Hogs Haven
Commanders.com
Josh Johnson was solid in his first start since 2021.
Johnson had just five days to prepare for his first start in four years, but you wouldn’t have known it based on how he performed on Christmas. He looked calm and composed in the pocket, completing 15 of his 23 passes for 198 yards with two carries for 10 yards. It ended up being one of the best performances of his career; his passing yards were his fifth most in a single game, while his 65% completion rate was his fourth best in games with at least 20 attempts.
Part of that comfort came from the gameplan offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury designed for Johnson. He gave Johnson shorter passes that allowed receivers to pick up yards after the catch, and that approach worked well on the Commanders’ opening drive. Johnson completed his first four passes, including a 16-yard completion to Terry McLaurin as well as a 41-yard catch-and-run from Deebo Samuel.
“Coming into the game, it was going to be important for Josh Johnson taking care of the ball that we could extend some drives to keep their offense off,” head coach Dan Quinn said after the game. “I thought he did a good job of that.”
Johnson said he got more comfortable as the game went on.
“I was just trying to play clean and just give us a chance to win the game. We had a chance; unfortunately, we just came up short.”
The Commanders signed Johnson in the offseason with the belief that he could lead the offense in a pinch. It wasn’t ideal, but Johnson did his job and kept the unit afloat.
Washington Post (paywall)
After leading the NFL in fourth-down conversion rate a year ago and ranking sixth in the league on third downs, the Commanders’ offense ranks 13th and 25th in those categories, respectively. And its defense has fared worse. Opposing teams have converted 69 percent of fourth-down chances against Washington (28th in the NFL) and 41 percent of third downs (23rd).
On Thursday, the Cowboys were 8 for 20 on third downs, but they then attempted and converted six times on fourth down. That efficiency allowed Dallas to control the ball in a way few teams have this season, racking up 87 offensive plays to Washington’s 41. It’s just the second time this season that one team has run twice as many offensive plays as its opponent; the other was the Kansas City Chiefs in their 31-0 drubbing of the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7.
Dallas had drives of 13, 17, 12, 11 and 14 plays — all of which resulted in points. It held the ball for nearly 39 of the game’s 60 minutes.
Washington’s offense, meanwhile, averaged a season-best 8.0 yards per play — even with third-string quarterback Josh Johnson under center and...
