Hogs Haven
Washington Post (paywall)
Experience can be an asset, but on Sunday in Atlanta, the oldest roster in the league couldn’t keep up.
With Wagner patrolling the middle of the field, Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. hit the speedy and powerful Bijan Robinson in stride out of the backfield. It just wasn’t fair. The closest defender to give chase was the 35-year-old Wagner. And, bless his heart, for a moment he did. Until Robinson, 12 years his junior, turned two yards of separation into about 15 in a blink of an eye. Robinson topped out at 21.85 mph according to NFL Next Gen stats. And Wagner? Well, as safety Jeremy Reaves raced to stop Robinson from reaching the end zone, the Unc had slowed to a nice, leisurely jog.
[I]nstead of looking experienced, the Commanders, at times, just looked old. Which might explain all those missed tackles and unsuccessful third-down stopsagainst an Atlanta offense that sputtered last week against the Carolina Panthers.
“We didn’t make the plays today,” [said Jeremy Reaves]. “You can’t harp on that. You got to understand it’s part of the game.”
Another part of the game is the brutal aging curve, which can take young men and make them look old in a flash. The Commanders will need to slow that down, more than anything, if they’re going to remain a contender very long.
The Athletic (paywall)
The visitors’ locker room inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium was silent, not even a mumble. There was little the Washington Commanders could say (or would say) after a dismal 34-27 loss to the Atlanta Falcons that felt more lopsided than the score conveyed.
All three phases — offense, defense and special teams — shouldered the blame, but the defense’s share of miscues was undoubtedly larger.
There was no mystery about the Commanders’ defensive struggles. Many of the issues that hindered their play in Green Bay two weeks ago were the same ones that crippled them on Sunday:
Poor tackling
Coach Dan Quinn knew this would be a tough challenge, and he knew that if his team handled tackling poorly, it could easily turn the game.
And it did.
Too many explosive plays
Whitt lamented his defense’s penchant for allowing explosive plays (completions of at least 16 yards and rushes of 12 or more yards) in the first few weeks of the season. Washington totaled nine in that stretch, an average of three per game.
“That’s too many,” Whitt said last week.
Washington doubled its total on Sunday, letting Atlanta record nine explosives — six passing and three rushing — to account for 14.1 percent of its plays.
A slow start
The Commanders have dug themselves into holes with repeated slow starts. Week 3 against the Raiders was the first in which the defense began with a lead; Washington scored on its opening drive.
On Sunday, the...
