The Commanders have allowed the most points in franchise history in 2023

The Commanders are closing on allowing 500 points for the season.

How bad are the Washington Commanders on defense in 2023?

Washington ranks No. 32 in scoring defense, allowing 30 points per game. The Commanders also rank No. 32 in total defense, allowing almost 386 yards per game. Finally, Washington is ranked 31st, allowing opponents to average 5.9 yards per play.

That defensive ineptitude left head coach Ron Rivera no choice but to fire defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio after losing 45-10 to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. It was quite the fall from grace for a defense that was a top-10 unit in every metric only one year ago. The Commanders were ranked even higher in some metrics.

In the offseason, Washington lost only injured linebacker Cole Holcomb and replaced him with Cody Barton. Additionally, the Commanders used first- and second-round picks on defensive backs.

Yet, somehow, the team is worse — historically worse. On a defense that featured six former first-round picks, the Commanders have the NFL’s worst defense. Washington’s defense was so bad that the team shipped out defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young at the NFL trade deadline on Oct. 31.

Washington has allowed opponents to score 30 or more points in nine of its 16 games this season.

After the Commanders allowed 27 points in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers, they broke the franchise record for most points allowed in a season with 480. The previous record was established in 2013 when Washington allowed 478 points. That 2013 season was Mike Shanahan’s final season and another rock-bottom moment — there have been several — for the organization.

Amazingly, the five worst defensive seasons in Washington’s franchise history have all occurred in the last 10 years. The NFL expanded to 17 games in 2021, meaning the Commanders have one more game to become only the sixth team in NFL history to allow 500 or more points. Of the five teams that have allowed 500 points or more, only one (2021 Jets) has come since the NFL expanded to 17 games.

The 1981 Baltimore Colts allowed 533 points. The Commanders would need to give up 54 points to the Cowboys this weekend to break that record. Difficult, but not impossible. After all, Dallas is playing to win the NFC East.

Next Gen Stats reveal just how bad Commanders defense is in 2023

Washington’s defense allows far more big plays than any other NFL defense.

The Washington Commanders defense was supposed to be a team strength in 2023. In addition to bringing virtually everyone back and adding Emmanuel Forbes (first round) and Quan Martin (second round), the Commanders have arguably been the NFL’s worst defense in 2023.

Washington’s struggles led the franchise to trade defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat before the NFL trade deadline. The Commanders didn’t want to trade Sweat, but the value (high second-round pick) proved too valuable to resist. Then, after Washington’s 45-10 loss to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, head coach Ron Rivera fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and secondary coach Brent Vieselmeyer.

For Rivera, the timing couldn’t have been worse. He took over as Washington’s defensive play-caller the week before the Commanders hosted the Miami Dolphins — the NFL’s most explosive team.

As expected, Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill had a huge day vs. Washington, catching five passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Hill could’ve had a lot more, but Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel took his foot off the gas in the second half.

Hill had touchdown receptions of 78 and 60 yards, highlighting the Commanders’ inability to limit explosive plays. Here’s this stat from Next Gen Stats, showing Washington’s struggles against vertical routes.

The Commanders have allowed 19 touchdowns on vertical routes this season — eight more than any other team — EIGHT more.

Why is Washington’s secondary so bad? There are several reasons. No team has as many communication breakdowns in the back end as the Commanders. Anytime there is a big play, Washington looks lost and clueless, with players looking at one another, unsure of their individual responsibilities on the play.

One conclusion to draw is the Commanders lost secondary coach Chris Harris in the offseason. Harris left for a job with Tennessee, and Washington replaced him with Vieselmeyer. The Commanders clearly took multiple steps back.

Is it a coaching issue or a talent issue?

It’s both, although we’ll lean more toward the coaching side. This is largely the same group from last season, and they are much worse.

You can probably expect the coaching and talent issue to be fixed beginning in January.

Jay Gruden says it’s like a ‘fire drill’ every time Sam Howell drops back to pass

Gruden discussed his culture tweet, Sam Howell’s lack of protection and Washington not looking like an NFL defense.

Former Washington head coach joined “The Chris Russell Show” on Team 980 Monday for his regular weekly appearance during the NFL season. Gruden not only reviews the most recent Commanders’ game but other action from around the NFL.

Before Gruden dove into Washington’s latest loss to the Miami Dolphins, Russell asked him about his tweet after the game ended on Sunday.

Here’s the tweet:

Washington fans, obviously angry, felt it was a cheap shot from Gruden, while others agreed with him.

On Monday, Gruden was honest about his message.

“Yeah, basically, that was kind of my going away present was the horrible culture I left behind. Which I didn’t figure was that bad, but a lot of people said it,” Gruden said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy. “So I just reacted to it. I just thought after four or five years they’d have the right people in there, and it’d be a much better place, but it looks like it’s worse.”

