Hogs Haven
Washington Post (paywall)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s not as obvious as a Patrick Mahomes touchdown pass to Travis Kelce, not as baffling as a ricocheted interception off Deebo Samuel Sr.’s face mask, not as worrisome as another empty-handed trip to the red zone. But it is there, in the box score of the Washington Commanders’ 28-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and is an aggravating factor all the same:
Twenty carries for 60 rushing yards.
For a Commanders offense that led the NFL at 5.9 yards per carry over the first five weeks of the season, that sort of paltry production might seem uncharacteristic. Yet during their three-game losing streak, it has been a trend. Washington’s rushing attack has gone flat. Monday night’s loss is simply the most recent — and glaring — example.
While the Commanders can still claim a top-three rushing attack in the NFL — their 137.5 yards per game are tied for third entering Week 9 — the underlying statistics show signs of regression. Over the past three weeks, they rank 18th in rushing yards per game. And in terms of production by running backs, they are among the league’s worst (28th) during that span.
Commanders.com
Missed opportunities on the first three drives.
Head coach Dan Quinn wanted the team to be bold against the Chiefs, which meant keeping the offense on the field for as many fourth-down attempts as possible. It was a logical move to execute against the Chiefs’ high-powered offense, although it meant that every drive needed to end in the end zone.
While it might have been the right approach, the Commanders had trouble executing the plan. Their first three drives ended with some form of a turnover after moving into Chiefs territory, the first of which occurred when a pass from Mariota to Deebo Samuel at the Kansas City 18-yard line deflected off the receiver’s helmet and into the hands of a Chiefs defender.
Washington’s next two drives didn’t get as far but still ended in frustration. The offense moved from its own 7-yard line to the Chiefs’ 40 before being forced to attempt a fourth-and-6. Mariota’s pass to Zach Ertz was ruled short on a virtual measurement. Their next attempt at a fourth-down conversion ended on an equally sour note, as Mariota’s pass to Terry McLaurin was off target.
Mariota said after the game that the offense didn’t do its job, and there is some truth to that. As good as the Commanders did to stay competitive in the first half, it could have been much better.
The Athletic (paywall)
These are not the Commanders who were 7-2 and sitting atop the NFC East at the NFL’s trade deadline last year. Washington is 3-5 with a game to...
