“We could make excuses, but we are just not a good defense right now.”
That’s how Jonathan Allen making his weekly appearance on the “Sports Junkies” of 106.7 The Fan, described the Washington Commanders defense, after giving up some more explosive plays that led to Washington’s 28-20 loss Sunday to the Los Angeles Rams.
When asked about the offense having too many short possessions, forcing the defense to go right back out there on the field, Allen wasn’t taking the bait. He responded, “It is a huge factor; but there have been a lot of times we (the defense) haven’t held up our end of the bargain. There have been times the offense has done their job, and it’s been the defense who hasn’t done our job.”
When asked about how Ron Rivera might be calling the Commanders defense differently than former coordinator Jack Del Rio, Allen responded, “I definitely feel like we have been more aggressive, blitzing our linebackers more.”
Allen didn’t hesitate when asked if there were some guys on the Commanders defense who were playing well. He, without hesitation, declared that safety Kam Curl and rookie defensive end K.J. Henry are both playing well right now.
When asked about offensive players having a good season, Allen quickly supplied the name right guard Sam Cosmi. You may recall that Cosmi was a tackle before moving inside this season.
Regarding Sam Howell’s benching for Jacoby Brissett Sunday against the Rams, Allen expressed, “Sam, being a young quarterback, is going to have growing pains. He is going to have to experience things and struggle to learn.” Allen also stated he is not surprised Jacoby Brissett made some good plays Sunday, citing his experience and years in the NFL.