Gruden is referring to his firing in 2019 and former owner Dan Snyder and current coach Ron Rivera’s constant comments about the improved culture under the new regime.

Yet, Rivera’s winning percentage in four seasons is .421, while Gruden’s was .418 in less than six full seasons. Gruden did have two winning seasons in Washington, something Rivera has never done and something Mike Shanahan only did once.

Next, Gruden discussed Washington’s defense.

“They can’t stop the run, don’t get a pass rush, can’t cover, and are in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Gruden said, summing up Washington’s defensive problems. “They just don’t look like they’re in sync, they don’t look like they’re fast or tough…they look confused, and they don’t look like an NFL defense right now. It’s just weird watching them on tape.”

Gruden, a former college quarterback and NFL offensive coordinator, has praised quarterback Sam Howell this season. Gruden sees some of Howell’s shortcomings, but has overall been impressed with the young quarterback.

He isn’t impressed with the pass protection, something almost anyone who watches Washington play can understand.

“I see a fire drill on every snap when Sam Howell goes back to pass. It’s not good,” Gruden said when asked if Howell had regressed recently.

“The protection is poor, and this poor guy just needs some help because he’s playing his tail off. I have a lot of respect for Sam and the way he plays and competes, but from a system standpoint, he’s just not getting a lot of help. It’s just, ‘Sam, you go out there and scramble, try to find somebody open.’ I mean, if he couldn’t run, I don’t know if they would have got a completion. It’s just a weird dynamic of what’s going on this late in the season. There seems to be a lot of protection issues and a lot of miscommunication as far as receivers and backs.”

While Howell has started 13 games this season, it’s almost impossible to fairly evaluate him. The pass protection has been terrible; he has lacked a consistent running game, and the ups and downs of his first year as a starter wouldn’t be so glaring if Washington’s defense had played up to expectations.

Commanders Week 13 snap counts vs. Dolphins

The results didn’t change with Rivera calling the defense, but some of the personnel did.

The Miami Dolphins sent the Washington Commanders into their bye week with a 45-15 defeat that dropped them to 4-9 on the season. It was Washington’s second consecutive game of allowing 45 points.

Sunday was also the Commanders’ first game without fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. And as you can tell from the score, not much changed. Head coach Ron Rivera took over as Washington’s defensive play-caller, and while Rivera promised some changes, the results remained the same.

Did anything change regarding the personnel with Rivera calling the defense? We did notice one change. Let’s review the snap counts from Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins.

Commanders defense no better without Jack Del Rio, in 45-15 loss to Dolphins

Yet another rough day for Washington’s defense.

It was ugly from the start, as Miami completely humiliated Washington 45-15.

The Commanders defense had no answer for the Dolphins offense. Miami converted seven of 13 third downs and also both of its fourth-down attempts, piling up 406 yards.

Head coach Ron Rivera had fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio one day following the Thanksgiving Day Massacre that ended with a 45-10 loss to the Cowboys. At least that game was 20-10 after three quarters.

This home game with Rivera calling the defense was over at the half; Miami was already up 31-7. Tua Tagovailoa had already connected with speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill for touchdown passes of 78 and 60 yards.

The Commanders pass defense surrendered 11.3 yards per pass Sunday. Don’t misunderstand. It was not 11.3 yards per completion. It was 11.3 yards per attempt. Words to describe such a performance that come to mind are rotten, lousy, atrocious, awful.

You would think those who are paid to be professionals would all week, prepare immensely, and play intensely because they have something to prove.

Yet, all that this defensive unit “proved” Sunday is that they personally, and their level of play collectively, indeed did get their coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer fired.

Even late in the game, when Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel subbed out his starting quarterback for Mike White, the Commanders were helpless, providing little to no resistance as Miami ran the ball for 13 consecutive plays.

Miami scored on the possession, and the final touchdown was emblematic of the day. Dolphins running back De’Von Achane scored from two yards as the defense looked like it was simply going through the motions.

Tagovailoa completed 18 of 24 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. He was not intercepted, nor was he sacked. Hill finished his day with five receptions for 157 yards and those two touchdowns that looked entirely too easy.

Knowing the last five games are important for many defensive players, this was the effort this group put on tape today? There did not appear to be much intensity.

Why? Are some settling for losing?

Commanders could cure franchise ills by firing Ron Rivera, elevating Eric Bieniemy

The Washington Commanders should let Ron Rivera go and elevate Eric Bieniemy, for several reasons that make far too much sense.

The Washington Commanders fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio last week after a debacle of a Thanksgiving loss to the Dallas Cowboys in which head coach Ron Rivera’s team in which Washington allowed 376 total yards and five touchdowns in a 45-10 disaster.

