Just a month ago, it was all going so well for the Washington Commanders.
They’d won six of their last seven games. They were in the playoffs as it stood. They’d gone on the road and beaten the previously 8-0 Philadelphia Eagles. Their next two games, with a bye in between, were against the struggling New York Giants.
Then, it all fell apart. A tie against the Giants in their first meeting has now been followed by three straight losses, and Washington’s playoff hopes are very slim. They could potentially be eliminated from contention by the time Week 18 rolls around.
Who is to blame for the late season collapse? Many will point to the coaching staff, particularly with HC Ron Rivera’s decision to re-insert Carson Wentz as the starting QB against the Browns over Taylor Heinicke… only for Wentz to do this.
But while a bad look in hindsight, the logic behind it could be justified when considering that Heinicke had also been struggling. The coaching was a major strength for Washington during its hot streak, and Wentz playing badly is Wentz’s fault, not Rivera’s.
Injuries have played a role too. Standout safety Kam Curl has missed the Commanders’ past two games and it’s showed, while losing center Tyler Larsen has been a huge blow to the offensive line.
Many will point to the loss at home to New York as the turning point of the season. The officiating during that game, and particularly on Washington’s final drive, was nothing short of horrific.
But the Commanders also didn’t execute throughout that night, and shouldn’t have needed to be in a position where they were coming from behind. The same can be said about the matchup two weeks beforehand, where they played to a tie in a game that was very winnable.
If Washington had won just one of those two games against the Giants, they would probably still have a good chance to make the playoffs. But those two losses, and the back-to-back no-shows since, have tanked their season.
However, let’s also consider this. Earlier in the year, Washington won a number of games in which it got outplayed, and barely escaped close contests against bad teams such as the Bears, Colts, and Falcons. They were due for some regression to the mean.
Everyone deserves a share of the responsibility for the turn the Commanders’ season has taken. But more than anything else, the reality is that this squad had been overachieving to be in the position it was, and was never really playoff-caliber to begin with.
