After a Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that started ugly and stayed that way, the Washington Commanders are looking for sharper execution on defense heading into their Week 2 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
Amik Robertson didn’t dance around what went wrong. Asked what the defense needs to clean up, the starting cornerback pointed to the details.
“Just be more detailed,” Robertson replied. “Like I said, it’s stuff that we can fix.
It ain’t like they was out-physicaling us or they was just better. Most of the plays that they got, you know, we gave to them, right?
I mean, we all saw the tape. And, you know, you learn, move on, take the accountability, move on.
That’s the thing about this game, man, especially playing on the defensive side of the ball, you gotta have a resilient mindset. When s*** goes bad, or s*** goes good, you gotta be able to have that mindset to stay neutral.
Next-play mentality. And that’s the mentality that I have, the defense have, Mikey (Sainristil) have.
So, right now we moved on from that; we focused on Dallas.
That “next-play mentality” has to be more than a slogan for Washington after the way the Eagles game unfolded. The Commanders were off early on both sides of the ball, with timing issues, missed assignments and missed tackles helping Philadelphia build an early lead that Washington never managed to erase.
Mike Sainristil, in particular, is one player who has to lock in on that approach. He spent much of the game looking lost and finished as the worst-graded defensive player by Pro Football Focus.
But the larger point around the defense is bigger than one player. Washington can’t afford to get stuck on what happened in Week 1.
The task now is simple: learn from it, correct it and make sure the same breakdowns don’t show up again against Dallas.
In Other News...
Chase Youngs Revival Revives A Painful Commanders Debate
Chase Youngs career has taken on a sharper, more encouraging shape since he left Washington, where injuries kept him from ever fully settling into the dominant force the Commanders expected when they drafted him. After the trade to San Francisco and then a move to New Orleans, the edge rusher has started stacking up the kind of production that once made him one of the leagues most intriguing young defenders, including a 10-sack season and another strong showing that has put his name back in the conversation.
For Washington, the revival brings back an uncomfortable question about what might have been if Young had been healthier in burgundy and gold. His current play is a reminder that the talent was never really gone, only interrupted, and it leaves the Commanders with a familiar what-if tied to one of their biggest recent investments. His rise elsewhere does not change the past, but it does make the debate around his time in Washington feel a lot harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Suddenly Have Real Stakes In One Risky QB Decision
The Commanders decision to carry three quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster has already taken on more meaning than a typical developmental move. Rookie Athan Kaliakmanis was expected to spend the season learning behind Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota, but with Daniels injured and Mariota slated to start, Washington suddenly has a real reason to keep a close eye on its third quarterback spot.
Adam Peters has made clear why the club liked Kaliakmanis in the first place, pointing to his arm talent and competitiveness while also noting he still has room to grow. For a team trying to balance short-term stability with a long-term plan at the position, that makes the rookies role one of the more interesting developments to watch, especially if the quarterback room is forced to absorb more changes than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Fans Want Dan Quinn Gone But Washington Has A Bigger Problem
The frustration in Washington has been building for weeks, and Dan Quinn is feeling it now more than ever. The Commanders have stumbled through a rough stretch, and when Jayden Daniels went down on a play at the end of the first half against the Cowboys, the conversation around the coach shifted from disappointment to outrage almost instantly.
Daniels dislocated his elbow for the second time in two seasons on a critical call that will hang over Quinn as the scrutiny intensifies. He deserves plenty of criticism for how the situation unfolded, but the bigger issue is the one the Commanders have been wrestling with all along: a thin, inexperienced coaching staff and little reason to believe a midseason change would fix much of anything. [Read more 🡒]