On Sunday, against the Miami Dolphins, and with Rivera taking control of the defense, the Commanders allowed 405 total yards and five touchdowns in a 45-15 disaster.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, Del Rio’s defense was undone with too much man coverage that gave his defenders too little help against potentially explosive plays, and this version of Washington’s defense looked no different.

Moreover, it would appear that Rivera has lost traction with the idea of situational football.

It’s been a problem all season, and it’s highly doubtful that the Commanders — who are still trying to escape the stink of the Den Snyder era with new ownership — will retain Rivera in 2024. As the team is now effectively out of playoff hope with a 4-9 record, the time may be now to move on.

When you suggest firing a coach, the first and most reasonable question is, who do you replace him with? In this case, there’s first-year offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who was shut out over and over for head coaching opportunities when he was the Kansas City Chiefs’ OC. Giving Bieniemy an opportunity to finish this season out would answer some questions about his NFL head coaching viability that would never happen with his former team.

There’s also this franchise’s frankly disgusting history with race relations. George Preston Marshall, the team’s owner from 1932 through 1969, so opposed the idea of Black players on his team while the rest of the league integrated, he actually got into a protracted battle with Stewart L. Udall, John F. Kennedy’s Secretary of the Interior, over Marshall’s insistence that the then-Redskins would remain all-white.

A monument, and a name: Why the Redskins have two wrongs to right

It was only after Udall threatened Marshall’s ability to build a stadium on public land that Marshall — who once actually said that since other teams had signed Black players, “Does it matter which team has the Negroes?” — finally recanted his position.

Washington selected Syracuse running back Ernie Davis as the first pick in 1962 draft and traded his rights to the Browns for Cleveland first-round pick Leroy Jackson and running back/receiver Bobby Mitchell. Mitchell thrived in his new environment. After catching 142 passes for 1,462 yards and 16 touchdowns through his four years in Cleveland, he amassed 72 catches for 1,384 yards, both league highs, in 1962 alone. He followed that up with 1,436 receiving yards in 1963, another league high, and he led the NFL with 10 touchdown receptions in 1964. His yards per touch averages in 1963 and 1964—20.4 and 21.3, respectively—are excellent indications of the threat he presented as a receiver, rusher and returner.

Despite (or perhaps due to) the integration of his team, Marshall wasn’t above making a noxious point at the worst possible time. At one team meeting during the Redskins’ annual preseason jaunt through the South, the song “Dixie” began to play in the room. The entire team stood for the de facto anthem of the Confederacy, and Marshall tapped Mitchell on the shoulder.

“Bobby Mitchell, sing!”

Mitchell wasn’t just expected to stand and sing there and then—he was expected to do so as the song was played before the exhibition games by Marshall’s own band. He mouthed the words, seething inside.

Now, the Commanders, who have never had a Black head coach outside of Terry Robiskie, who took the interim job for three gamesafter Norv Turner was fired in 2000, have a wrong they can not only right for the moral and ethical good, but perhaps because it makes the most football sense.

A practical solution for an organization that has made precious little sense for far too long.

Two narratives regarding Commanders OC Eric Bieniemy

Two narratives surrounding Eric Bieniemy.

Two narratives are currently moving through the NFL nation.

Following the Kansas City Chiefs’ home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles 21-17, some of the NFL media types began voicing that the Chiefs’ offense is not the same without former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

On the other side of the coin, remember during training camp when Ron Rivera revealed that some players had complained about Bieniemy in how he coached/related to the players during camp?

Well, recently, Washington fans have voiced their displeasure with Bieniemy in how he called for consecutive snaps in the shotgun when the Commanders needed only one yard and failed to gain the needed yard both times against Dallas last week.

There is also word that there are Commanders players who do not want Bieniemy to be the interim head coach. Well, that was taken care of last Friday when Ron Rivera saved himself for the remainder of this season by firing Jack Del Rio and Brent Vieselmeyer.

Left tackle Charles Leno wasn’t shy in putting himself on record. When it was suggested to Leno that Bieniemy could be the interim HC if Rivera were fired, Leno responded, “It would be the same. At the end of the day, [Bieniemy] would be focused on our offense, and [defensive coordinator] Jack [Del Rio] would be focused on the defense. What’s the difference from right now?”

No one has yet put their name behind it, but apparently, some players want Rivera to take back some of the power he gave to Bieniemy.

Consequently, this would suggest that Rivera was indeed concerned in the preseason with some of the manners of Bieniemy in how he related to offensive players. Have some of these issues continued throughout the season?

Don’t be naive; Andy Reid wanted Bieniemy to move on so he could bring back Matt Nagy as his offensive coordinator in KC. But why?

Yet, how soft are some of these players?

Might this actually be the major problem with this team this season?

Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Dolphins’ Week 13 game with Commanders Wire

Inside information on Miami’s Week 13 opponent.

