Burgundy & Gold Reaction: Defense Again Offensive

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September 28, 2021

by David Earl

Endless Purgatory

This tweet truly defines the circle of life for Washington fans over what feels like far too long and the roller coaster ride we’ve been on through many changes of this organization. Like many fans, I saw this new regime change and the cultural makeup as Dan Snyder finally getting this right. While I still believe that Ron Rivera has the team going in the right direction and Dan needs to allow him the time, it’s difficult to get past what’s everyone has witnessed under this ownership. Outside of the glimmer of hope of the Gibbs 2.0 era and the magic of 2012, we’ve been fed mediocrity year after year while being preached to about how close the team is to success. What I believe hurts the most is that despite the hype of Chase Young, Montez Sweat, and this talented defensive lineled by a Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator, this defense has started off in a horrible fashion.

In 2020 Washington’s 3rd down defense ranked 7th in the league (38% opponent conversion rate), but has plummeted to a now abysmal 60% opponent conversion early in the season.  Only Miami and Cleveland are marginally worst at 62% and 63% respectively. Many fans will point to Joe Barry’s defense as historically bad, but the fact of the matter is that they were far worse under the final 2 years of Greg Manusky‘s tenure as the defensive coordinator. Greg’s defenses got progressively worse every year ranking dead last in 2019 at 49% opponent 3rd down conversion rate while finishing the final 3 games surrendering 3rd downs at a 60% conversion rate. Fan frustrations have boiled over because this team has invested multiple first-round picks on the defensive line, added the “Generational talent” Chase Young, and hired one of the league’s top defensive coaches in Jack Del Rio only to relive Greg Manusky all over again.

Needless to say, Jack Del Rio needs to figure this out, quickly, because this next stretch of games which include Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady. While I am sure Jonathan Bostic is a great leader and a fine human being, his presence on the field in coverage has become a liability. With Cole Holcomb being best suited against the run and rushing the quarterback, the middle of the defense is simply a dumping ground for easy completions. Jamin Davis was drafted for this purpose and has shown some potential to be this team’s answer. Yes, he will continue to struggle against interior offensive linemen at times, but his raw ability in coverage is invaluable. Jamin needs to go through some growing pains and this week versus Atlanta will be a great opportunity to get him much more time on the field. It doesn’t stop at the linebacker position either, as the secondary seems uncoordinated; for example, as when Benjamin St-Juste released off Emmanuel Sanders, expecting back-side help, leading to a TD:

The Measuring Stick Game

Entering this game Ron Rivera eluded to this game as this defense’s “measuring stick game”. Washington was measured and achieved an unflattering result. The 43-21 beat down saw Washington be a cure for a slow starting and struggling Bills offense which is the antithesis of what we expected. On top of the aforementioned concerning opponent’s 3rd down conversion rate, Josh Allen ripped this defense for 358 yards along with 4 touchdown passes and 1 rushing touchdown, for a 130 QB rating, with the defensive line applying minimum pressure and achieved no sacks. As the staple of the defense last season, the defensive line is just not getting home nearly enough to at the very least make the quarterback uncomfortable in the pocket. Like Rick ‘Doc’ Walker mentioned, with zero to no pass rush, the defense needs a schematic change that covers deficiencies. Simply put we can no longer hope this front 4 can apply enough pressure on the quarterback. Washington needs more zone and safety blitzes while helping to create more winnable matchups for Chase Young.

Closing Thoughts

I share Kevin Sheehan’s agitation here as the hype for this defensive line was off the charts, not just in this fanbase but nationally as well. While the group looks to be very far from being a competent defensive front I wouldn’t be objective if I claimed they were the sole issue. St-Juste is a rookie with promise, but his growing pains accompanied by Fuller’s underwhelming play has left William Jackson essentially on an island to himself. While Jackson’s playstyle does leave the risk of a potential big play, the backend of the defense just is not good enough to protect from these miscues when the defensive front is allowing the quarterback time to progress through all his reads. Even with that said I still have faith Jack Del Rio will get this unit playing much better, in particular when Jamin Davis further develops. He must figure out a different role for Landon Collins because Kamren Curl needs to get back to his full role from last year. As I appreciate Chase Young entering this week with a “No Bullshitting” mentality – they just need them to fix this and improve without the empty promises of better play we’ve had to hear for far too long.