Del Rio says the attention Sweat and Young receive is pretty normal

The Washington Football Team’s defense has gotten off to a poor start to the 2021 season, which many did not expect. There are several reasons why the defense has struggled; all three levels have failed to execute. For the defensive line, it’s been a mixed bag of results; while some players like defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and defensive end Montez Sweat have had success in rushing the passer, others such as Chase Young have been underwhelming. 

After Thursday’s win against the Giants, head coach Ron Rivera spoke on how teams have impacted Young and Sweat’s pass-rush effectiveness to this point.

“Yes. I actually checked it and went through it. I don’t have the tally, but that was one of the things that I was watching today to see how many times we are being presented with the opportunity of them being chipped, whether by the back or just a tight end alignment. That’s one of the things that you really do see a little bit more so than when we watched the tape from the Giants game versus Denver. They did do it against Denver because of Denver’s defensive ends as well. I have a sneaky suspicion based on what I’ve counted or what I marked is they chipped a little bit more against us than they did last week. To answer your question, yes. The numbers I don’t have specifically right now. That was one of the things that I did intentionally want to double-check.” – Rivera on if Young and Sweat are getting chipped more.

Rivera also spoke on what the defensive line must do to counteract teams chipping Young and Sweat. 

“The first one of the basic ones is your defensive tackles have got to play and play like what we got from [DT] Jonathan [Allen]. Jonathan played an exceptionally good game for as many tackles and sacks and quarterback pressures and the effects that he had. That’s a big part of what you’ve got to get when that happens to other guys because now you’re probably being singled up and that’s something that has to happen.”

For Rivera, he clearly notices it; alternatively, for defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, it is nothing out of the norm for players of their caliber. Del Rio spoke with the media this past Wednesday and gave his opinion on the attention his two edge rushers have been receiving. 

“No, not really. I mean, I don’t think so. It’s a no, or they’re going to garner a certain amount of attention. That’s pretty normal.” – Del Rio on if he believes teams have been playing Sweat and Young differently.

Del Rio followed up his statement with his thoughts on teams chipping Young and Sweat specifically. 

“Yeah, we try and do some things to make sure that we take advantage of them doing those things. But yeah, that’s part of it. It was part of it for [Bears LB] Khalil Mack, [Former DE] Julius Peppers, [Broncos OLB] Von Miller, any of the guys that I’ve had. That’s part of playing a defensive end in this league.”

The facts of the matter here are that, while some of these excuses the fans and media have given for Sweat and Young, specifically Young, on the struggles to start the season, Del Rio is not buying it. These are normalcies of the position, and it is on the coach to put the defensive line in a position to win. Further, players who get one-on-one attention must continue to win their matchups, and edge rushers need to find ways to win.