Washington faces an essential must-win game Sunday at Northwest Stadium.
The Washington Commanders’ backs are against the wall. They’re 1-3 — and 0-2 in the NFC East. Just four games into the season, their hopes of playing meaningful football this winter are already on the brink.
Read more Capitals top Penguins in Ovechkin’s final home opener
For the second straight season, they’ve been decimated by injuries. Quarterback Jayden Daniels and many others on both sides of the ball have missed significant time. While Daniels is set to make his return Sunday from a dislocated left elbow, the team remains shorthanded throughout the roster.
Rather than focusing on those absences, Coach Dan Quinn is emphasizing what the Commanders can control.
“We’ve definitely had some moving parts, for sure,” Quinn said. “But this week I wanted to make sure our emphasis was on our mental discipline, our pre-snap penalties. We have got to get that right. … If you walked inside the halls right now, I think you’d feel urgency, the energy to play like us, period: Fast, aggressive and playing cleaner.
“That’s not opponent-driven — that’s us-driven.”
The Commanders will host the New York Giants (3-1, 1-0) at Northwest Stadium — a divisional matchup that should be considered a must-win for Washington. Here are some X-factors to monitor:
Losing right guard Sam Cosmi to a concussion in Week 2 created a domino effect for Washington’s offensive line. Nick Allegretti, who started the first two games at center, slid over to right guard to replace Cosmi. In his place, Lucas Patrick — who only signed with the team three weeks ago — started at center. Then Allegretti was benched and replaced by Matt Gulbin at right guard.
Quinn said that wasn’t a permanent decision — and highlighted that Allegretti had been nursing a hip injury — but it was performance-based, nonetheless. Cosmi returned to practice Wednesday wearing a noncontact jersey. If he plays Sunday, that still leaves the Commanders with a decision at center.
There are three options: Stick with Patrick, go back to Allegretti or give Gulbin a shot.
Given how poorly Gulbin played last week, he feels like the least likely option. Patrick, meanwhile, has outplayed Allegretti — particularly in pass protection. Allegretti has allowed a pressure rate of 7.8 percent (146th among offensive linemen with at least 50 pass blocking snaps according to the analytics platform TruMedia). In comparison, Patrick has given up a pressure rate of just 2.7 percent (36th).
Despite that, Quinn seemed to indicate that Allegretti is in play at center.
“His toughness and will are very strong,” Quinn said. “I’m looking forward to him really getting into a good working rhythm at the position.”
Giants quarterback Jameis Winston always has been — and always will be — a gunslinger. While his aggressive style can create a lot of big plays, he frequently puts the ball in harm’s way. Case in point: He has an interception rate of 3.8 percent, which is the fourth highest in the NFL.
After failing to force any turnovers in the first two games of the season, the Commanders’ defense has five takeaways in the past two (tied for the second most in the NFL during that span). There’s a strong chance Winston will give them opportunities to keep that hot streak going.
New York has eight takeaways (tied for second in the league). Its ball hawking secondary has been the catalyst with six interceptions.
Read more NFL tells Supreme Court prediction markets are gambling, not investing
Safety Jevon Holland has been the most disruptive player; he has three interceptions (tied for the league lead) and two forced fumbles. Cornerbacks Deonte Banks and Greg Newsome II are also excellent at making plays on the ball.
Daniels is adept at protecting the football and is generally risk averse, but he needs to be especially careful in this one.
Performing in “winning time” moments is one of Quinn’s mantras, but the Commanders have failed to do so this season.
On offense, Washington has scored touchdowns on just 54.5 percent of its red zone possessions (tied for 19th). They’ve converted just 31.6 percent of their third downs (30th) and 57.1 percent of their fourth downs (tied for 13th).
On the other side of the ball, the Commanders have allowed their opponents to score touchdowns on 80 percent of their red zone possessions (30th). They’ve allowed conversions on 42 percent of their third downs (21st) and 50 percent of their fourth downs (tied for 13th).
Washington also has a point differential of minus-12 in the fourth quarter (26th). It’s hard to win with that kind of play in the most crucial moments.
Wide receiver Terry McLaurin didn’t practice Wednesday as he rehabs the hamstring injury that caused him to miss Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts in London. He worked on the side with other injured players.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs and safeties Tyler Owens and Percy Butler all sat out practice because of hamstring injuries. Defensive end Charles Omenihu didn’t participate because of a groin injury. But safety Nick Cross (internal) and running back Rachaad White (shoulder) did return to practice. …
The Commanders opened the practice windows for cornerback Trey Amos (ankle), running back Jeremy McNichols (quad) and defensive end Deatrich Wise (quad). Those players have 21 days to be activated off injured reserve or the physically unable to perform list. If they’re not during that span, they’d be forced to miss the rest of the season. Quinn said it’s too early to say when they’ll be able to play.
Amos’s potential return to a struggling secondary looms the largest.
“I’ve seen a lot of glimpses from our defense of what we can be,” Amos said. “I want to be a part of that. I’m using all this time to just go out there, learn what I need to do and just be there for the guys.” …
The Commanders decided not to place quarterback Marcus Mariota on injured reserve after he re-sprained his right MCL on Sunday, but he didn’t practice.
Quinn said that the Commanders are “optimistic” about Mariota’s timeline. It’d be reasonable to expect him to come back after their Week 7 bye. Until then, Athan Kaliakmanis will serve as Daniels’s backup.
