Initial thoughts from Commanders vs. Chiefs

The Washington Commanders dropped to 0-2 in the preseason, after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 24-14.

Washington trailed from start to finish, and unfortunately, some of the lingering issues from last season persist. The first-team offense moved the ball with an effective run game, but failed to cross the goal line for a second consecutive game.

The first-team defense proved passive, and allowed the Chiefs to convert their first six third-down conversions. This has been an issue going back to last season, where the Football Team ranked 31st in the league in this metric.

Below you will see my initial takeaways from the game, both the good and the bad, from today’s match-up. Later this week I will dive in deeper and watch more of the coach’s film.

The Good 

• Carson Wentz was efficient and decisive in his three series on the field. He completed six of his nine attempts, and distributed the ball to five different receivers. He ended the game with a QB rating of 82.1 and looked like he had command of the offense. He also completed a few chunk plays, including an 18-yard pass to Terry McLaurin and a 15-yard pass to Armani Rogers.
• Brian Robinson continued to impress. In a surprising move, he was the first running back to take the field today and handled RB1 duties. He looked comfortable in that role, and has shown to be an effective runner. On nearly every carry, Robinson gained positive yardage and moved the chains. He averaged 3.9 yards per carry, and ran for 31 yards on eight attempts. He may be distancing himself from Antonio Gibson in the running back battle.
• Although he didn’t connect on his sacks, Montez Sweat was a disruptive force for the defensive line. On numerous occasions he was in the backfield and forced Patrick Mahomes to leave the pocket. On one occasion, he drew a holding penalty. On another, he literally had an arm on Mahomes’ back as he threw a screen under pressure. Sweat appears to be poised for a good season.
• Offensive Line Coach, John Matsko has earned a reputation for being a great coach. He proved it again today. With a ragtag offensive line, consisting mostly of backups, the group provided ample time for Wentz to throw the ball. They did a good job today.
• Defensive Lineman Efe Obada generated pressure today. I think he will be a key rotational player this season.
• Scott Turner found creative ways to get the ball to Gibson in the passing game. Gibson looked comfortable catching the ball in the open-field, and may have a found a new niche for the season.
  

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The Bad 

• It’s officially a problem. The starting defense struggles to get off the field, and is largely ineffective on third downs. After allowing the Carolina Panthers’ first unit to go 6/8 on third-downs last week, the Chiefs “batted a thousand” today with their first unit. They went 6/6 for Mahomes was on the field.
• Penalties. The first unit committed six penalties for 64 yards and continually put themselves in compromising situations. Two false starts, two unnecessary roughness penalties, one offensive pass interference and one holding penalty. It wasn’t a clean slate for the first team.
• For the second straight week, the starting offense didn’t score a touchdown. 
• Rushing lanes. The starting defensive line did a good job containing the run. However, they struggled to contain the QB on passing downs. Mahomes did a great job eluding pressure and finding the open man. It seemed that he was constantly a step ahead of the defense.
• No Punts. For two straight games, the opponents first team offense didn’t punt the ball. Let that sink in.
• Defensive scheme and Coaching. Maybe the play-calling was “vanilla”, but the team continuously ran Man Defense and was largely unimaginative. The cornerbacks gave ample cushion and played (a measured) nine yards off the ball. Why? Mahomes quickly diagnosed this and exploited it.

With the first-team offense and defense widely expected to not play next week, the Commanders have a lot to fix before their week one matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 11th.