Tag: 2022 Washigton Commanders

That makes 6 straight for Washington

Another playoff-less season for the Washington Commanders.

That makes six straight seasons for the NFL’s Washington football team.

Sunday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns was embarrassing. Even more, it was discouraging and disheartening. It not only eliminated Washington from the 2022 NFL playoffs, but it also secured that this will be the sixth consecutive season Washington will not produce a winning record.

Washington has not enjoyed a winning record since barely earning one in the 2016 season, finishing 8-7-1. The previous year, Washington did win the NFC East at 9-7.

Jay Gruden coached the last two winning teams. Perhaps the major determining factor was that Gruden enjoyed much better play at quarterback than current head coach Ron Rivera. Kirk Cousins produced 4,166 passing yards (2015) and a monstrous 4,917 the following season.

However, Rivera has endured one quarterback struggle after another in his three seasons. Dwayne Haskins’ immaturity and poor play, Alex Smith reinjuring his limited leg, and Kyle Allen not developing as Rivera had hoped.

Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t even last the first half of one game, Carson Wentz didn’t live up to what Rivera gave up in the trade with the Colts, and Taylor Heinicke excited fans the most but couldn’t produce enough at the position.

Upon the Wentz trade, many Washington fans instantly took sides, demonizing one and making a hero of the other. However, the narratives on both sides did not hold up this season. Carson Wentz was not a big upgrade over Heinicke. Yet isn’t it also just as true that Heinicke was not nearly the winner many declared him to be?

In perhaps the biggest moments for both quarterbacks, did they not perform at their lowest? Wentz against Cleveland was so bad that after three quarters, he had only passed for 60 yards with a passer rating of 26.6. How could Wentz have performed so poorly?

Equally true, when Washington needed a home win over the Giants, Heinicke fumbled twice and could not convert in Giants territory as the Commanders were a woeful 1-10 on third downs.

Might Rivera decide to simply close the book on both and not have either return in 2023?

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If Commanders make the playoffs, what happens at QB in 2023?

If Heinicke leads the Commanders to the playoffs, what happens in 2023?

Logan Paulsen and Craig Hoffman were asked Friday on their Take Command podcast, what occurs with the Commanders’ quarterback position next season if the Commanders make the playoffs this season?

Hoffman: If Heinicke wins a playoff game, I think you have to bring him back with a chance to compete for the starting job. That’s one of those things, is the locker room going to let you go another way?”

“It would take some major boldness from Rivera and the Marty’s [Mayhew and Hurney] to move on from a guy who wins a playoff game, if we get to that point.”

“I think it makes the Wentz part of this very easy though. I think you move on from him. You don’t want to spend $26 million on him next year. I don’t know that I would want to do that anyway. I think if we are talking a guy who wins a playoff game, that is going to be hard to move on from.”

Paulsen: “I don’t think there is any doubt Taylor is going to be back here with some type of extension. The question is, is he your long-term answer? I think both of us would say, probably not.”

“I do think there is some merit to finding guys in the second and third rounds with upside talent. Taylor has all the intangible things you want. But if you were to get a guy and insulate him in this offense. Grow him up in the offense much like the Steelers did with Ben Roethlisberger or Baltimore did with Joe Flacco even Russell Wilson in Seattle.”

“I think Heinicke should be back; he deserves to be back. I think there is no question about that. I don’t think he is the starter for this team.”

“If the ultimate goal is to get to a Super Bowl and win a Super Bowl, which I think it is for you and I and a lot of fans and the coaches here, then something definitely needs to change. You need to be able to deploy and embrace a passing attack a little bit more to be successful.”

For the second half of the answering the question, click the link above,

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Montez Sweat proving his worth to the Commanders

Quietly, Montez Sweat is having a fantastic season.

This 2022 season with the Commanders, now at 7-5-1, it seems each week there is praise for Washington’s dynamic duo of defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.

Rightfully so, I might add. However, sometimes when some players are being given much praise, what is often overlooked is the performance of another. In this case, Montez Sweat.

Sweat, a defensive end out of Mississippi State is in his fourth season and is making it a very good season. Sweat in his rookie season was an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. But now in his third season at defensive end in a 4-3, Sweat is maturing into a significant contributor to the Commanders defense.

For example, in 2020, Sweat recorded 12 tackles for a loss (a career-high). Well, Sweat this season already has 12 tackles for a loss. Again in 2020, Sweat produced 20 quarterback hits in his 16 games. In 13 games this season, Sweat has distributed 24 quarterback hits.

As for quarterback sacks, Sweat in 2020 recorded 9.0, and now with four games remaining in 2022, Sweat is at 7.0 sacks.

Sweat has frankly been living in the shadow of Chase Young, Allen and Payne. But this year, he is proving what he can actually do. Which thus far is more than Young has. But of course, Young was injured in year two and has yet to play in year three.

The NFL is a business and decisions like these Sweat or Young, are not going to be easy for Commander’s management to make or the fan base to accept. For now, doesn’t it seem unlikely the Commanders will be able to keep and pay all four of these defensive linemen for the long term?

But for now, isn’t Sweat proving himself worthy of gaining the financial commitment of the Commanders leadership?

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NFC East goes 3-0 in Week 7

Another stellar week for the NFC East. The best division in the NFL?

Is there any doubt the NFC East is the NFL’s best division seven weeks through this season?

The Commanders topped the Packers, the Giants won in Jacksonville, and the Cowboys easily defeated the Lions. Only the Eagles did not win, but that was because they were scheduled for their bye week.

  • Eagles 6-0
  • Giants 6-1
  • Cowboys 5-2
  • Commanders 3-4