Commanders at 49ers 2022 – Syndication Server

How did the Commanders defense surrender 37 points?

Yes, the Commanders allowed 37 points, but the defense wasn’t nearly as bad as you think. Turnovers and short fields plagued them all game.

Upon seeing the final score, the first thought in many Commanders’ fans’ minds might just have been, “How did the Commanders defense give up 37 points?”

Some no doubt will say the defense played the worst they had all season because they gave up the most points in this game. But isn’t that rather simplistic? Consider the following:

A turning point was no doubt when Washington, trailing 14-7 in the third quarter, faced a 4th & 1 from their own 34. Taylor Heinicke’s quarterback sneak was unsuccessful.

Thus the 49ers started on the Washington 34. On 2nd & 9 from the 33, Jeremy Reaves committed a common error that entirely too many Commanders make. Brock Purdy faking a handoff wide right, Reaves naively came off the edge chasing the running back. You are NEVER going to make that play, so why not go to the quarterback, because if he keeps the ball, you have lost all contain.

Sure enough, Purdy was easily outside of Reaves, found George Kittle who also received the benefit of a hold from Jauan Jennings on Darrick Forrest, and suddenly the Commanders were down 21-7.

Next, trailing 24-14, Heinicke was sacked, fumbled and the 49ers recovered at the 11. Yet the Commanders held to only yield a field goal.

Two plays later, Heinicke again gave up the ball with an interception to Jimmie Ward at the Washington 25. Once again the defense held, limiting the 49ers to another field goal.

Joey Slye’s unfortunate onside kick attempt gave the 49ers yet another extremely short field, as they started on the Commanders’ 33-yard line on their way to scoring their final points, a Christian McCaffrey 1-yard run. Consequently, four times the 49ers scored, it was the result of a short field.

On the other side of the coin, the Commanders did give up a 71-yard touchdown run by Ray-Ray McCloud. Not sure if that was a called run blitz by Jamin Davis, but he took himself entirely out of the play from the start.

Not to be overlooked, the Commanders badly missed safety, Kam Curl. Incidentally, Curl was also injured, missing the first two games of the season. In Week 2, the Commanders yielded 36 points and several explosive plays to the Lions.

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Commanders blow two early opportunities vs 49ers

Missed opportunities are a common theme for Washington’s offense.

“Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.”

I don’t know who first said it or wrote it, but the Washington Commanders certainly reminded me of this quote very early in Saturday’s road game against the San Francisco 49ers.

On the third offensive snap of the game, the Commanders broke the huddle and came to the line of scrimmage, their own 21, facing a 3rd & 6. The snap to Taylor Heinicke was low, at his shoelaces, yet he was able to control without difficulty.

Heinicke first looked left, then back to his right and deep. He delivered his pass to the 49ers 45-yard line where Jahan Dotson was breaking on a post pattern. The pass was behind Dotson who was being guarded closely by the 49ers Deommodore Lenoir.

Lenoir entirely overran the ball, but Dotson having made visual contact with the ball earlier, knew to stop sooner, and suddenly the ball bounced off of his hands, and he kicked the ball in disgust with himself. Even Logan Thomas came over and topped Dotson on the top of the helmet.

Lenoir’s momentum had carried him five yards further inside the field than Dotson who, had he made the catch, there is no reason to believe he would not have scored an easy touchdown on the play. Wouldn’t it have been nice for the Commanders to have captured an early 7-0 lead after only three snaps from scrimmage?

On the Commanders third offensive possession and the game still scoreless, Washington started at their own 15-yard line and found themselves after 15 plays facing a 3rd & goal from the one.

Heinicke handed to Brian Robinson Jr to go behind the left tackle. However, right guard Trai Turner allowed inside penetration which made contact with Robinson and slowed him, and he was too erect losing all leverage when he arrived at the line of scrimmage.

On fourth down, Heinicke turned to his left, and handed to Antonio Gibson who headed behind center Wes Schweitzer and Turner. However rather than getting low to bull his way into the end zone, Gibson appeared to hesitate, then attempt a late leap, he too losing any leverage or force at contact.

Following a 37-20 loss to the 49ers, it may be hard to recall, but the Commanders actually had the opportunity lying before them to be up 14-0. Know one knows how 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy would have responded to being down 14 points.

However, this is the Commanders in summary. Perhaps they are only an average team (7-7-1) because, for one reason, they simply don’t know how to seize the opportunity, such as the two opportunities they were presented early against the 49ers.

Did the NFL scam the Commanders?

The NFL didn’t do the Commanders any favors by moving the Week 15 rematch to Sunday night. Why not Saturday night?

The NFL schedule-makers like their flexibility to rearrange the schedule in the later weeks of the season.

You probably are aware the Commanders’ Week 15 game against the Giants has been moved to the NBC Sunday Night Football game of the week at the 8 p.m. ET time slot. The game was previously scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Commanders, of course, could use the prime time exposure, yet seeing the Commanders are already scheduled to travel in Week 16 to San Francisco for a Saturday game makes this an even tougher task for the Commanders.

With a Sunday night Week 15 game kicking off at 8:20 p.m., the game would not end until roughly 11:30 p.m. This means Commanders players will not be getting to their homes from Landover until at least 3 to 4 a.m., Monday.

What’s more, when one looks at the 49ers’ Week 15 schedule, there is absolutely no way the league office overlooked the obvious fact that the 49ers will be playing on Thursday in Week 15. Consequently, the 49ers will have three more days of prep time and rest for a game where they are also the home team. In addition, the visiting team is playing the Sunday night game and will travel three time zones. Way to go, NFL.

If the league office wanted to flex the Commanders and Giants Week 15 game bad enough, why didn’t they flex it to Saturday night? They are playing games that Saturday. They certainly could have, as they flexed Miami at Buffalo to Saturday night.

A December game in Buffalo, not while the sun is shining in the afternoon, but in much colder temperatures in the dark of night? Even more, when are the Bills playing a team from south Florida? Come on, NFL. How hard are you trying here?

Each and every season there are such examples of the NFL simply not caring enough about scheduling integrity. We have written about this before here at Commanders Wire.

Why doesn’t the NFL care enough to make better efforts at a level playing field in scheduling?