said.

Well, when you’re not put in positions to succeed, maybe it is time for a soft mutiny. Washington’s defensive players were loath to blame their coordinator, but when you watch the tape, it’s clear that the concepts Del Rio is giving his players aren’t working.

“It’s nothing on Del Rio. He made good calls today,” defensive end Chase Young said, adding, “It’s on us as players. [We’ve] just got to start faster and hold each other accountable.”

“We played terrible,” safety Darrick Forrest said. “We just got to be better.”

“We look at ourselves like a top-five defense in the league,” safety Kam Curl said. “We’re not playing like that right now, so we’re just looking for a solution to change that.”

The solution for Del Rio would be to give his players better answers to the test. If not, the solution for the Commanders would be to find someone who can.

Five NFL coaches who should be on the hot seat

With the 2023 NFL season officially one month old, these five coaches are staring unemployment in the face.

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Once you get roughly one month into the NFL season, that’s when teams start to show you who they are, and when you can begin to see the separation between the good and bad.

This also is a good starting point to begin the conversation around what coaches will get their walking papers, and how soon they are sent packing. Five weeks into the NFL season, these five coaches whose seats should be on fire.