The Washington Commanders survived a scare in Week 1, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 20-16 to move to 1-0 on the season.
It was an up-and-down day for Washington’s offense, as the Commanders turned the ball over three times, one of which led to an easy defensive touchdown — Arizona’s only touchdown of the day. The Commanders also fumbled in the red zone, taking at least three points off the board.
Buy Commanders TicketsThere were plenty of missed opportunities for Washington. Yet, the Commanders survived.
What did we learn from this game?
Here are some takeaways from Sunday’s win.
A learning experience for Sam Howell
Sam Howell’s final numbers were nothing special, but weren’t bad either. Howell completed 19 of 31 passes for 202 yards with a touchdown and interception. He also rushed for a touchdown. Howell did several good things in the game. His touchdown pass to Brian Robinson Jr. was an excellent play as Howell rolled to his left and threw the ball accurately across his body for the score. He also scored the game-winning touchdown.
However, he took six sacks. On some of them, he held the ball for too long. On others, he had no chance. Howell often waits for a split second too long as he always keeps his eyes downfield. That’s an admirable trait, but he must do better in developing that internal clock. If nothing is open after his initial progression, take off or throw the ball away. His fumble could’ve cost the Commanders the game. It was Arizona’s only touchdown. It’s the kind of teachable moment that Howell must not allow to happen again.
It’s always important to note this was his second career game. These are good experiences for him. He never looks lost in the moment and that’s a credit to him.
Eric Bieniemy's playcalling
I thought it was a mixed bag for Eric Bieniemy in his first game as Washington’s offensive coordinator, but mostly positive. I love how Bieniemy continues to attack downfield. He’s not scared. It’s the first time Washington has had that on offense in a long time. At one point in the game, Washington had 28 pass attempts and 10 rushing attempts. I am not one who thinks you need a 50/50 balance. That’s silly in these present times. However, you would like to see a few more runs mixed in there, especially when you’re struggling to protect the quarterback.
Late in the game, I thought Bieniemy let up a bit. On one hand, I get it. The Cardinals couldn’t score against your defense, so why risk putting the ball in danger? But the Commanders had open receivers for much of the day; it was just keeping Howell protected. In the future, when the Commanders are nursing a lead late, I’d love to see Bieniemy go for the win instead of playing conservatively. But, for Sunday’s game, that strategy did make sense.
Overall, I liked what Bieniemy did. He does need to figure out a way to keep Howell protected, such as using the short passing game more often.
The offensive line is what we thought it was
Howell was sacked six times, and he suffered double-digit hits. That can’t happen every week. Some of that is on Howell; some is on the offensive line. A credit to Howell is that he takes responsibility for all of them. That’s leadership. Andrew Wylie was beaten cleanly on multiple occasions, and I saw Charles Leno get pushed back on another. The offensive line also struggled to block for the running backs. The Commanders averaged 3.3 yards per rushing attempt. There are 16 games remaining. It’s not time to panic, but everyone was concerned about the offensive line. The early returns aren’t great. The hope is that the four new starters will settle in, and the group gels for at least a league-average unit.
McLaurin had 4 targets
Terry McLaurin caught two passes for 31 yards. He had four targets. That’s not going to get it done. Sure, McLaurin is dealing with a toe injury, but that didn’t look to be impacting him on Sunday. In future weeks, Bieniemy should look to get McLaurin more involved in the short game because it’s all about putting the ball in his hands. Curtis Samuel caught all five of his targets, while Jahan Dotson came away with five of his seven targets.
Logan Thomas needs to be more consistent
Tight end Logan Thomas singlehandedly killed Washington’s first drive. He had two dropped passes. Howell’s first pass to Thomas across the middle would’ve resulted in a big gain, but it went through his hands. Thomas dropped another pass later in the game. Thomas did settle down, catching four passes for 43 yards. However, he needs to come away with more than 50% of his targets. Thomas’ eight targets were the most for the Commanders. The tight end is a big part of Bieniemy’s offense, and Howell seems to trust Thomas. Thomas needs to do more in the coming weeks.
The defense
The defense was phenomenal, but the competition was weak. The Commanders did give up a few chunk plays, including a 29-yard run by wide receiver Marquise Brown on an end-around. However, the defense did what it should do: It dominated. The Commanders had 11 tackles for loss. Six of those TFLs came from Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Montez Sweat. Those three absolutely dominated. Sweat is a free agent in 2024 and looks like he’s about to follow the Payne blueprint, having a breakout season while playing on the fifth-year option. Imagine if this group gets a healthy Chase Young back. The defensive line is going to need to carry the team in some games. They did in Week 1 and it led to a win.
