There’s no way to sugarcoat Washington’s last loss. The Commanders got blown out, at home, to a Bears team that hadn’t won in nearly a full calendar year.
That game was awful, but as Washington quarterback Sam Howell explained, “we’re looking straight ahead.”
So, what’s next? At 2-3 the big picture goals of making the playoffs are still attainable and in the short-term view traveling to Atlanta to play the Falcons is not an insurmountable task.
Beating the Falcons depends on what version of Washington shows up, but unfortunately, nobody knows that answer. Here’s 10 things to know in advance of Sunday’s game:
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1) Washington did not call one designed run play in the second half of last week’s 40-20 loss to the Bears. Not once. On the season Washington ranks 31st in rush attempts, which presents a chicken-and-egg conundrum for Ron Rivera. His defense isn’t getting stops, so when the offense is on the field, that group needs to throw the ball.
2) On the other hand, Atlanta likes to run the football. The Falcons are 8th in the league in rush attempts and have two backs with more than 60 carries in Bijan Robinson (67) and Tyler Allgeier (62). Washington’s top running back Brian Robinson also has 67 carries though their second leading rusher is Antonio Gibson with just 13 rushes.
3) Atlanta’s defense only has five sacks through five games, the second-lowest total in the NFL. Washington has surrendered 29 sacks, the most in the NFL. Rubber, meet the road.
4) Sam Howell is completing 68.6% of his passes through five games. That’s the best completion percentage ever by Washington passers through the first five games of the year, besting the 68.2 mark set by Robert Griffin III in 2012.
5) Washington sent two players to the injured reserve this week in safeties Darrick Forrest and Jeremy Reaves. Forrest started all five games so far this season and last year Reaves made the Pro Bowl as a special teamer. Both players will miss at least the next four games.
6) Without Forrest on the field expect Washington to finally get second-round pick Quan Martin on the field. To date, Martin has logged zero defensive snaps.
Ron Rivera spoke about Martin prior to the Bears game, “Quan had a little bit of a setback after the first game. He went into the concussion protocol and ended up missing a game and had to work himself back into playing shape and actually played very well last week on special teams.”
7) Many fans have voiced significant angst with Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, as his group has underperformed so far this season. Washington ranks 31st in points allowed and 25th in yards allowed. The Commanders have a -5 ratio in turnovers.
8) One key problem for Washington’s offense is staying on the field. The Commanders rank 25th in the NFL in converting third downs, only picking up 22 first downs on 60 third down attempts. Washington’s average drive lasts fewer than six plays.
9) Falcons QB Desmond Ridder hasn’t been too impressive on the field. The second-year passer is completing 65 percent of his passes with four touchdowns against three interceptions. Interestingly, however, Ridder is a perfect 5-0 when starting in Atlanta and is winless starting on the road.
10) Don’t forget the Falcons backup quarterback is none other than Taylor Heinicke.
