The Washington Commanders kicked off the 2022 season with a 28-22 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday from FedEx Field.
Washington’s offense started fast, as quarterback Carson Wentz led an impressive 10 play, 74-yard drive that ended with a Curtis Samuel touchdown reception. The Commanders weren’t done, as Wentz led another impressive drive, this one went for 14 plays and 71 yards and was capped off by rookie Jahan Dotson’s first NFL touchdown.
Washington’s offense went quiet after the second score and it wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Commanders were back on the board with two more Wentz touchdown passes. In the end, the defense did just enough to preserve an exciting season-opening win.
Here are some of our takeaways from Washington’s 28-22 victory.
Bad Carson
Wentz completed 27 of 41 passes for 313 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Everyone wants to focus on Wentz’s two picks, so we will discuss. On the first interception, Wentz stared down his receiver and didn’t put enough zip on the football. It wasn’t a terrible decision, but one he would love to have back.
His second interception led to some on Twitter celebrating his misfortune. It was a bad decision. It’s the type of decision that Wentz is known for. And both interceptions led to 10 points, which gave the Jaguars the lead. How would Wentz respond? More on that later.
In addition to the two interceptions, Wentz missed high on five different passing attempts. One of those misses was to 6-foot-6 tight end Logan Thomas. Wentz also missed an open Dax Milne on what ended up being the game-winning drive.
Wentz's response
Wentz’s overall numbers were good. But the most impressive part of his day on Sunday was his reaction to the two interceptions. Instead of folding up and checking down, Wentz went to work. He found wide receiver Terry McLaurin for a 49-yard touchdown to trim Jacksonville’s lead to two points.
After the defense forced a punt, Wentz had another shot, this time to win the game. He responded. Wentz marched the Commanders down the field on a 13-play, 90-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Jahan Dotson.
That’s how you respond. Curiously, Warren Sharp had no tweet for Wentz’s responses.
Commanders have terrific playmakers
McLaurin didn’t need to have a big day for Washington’s passing offense to thrive. The No. 1 wideout caught two passes for 58 yards, including the aforementioned 49-yard touchdown reception. Curtis Samuel showed everyone they missed last season by rushing for 17 yards and catching eight passes for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Dotson caught three passes for 40 yards and two touchdowns in his NFL debut. Tight end Logan Thomas is back and healthy. Running back J.D. McKissic was involved, rookie tight end Armani Rogers had a big play and starting back Antonio Gibson combined to account for 120 yards, including 72 receiving yards.
If Wentz can stay on schedule, the Commanders have a chance to be a terrific offense in 2022 — and beyond.
Darrick Forrest took advantage of opportunity
Good teams always have a young player waiting in the wings to step up when a starter goes down. The Commanders were without one of their better defensive players in third-year safety Kam Curl, which meant Darrick Forrest would receive his first NFL start.
The second-year safety was arguably Washington’s top defensive player. He made five tackles, broke up two passes, one of which was a touchdown and another on a two-point conversion, delivered a pair of bone-crunching hits and also had the game-winning interception. The Commanders will find a place for Forrest once Curl returns.
Cornerbacks were terrible
Whether it was Kendall Fuller or William Jackson III, Washington’s cornerbacks were bad. I won’t include Benjamin St-Juste in this assessment, but the starting corners were either beaten all day or committed penalties. If Lawrence needed a completion, he found Fuller. Both Fuller and Jackson had moments like this last season and played better in the second half of the season. Washington needs more from its pass rush, but it needs a lot more from its veteran corners.
FedEx Field was rocking
FedEx Field has certainly gained a bad reputation over the years. Anything negative you can say about a stadium is FedEx Field. Sadly, Washington’s ineptitude and the stadium’s failures were always on display. The worst part was opposing team’s fans taking over the stadium.
In the offseason, Washington team president Jason Wright and his team made an effort to encourage Washington fans to return to FedEx Field. Keep your tickets. Bring your friends and family — and root for the home team.
On Sunday, Wright had to have been happy. FedEx Field wasn’t quite full, but it was packed, loud and the fans made a difference for the home team. It’s not going to be easy to make this happen weekly. The team needs to consistently win first, but the potential is there. Kudos to the fans in attendance at FedEx Field.
