Washington Commanders fans should not have expected their team to defeat the Buffalo Bills at home last week, but that doesn't make a 37-3 loss acceptable. Ron Rivera and his coaching staff have serious work to do if they want to get back on the winning side of things against the Philadelphia Eagles in a divisional game this weekend.
Both sides of the ball need attention in the nation's capital. Sam Howell threw four interceptions on just 29 passing attempts. The team's defense got roasted for 37 points by a balanced Bills attack.
Traveling to Philadelphia isn' a great recipe for a bounceback win for the Commanders, but fixing the following three issues could really help improve their chances of springing the upset.
3. Commanders must find a pass rush
Forcing Jalen Hurts is a double-edged sword but the Commanders cannot allow the Philadelphia signal-caller to get comfortable in the pocket. They failed to notch a single sock against Josh Allen last week which allowed him to pick apart their secondary.
The key for Rivera's defense will be to bring pressure against Hurts in a controlled manner. He is not afraid to run the ball if Washington's defensive line loses its gap integrity. Bringing an unbalanced blitz is a great way for the Commanders to see Hurts scamper for a long touchdown score.
Edge rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young will be under the most scrutiny to bring the heat against Hurts and the Eagles. One of them needs to find a way to register a sack and both need to add a few pressures to their stat line on the young season. If Washington loses the battle up front they could be in for another long day on defense.
2. The Commanders must feed their wide receivers
It's no secret that getting the ball to wide receiver Terry McLaurin is a priority every week for the Commanders. That's why it's so concerning that he was only targeted six times last week against the Bills.
That might be understandable if either Jahon Dotson or Curtis Samuel had been able to pick up the slack. Samuel caught two balls for 54 yards but was only targeted on four occasions. Dotson posted the same number of targets and catches but was only able to produce 21 receiving yards.
Part of their depressed volume was a product of Howell's four turnovers. The offense still needs to experience a philosophy change to get the ball out to their playmaking wide receivers in space. That will be a challenge against Philadelphia's talented secondary but Washington can achieve this goal by being more creative with their playcalling.
The Commanders need to consider working more bubble screens and short crossing routes into their passing game to get their home-run hitting wideouts more chances to create explosive plays for their offense. Dumping the ball off to running backs and tight ends can help keep the chains moving, but Howell isn't precise enough to surgically pick apart the Eagles defense in that manner.
The more McLaurin, Dotson and Samuel touch the ball on Sunday the better the Commanders' chances of winning this NFC East contest become. If they get shut down again it's going to be another long day for the Washington offense.
1. Sam Howell has to make better decisions
Howell is an inexperienced NFL starter but he suffered through a disastrous game against Buffalo last week. His turnovers took Washington out of this game before his teammates truly had a chance to make it a competitive contest.
Rivera should work to rein his young passer back in this week. Washington cannot afford to become overly conservative against the Eagles' aggressive front seven, but they do need to manage the shots Howell takes down the field. Throwing up early jump balls could torpedo the young quarterback's confidence.
Instead, expect the Commanders to lean heavily on the run and short throws early in the game to help rehabilitate Howell's confidence. Some easy throws to McLaurin could do wonders to improve his mindset after his debacle against the Bills.
Howell could also benefit from improved protection from his offensive line. Taking an eye-popping seven sacks against Buffalo did not help his ball security. There are plenty of quarterbacks who see their turnover percentage increase when they're forced to run for their lives on a down-by-down basis.
The Commanders will need to walk a fine line between conservatism and playing afraid when they take on Philadelphia this weekend. No matter where they fall on that line, Howell cannot afford to sink his team with turnovers for a second consecutive week.
