Week 1 Thoughts:
QB: Sam Howell 202 yds on 19/31, 1/1 6 sacks, 45.5 QBR, 77 Rating. Sam had the definition of an up and down game. He made some throws that only the elite QBs make, such as his 19-yard dime to Curtis Samuel right before the half. He also had multiple throws that showed he is still a developing QB. Sam was also able to showcase his mobility, he escaped the pocket on several occasions, he made a beautiful TD pass while on the move to BRob early in the 1st Q. He also had a nice scramble for a TD to put the Commanders up at the start of the 4th Q, a TD that was made possible by Jahan Dotson, more on that later. Sam also had multiple miscues, he was the cause of at least 2 of the teams 6 sacks allowed, he had plays where he didn’t trust his eyes and did not feel pressure, sometimes at all. He fumbled on an immediate blown assignment from RT Andrew Wylie, not entirely his fault, but you must protect that ball when you do see the defender has won. Overall, I would give Sam a C, the line failed him on several occasions, but he did not do his line many favors, he made some throws late, they weren’t his first reads, but he has to know when he has the time to hit that 2nd or 3rd read, and when the DB has the time to close, he caught a few breaks on closing DBs vs Arizona. I think he showed he has all the tools to be the guy in DC, but he has a few issues still that need to be cleaned up, but we knew this going in and I think he had an encouraging game, just didn’t play consistently enough to warrant a higher grade.
RBs: BRob 59 yds on 19 carries 3.1 avg, 1 reception for 7 yds and 1 TD. BRob, for the most part, had a great game. You wouldn’t think it by just checking the box score, but he didn’t get the ball enough early on. The game remained with a score throughout. At no point did the Manders have to continue to sling it, they just did until they wanted to eat some clock at the end to secure a safe W. BRob had a few clutch 1st downs, the TD reception in the 1st Q and remained reliable. I give him a B, if it wasn’t for accidentally tripping Saahdiq Charles contributing to a sack, it would have been a B+.
Gibby: Oh Gibster, look Antonio Gibson is a good player. His blend of size/power/speed should make for a star level player. We know he’s not a natural RB, he hit a hole blazing fast and ran right into his guard with a nice cut back lane right next to him. The fumble was killer, Gibson does not have a fumble problem though, at least not yet. Fans and media alike need to dead this label until its warranted. Gibson fumbled 1 time as a rookie, and he fumbled just 1 time in 2022. His 2nd year in 2021 he did fumble 6 times but there is context here. Gibson played up until the week 9 bye with a minor shin fracture. He fumbled 4 times before the bye, with two of them coming week 1 in a single game, a fluke game. He fumbled twice after it was reported that he was healthy again. King Henry, and no I am not comparing the talent of these two in any way, has had 5 and 6 fumble seasons, he was 2nd team all-pro and a pro bowler in 2019 when he fumbled 5 times, and he was a pro bowler in 2022 when he fumbled 6 times. The best of the best have rough seasons fumbling the ball. I do not think 1 season out of 3 where Gibson fumbled at a problematic rate = a fumbling issue. This season can determine that. With that said, the fumble killed any chance he had to make a positive impact on this game with only 3 carries, for 9 yards 1 fumble and 1 10 yd catch, I have to give my guy an unfortunate F. His 1 kick off return to the 21 did not help or hurt his grade.
CRod: He’s a rookie, he’s the 3rd rb, although that may change, and he did not get a ton of snaps. 3 carries for 7 yards but had a nice 1st down. He did not make any mistakes; he gets a nice B+.
WRs: Terry, 2 catches 31 yards on 4 targets. A+, next. Alright, 4 targets? Criminal, 29 total targets for the WRs on 31 pass attempts, that’s not enough for Terry Mr. Bieniemey. As we noted earlier Sam had an up and down game, so the WRs can only do so much. Terry made his plays when they were there, but overall, he couldn’t make a major impact, C+, but we know who he is.
Dotson: Dot saw a little more action catching 5 balls for 40 yds on 7 targets. Dotson appears to have the talent to be a premium WR in this league and he showed off some of those talents on Sunday. His routes are always clean, he’s not just shifty, he is also fast. Super glue for hands and you have a QBs dream and a DBs worst nightmare. Dotson just always seems to get himself wide open, and that is not easy to do at the NFL at the consistency in which he does it. Much like Terry, a rough day from Sam and the o-line mans Dot could only do so much, B.
Curtis Samuel: Everybody sleeps on Curtco, especially Washington fans. I’ve loudly shouted that Curt is a legit number 2 that’s only playing number 3 because Jahan is so darn good. Curtis led the way Sunday with 5 receptions for 54 yards on 5 targets. Despite having 1 stud and 1 stud in the making a head of him, Curtis still finds a way a top the box score. He did not have more targets than Dot, but he was 2nd for the WRs, and if you check out some box scores from 2022, you might be surprised to see this same type of result despite Scary Terry being him. Curtis is used, in a way, like Deebo in SF, and he’s quietly very good at it. Curtis gets an A from me.
TE’s: Logan Thomas, A perfect example of why you should never box score watch. 2nd overall in receiving for the Manders with 4 catches for 43 yards on 8 targets. Drops, that sums up Thomas’s day. The talent is still there, he continued to find himself open, but dropped at least 3 balls. He hasn’t seen the field a ton recently dealing with injuries dating back to 2021, so we can hope he was just a bit rusty. C-
Cole Turner: 1 catch 17 yds. He played 10 whole snaps; he was targeted 2 times, but his 1 catch was a nice one and the Commanders needed it when it came. I love me some Cole Turner at 6’6 he’s a match up nightmare for LBs, and everyone in the endzone, would love to see him get a major snap count boost. A tad unfair to grade him with nothing really to grade, but he gets a B, potential is there, just needs the time to show it.
