Hogs Haven
Sloppy. Inefficient. Overmatched. The Commanders were all of that in their 48-18 loss to the Patriots to open the preseason on Friday, appearing more like Washington’s 2023 squad and nothing like the prolific, well-coached group of last season.
If this were a regular-season game, the mistakes — 13 penalties, multiple dropped passes, two turnovers, blown defensive assignments, missed tackles and disastrous special teams — could’ve been season-altering. In a preseason game centered on evaluations, a more nuanced view is warranted.
But, man, does it eat at Dan Quinn.
“If you get your ass kicked and we’re in the fight the whole time, I can live with that,” the Commanders’ head coach told reporters after the loss. “… I can live almost with any result when you put it all in and do it right, but when it’s sloppy and not to the standards, man, that burns my ass.”
Special teams
Coordinator Larry Izzo is a stickler for details, which was apparent as he developed the team’s strategy for the NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rule last season. The Commanders were the most aggressive team with the new rule, placing 60 percent of their kicks in the landing zone, leading to a league-high 73 return attempts by opponents.
On Friday, the unit’s only consistency was making errors.
Washington’s opening kickoff was returned 100 yards for a touchdown by rookie back TreVeyon Henderson. Former Washington back Antonio Gibson returned another kickoff 62 yards and undrafted rookie Lan Larison tacked on a 25-yard return. That’s three kickoff returns for 187 yards and a touchdown.
Then there were the penalties. Three of the Commanders’ 13 penalties were on special teams; Tyler Owens and Jeremy Reaves were each flagged for illegal blocks above the waist on kick returns, and the team was later penalized for an illegal formation on a kick.
And the icing: Kicker Matt Gay missed his first field-goal attempt of the night, from 49 yards. The ball sailed wide left.
“That’s one of the phases that we really emphasize,” Quinn said of the special teams. “… So to have a performance where it didn’t go our way, it can be confusing, can be surprising, all those emotions. … That was not indicative of who we want to be on special teams for sure.”
The competition for the QB3 job has so far been a disappointment. Johnson has the clear edge; he has 45 career games to Hartman’s zero, and it shows.
Neither impressed on Friday, but Hartman was the obvious lesser quarterback, finishing 9-of-19 for 64 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception and a 33.7 passer rating. Johnson went 15-of-22 for 173 yards, a pick, one touchdown and an 87.9 rating.
Amos stands out on ugly night for Commanders. The large majority...