The 8-3 Miami Dolphins are being hosted by the 4-8 Washington Commanders at FedEx Field for their third game against the NFC East of the 2023 season.

Miami has shown some real bright flashes on both sides of the ball this year. However, they haven’t really been able to get both the offense and the defense playing at their best at the same time. This game gives them a great chance to accomplish that feat.

Ron Rivera’s team has lost three in a row, which has led to the firing of their defensive coordinator. Now, Rivera’s expected to lead the unit, so it will be interesting to see what changes come with that.

As we continue our previews for this weekend’s game, we spoke to Commanders Wire managing editor Bryan Manning to learn some things about Washington.

Rivera says Commanders ‘are going to do things we feel really good about’

The Commanders have a massive challenge in trying to limit the Dolphins.

Ron Rivera told the media Wednesday, “Now we are going to do things we feel really good about.”

Rivera has been the head coach here for four seasons. He allowed things to be done that he didn’t feel really good about?

“We had a chance to visit with the players, went through some things…What went into my decision-making and just basically the biggest thing I told them was it was on us. Now, we’re going to do the things that we feel really good about. We want to make sure the things that we’re doing give you guys the best opportunity to be successful.”

Rivera is obviously having to spend more time concentrating on the defense. “So just being focused with the defensive guys, it’s been great too because we’ve kind of given different responsibilities to the defensive coaches. I think they’ve handled those things very well.”

In these final five games, Rivera will have the extra duty of calling plays and communicating via the headset as Del Rio did and directly with the unit on the sidelines.

“We’ll get used to it…One of the things that we will do is we’ll communicate, and we’ll talk, and we will always give ourselves the opportunity to get together and discuss as we get into each series.”

Having more voices in his headset for now doesn’t seem to bother Rivera.    “It won’t be that much different. It really won’t. I think the biggest thing, more than anything else, is just the communication that I’ll have. I’ll have a few more things to say between plays.”

Though they have lost five of their last six, Rivera believes his team will compete down the stretch. “We’re still playing for something, so we might as well go out and play them one at a time and play them the best we can. And that’s what we plan to do. We’ll show up, we’ll play hard, and we’ll give great effort.”

Sunday will be a real test for the defense, attempting to slow down the Dolphins, who run and pass well. “The way we’re going to look at it obviously is this is a very diverse offense, very well-coached. They play fast. They’ve got good skilled players and we’ve got to be able to handle certain things that they do and play it to the best of our ability.”

Rivera was asked what he learned from the players in improving the defense.

“In talking with them, it was, I think more about just getting the opportunity to play fast. We did some really good things. We did some complicated things. I think taking some of those things off of their plate would make it easier for them to play fast.”

Rivera wanted his defensive unit to have the opportunity to communicate about the coaching changes. “I think giving them the opportunity to have the voice was something they wanted. So, I listened and talked with several of them.”

Rivera believes the defensive personnel is going to respond positively.

“This will be an interesting challenge. I like the challenge. I think it’s going to be fun. I like the way, again, like I said, I like the way the guys responded today.”

Commanders hire veteran assistant for remainder of the season

Ron Rivera adding some help for the secondary for the remainder of the season.

The Washington Commanders fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and secondary coach Brent Vieselmeyer Friday — one day after a 45-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. The loss dropped Washington to 4-8.

Head coach Ron Rivera announced he’d take over Del Rio’s responsibilities as the defensive play-caller. Additionally, Rivera said assistant secondary coach Cristian Garcia would be elevated on an interim basis to replace Vieselmeyer, while senior defensive assistant Richard Rodgers would assist Garcia and help Rivera with game planning.

On Tuesday, the Commanders surprisingly announced an outside hire. Washington hired Jim Salgago for the remainder of the season to help Garcia with the defensive backs. Salgado spent the 2023 season as the cornerbacks coach for Michigan State but had spent the previous six years with the Buffalo Bills.

Rivera spoke about Salgado’s addition on Wednesday.

“Jimmy’s a guy that did internships with us before in the past,” Rivera said. “He’s a coach I’ve known for quite some time, and a couple of times, I’ve tried to hire him. He ended up in Buffalo. He was with [Buffalo Bills Head Coach] Sean [McDermott] and [Former Buffalo Bills Coach] Leslie [Frazier] and that system, which is similar to some of the things that we do. And so, when he was at Michigan State most recently, and when the season was over, the word was they were going to change their head coach, so I reached out to him after the season was over to find out what his status was. He was available, so we got him [and] brought him in. He’s going to come in, he’s going to work with the defensive backs, and he’s just going to finish the year out for us, and then we’ll go from there.”

It’s unusual to see a team bring in a coach from the outside this late in the season, but the move is a short-term one to help the Commanders finish the season.