Burgundy & Gold Reaction: Week 4 Rebounding From Disaster

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October 3, 2023

by David Earl

What a Rebound Game

 

There is a difference between cheering over a “moral victory” and recognizing the positives in a game. Before I type another word, understand that anything less than a playoff victory for this team is a complete failure on Ron Rivera‘s part which should result in his removal. The offensive line has been a complete disaster since he took over, and the linebacking corps lacks depth and any true game-impact player. These are two major issues working against Ron and may very well be his demise by the season’s end. There is no defense –  looking back at his draft strategies, the clear neglect for these positions is very evident. If you are that fan who doesn’t see this or discourages those who criticize the team in any way, that is certainly not the problem of the reasonably critical fans. With that out of the way, on to the game itself.

Coming off a 37-3 blowout loss from the Super Bowl contender Bills, this team responded perfectly to arguably the best team in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles. Sam Howell overcame pressure all day, kept his poise, and completed 70.7% of his passes, no interceptions, and 1 touchdown. Not only that, he was decisive in his reads and throws while using his mobility to gain positive plays instead of forcing any bad ill-advised throws. Sam Howell clearly made a statement this weekend, but so did Eric Bieniemy, who took advantage of some key weakness on the Eagle defense.

Entering this matchup the Eagles defense was ranked 26th in passer rating allowed at 99.8, 20th in completion percentage against at 67.07%, and dead last in first downs given up through the passing game at 85.45%. Washington faced this defense with offensive line that was dead last entering week 4 with a sack percentage of 16.10%, with Sam Howell on track to break 100 sacks on the season. Granted, some of the issue was on Howell and his indecisive decision-making in the pocket, but the pressure was very clea,r especially off the edges this season. Even though the Eagles defense ranked 4th in yards per carry at 3.0, Bieniemy remained balanced offensively with 17 pass attempts and 15 rushing attempts, which was near even. While they averaged a terrible 2.9 yards per carry average in the first half, it still forced the defense to account for the ground game so Sam and the passing game could effectively move the ball through the air.  Howell ended the half with a 105.3 passer rating.

It’s not the “moral victory” to look at here, but the development this team is seeing in Howell week to week. He made the adjustments from the horrendous play a week prior against the Bills while executing Bieniemy’s game plan to near perfection, especially in that first half. So while Ron Rivera should be at the point where he beats contenders like the Bills and Eagles (maybe not back to back), Howell can certainly be graded through a different lens this season. He should not be crowned a franchise quarterback as of yet but his steps in that direction are proving positive at this time.

 

Now This Defense

I am completely on board with Jamual here, especially with the investment they have on the defensive line. While the points allowed are the most important outcome of concern, let’s look at  thishow defense is allowing this to happen. Through 4 weeks, Washington has allowed 4.5 yards per rush attempt (ranked 26th) while allowing 7.5 rushing first downs per game. This has not all been on the defensive line either, as second-level support, the linebackers, have been nearly non-existent this season – replacing Cole Holcomb with Cody Barton actually weakened this defense against the run, if that’s even possible. When you are unable to stop the run effectively it negates a pass rush that has actually done fairly well ranking 6th in sack percentage at 9.03% especially when the secondary has only been average to this point. This defense ranks 12th in completion percentage against at 64.12%, yet has allowed an average passer rating of 95.5 against.

Two aspects of this are evident: the combination of a bad linebacker group and a secondary still finding their footing has minimized a pass rush that has actually been very good thus far this season. I saw an interesting stat line for Jack Del Rio‘s defenses since being here in Washington: from the 2020 through 2022 seasons, his defenses saw anywhere from a positive 6 to a 10-point swing in points let up after week 5. If this trend continues, with Chicago being their week 5 opponent, if Bieniemy can get continued growth and development out of Howell, then Washington could be in good shape. In 3 weeks they get back-to-back divisional games, with a rematch against Philadelphia, then a run in their schedule that will give them some winnable games before the toughest stretch of the season comes. If this defense can turn it around that will certainly help Bieniemy to continue scheming around an offensive line that will  be a liability putting Sam Howell in the best position possible to win these games. If this team is not forced into predictable passing downs early in these games, the playbook will remain wide open with misdirection and play-action passes helping to avoid any pass rush to consistently get to Sam Howell.

 

Jabril Cox Anyone???

Jabril Cox‘s NFL career started off on a bad note with an ACL injury.  However, he is now fully healthy, which is what made his cut from Dallas a bit surprising. The former LSU product was drafted in the 4th round in the 2021 draft and had a total combined score of 78, which ranked him 6th among linebackers in the draft. He carries ideal size, 6’3″ and 233lbs, with outstanding range and an explosive burst in a change of direction pursuit. Unlike Cody Barton, doesn’t allow himself to be swallowed up by interior offensive linemen in run defense and is a good instinctive player in coverage. Cox finished his college career with 26 pass defenses and 9 interceptions. He did have some issues processing the play post-snap and can be inconsistent in reacting to blocking schemes but that seems to come in daily doses from Cody Barton.

If nothing else Cox should be on the active roster as an option on game days while Ron Rivera wants to keep forcing his bad decision on this defense. While PFF rankings are subjective, his 23.8 rating drop in their eyes is concerning regardless of subjectiveity. Jabril Cox is by no means the answer for this defense, but he doesn’t seem to present the same liabilities as Cody Barton, who is just not a starting-level middle linebacker.

 

Closing

My overall feeling after this week’s game is optimism, as a result of the combo of Eric Bieniemy and Sam Howell. Ron Rivera may end up being the true liability in this team. For as harsh as that may sound it is also undeniable. He has relied far too much on relationships and comfort, such as when he brought in players who were clearly past their primes, Trai Turner and Andrew Norwell, last offseason to solidify an offensive line that saw the departure of Trent Williams, Morgan Moses, and Brandon Scherff over the years. Using one of ten draft picks in the 2021 draft and just a 7th round pick in the 2022 draft (that’s 18 total picks) plus using a 2023 second round pick on a cornerback instead of a player like Cody Mauch is just the absolute definition of roster neglect. What made it worse is the fact that Rivera headed into this season with a 5th round draft pick as the starting quarterback while simultaneously hoping that a veteran like Andrew Wylie from Kansas City would be enough.  That has backfired thus far.

I hold out hope that Jack Del Rio will get the defense rolling again and Sam Howell continues to grow under Bieniemy. The fear here is  that Ron’s poor to average decisions as the HC/GM will ultimately hold this team back. Howell brings a potential promise at a position Washington has been starving for far too long – a franchise quarterback – and is absolutely a point of reference fans can get behind after the Eagles game without accepting the notion of a “moral victory.” This week Washington should absolutely handle their business against a reeling Chicago Bears and get back over .500 for the season, thereby establishing momentum over the next two weeks before a rematch against the Eagles.