John Bates: He didn’t make much of an impact in 26 snaps. He was called for an OPI that wiped out a 15 yd play, but it was one of the worst calls I have seen live, and I won’t be punishing him for it. He’s a great blocker and that’s his job, without watching the all-22 I must go with a Grade of incomplete.
O-Line: Charles Leno had a solid game finishing with a PFF grade of 78.2, the highest for any offensive player for the Manders. Sam Cosmi and Saahdiq Charles were ok as well, C Nick Gates and RT Andrew Wylie on the other hand, ouch. Wylie and Gates each gave up a sack. Andrew Wyile just looked outmatched out there on Sunday, he struggled heavily with speed rushes on the edge, and that is something the team needs to plan for moving forward. Saahdiq Charels played a solid game as mentioned but, he may have had the worst set of reps on a singular drive that I have ever seen. Flagged, clean rep, flagged, tripped by own running back giving up a sack, you hate to see it. Leno gets a B, Cosmi gets a C+, Gates gets a D, Charles gets a C and Wylie gets an F. I’m not trying to throw shade here, but I wish I graded lower than an F, Wylie would get it. It wasn’t that he played a bad game, he did, it was being one of the leaders in blown blocks last season in KC and being Washington’s big FA signing. Wylie must be better, and it must start vs the Broncos this Sunday.
Defense 😊:
D-Line: Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne showed why they get paid the big bucks on Sunday as both wreaked havoc on the Cardinals all day long. Allen finished with 3 solo tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL, he also was number one in the NFL on Sunday in pass rush win rate per NFL Next Gen Stats. Allen gets the first A
+ for the Manders. Payne had himself a day as well finishing with 2 solo tackles, and 2 TFLs. Payne showed that he’s a force to be reckoned with along the interior, an A for Payne. James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill did a wonderful job for Chase Young, they didn’t shine, but weren’t a weak spot at any time, and that is all you can ask from your depth guys. A B for both Toohill and JSW. The star of the day is undoubtably Motez Sweat. Sweat played the best game of his professional career, it was the type of play you get from a 1st team all-pro. 5 solo tackles 6 total, 1.5 sacks and 2 TFL and a Forced Fumble. Sweat was unstoppable and he played his best football when the team needed it the most, if he keeps this up he will be the next Commander to see a large bag. A+ for Tez.
LB’s: A lot of fans were worried about the LB group; Josh Dobbs is not a good QB, and the Cardinals are trending towards being a contender for the 1st overall pick in 2024. I would not say we are good at LB, but both Cody Barton and Jamin Davis played solid football Sunday. Barton finished with 3 solo and 4 total tackles, Jamin with 4 solo, 6 tot and 1 TFL. I saw improvement from Davis in year 2, and he had a great start to his 3rd season on Sunday, if he continues to trend upwards, he could be another hit for HC Ron Rivera and his scout team. Barton was not anything special, but he also was not a problem. He had a few plays where he got blocked out of the play, not entirely sold on his run recognition, he seemed ok in pass pro. Barton earns a C+ with Jamin getting a B.
DBs: The d-line is understandably going to be the talk of the town and get a ton of love over the week. Montez Sweat stole the show, but Kamren Curl quietly showed out. Curl was a 7th rounder back in 2020 for coach Rivera, what has Curl done since? Only quietly become of one the best SS in the entire league, and he’s due for an extension, one he will be getting. Curl played like he’s ready to be paid like a top S with a team high 8 solo tackles and 10 total, he had 1 TFL and dropped a pick that you could see him kick himself for. He’s a stud, no debate, A+. Kendall Fuller had a solid game, 4 solo, 6 tot. It wasn’t a loud game from the DBs, just silent assassins, A for Fuller. BSJ finished with 3 solo and 4 tot and while he was the only DB whose game you could somewhat nit pick on Sunday, the DBs gave up just 132 yards passing, I won’t be nitpicking this week, they all earned it, B+ for BSJ. Emmanuel Forbes had quite a debut, rookies are usually tested, you must know for yourself, right? Well, Forbes never got tested and rather that was by design or not, he’s getting the credit. He dropped a pick on the Cards last play of the game, he was a human blanket on the play and regardless of the drop, he made the game sealing play, A+. Percy Butler saw some action as well with 1 solo and 3 tot, he was the 3rd DB who let a pick slip away from him, these guys will make those plays, and I can’t wait, B+ for Butler.
Special Teams: Joey Slye, what a name man, what a fellow. 2/2 on FGs and 2/2 on PATs what more can you ask for? A+. Tress Way, what a dude, he continues to quietly be one of the best punters in the league and may really be an all-timer, 6 punts, 266 net yards, 3 downed inside the 20, he’s got the magic boot A+. All-pro Reavo Jeremey Reaves continues to be a bundle of joy and one of the best gunners around, 1st team all-pro part 2? A+.
Conclusion: The defense put a smile on my face, and they kept it there despite the offense’s best efforts to wipe it off. I would have loved to beat up on the Cards who, while Murray less, appear to be the worst team this season, but many teams looked bad week 1. I won’t overreact one way or the other, but we will need better o-line play moving forward if we want to win some games this season. Sam Howell also needs to show he can learn from his mistakes and improve his game, it was not all on the offensive line. I love what this team can be if it clicks for the offense, but I hate what they will be if it doesn’t. They need to go into Denver Sunday and whup some Bronco tail, they have Buffalo and Philly coming up in weeks 3 and 4, 2-0 heading into that would be huge.