The Washington Commanders fell to 4-5 on the season after a heartbreaking 20-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday.
In what was a very winnable game, Washington took control early in the third quarterback when quarterback Taylor Heinicke found wide receiver Curtis Samuel for a 49-yard touchdown to give the Commanders a 10-7 lead. It wasn’t one of Heinicke’s better decisions, throwing into triple coverage, but somehow Samuel came away with the football and landed in the end zone.
The Commanders defense was outstanding, hitting Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins over and over. Washington took complete control at the start of the fourth quarter when Heinicke ended a drive with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Dax Milne.
Unfortunately for Washington, that’s where the fun ended. A Taylor Heinicke interception and a couple of critical penalties ended any chance of extending their three-game winning streak.
Let’s examine our five takeaways from a disappointing loss.
That was bad Taylor Heinicke
How did the Commanders only come away with 126 net passing yards against the No. 28 passing defense in the NFL? Two reasons: Quarterback Taylor Heinicke and offensive coordinator Scott Turner [more on him later.
Heinicke did some good things Sunday. There was one play where he stood in the face of pressure and delivered a bullet in the middle of the field to Terry McLaurin for a big first down. There was the scramble on third down, along the sideline where he saw Curtis Samuel for another big first down.
Then there was the decision on the big touchdown. Yes, the result was great, but those are the types of things that are always going to come back and haunt you. You can’t throw into triple coverage — ever. On Heinicke’s interception, he had a relatively open Logan Thomas going across the middle. A good throw is a Washington first down around midfield. However, somehow, Heinicke missed the 6-foot-6 Thomas by a mile and the pass went into the waiting arms of Minnesota safety Harrison Smith, who returned it 35 yards. The Vikings tied it up two plays later.
Heinicke gets at least one more start. He’s going to need to be really good against an excellent Philadelphia defense on Monday night to keep head coach Ron Rivera from going back to Carson Wentz when he’s eligible to return. The Eagles are a much tougher defense than the Vikings, so Heinicke will have his work cut our for him. Ask Wentz.
Scott Turner just doesn't have it
It’s everyone’s favorite pastime to blame the offensive coordinator. Sometimes it’s deserving; other times, it’s not. In Washington’s case, excuses have been made for Scott Turner over and over. He doesn’t have good personnel. He doesn’t have a quarterback. His offensive line is bad.
Enough is enough.
Turner’s offense never seems to get into a rhythm. His running back usage doesn’t always make sense. His play calls on third and short and fourth and short are head-scratchers. Past Washington coaches did a good job scheming receivers open; that’s not one of Turner’s strengths.
We hear rookie quarterback Sam Howell isn’t ready. Considering he was a fifth-round pick, that’s possible. But Howell has plenty of Power 5 experience in college. If Heinicke struggles again, it makes sense turning things over to the rookie.
However, do you trust Turner to develop a rookie passer? Not saying he can’t but that is a viable question.
What was with that challenge?
Heinicke had just scrambled, picking up nine yards on 2nd-and-10, setting up the Commanders with a 3rd-and-1. Officials ruled he was just short. Instead of just trying to pick up the yard on the next play, Rivera challenges the spot. The review showed Heinicke was just short. Washington lost the challenge and a critical timeout that would come back to hurt them later.
There was no need to challenge that play. Had it been fourth down, perhaps. Not on a second-down run late in the third quarter. Just not a good challenge.
After the Vikings kicked the go-ahead field goal, there were only 12 seconds remaining in the game. Had Rivera saved that timeout, the Commanders would likely have had around 45 seconds to do something.
“We didn’t think the knee was down; we thought he extended enough to make the first,” Rivera said after the game.
Rivera should have a talk with whoever told him to challenge that play.
Defense was electric
The Commanders hit Kirk Cousins over a dozen times Sunday. Cousins, who never gets hurt, left the game for a play after being hit by Daron Payne. Washington’s defense turned a corner once safety Kam Curl returned in Week 3. It’s not the same unit. Washington was without Cole Holcomb Sunday, yet veteran Jon Bostic wasn’t an issue. Second-year linebacker Jamin Davis is playing fast now. Benjamin St-Juste continues to gain confidence and Washington is getting its best safety play in years from Curl, Bobby McCain and Darrick Forrest.
For Washington fans, that game was fun. The defense was flying everywhere. They were terrific outside of the first drive and then adjusted. Young players are developing and defensive Jack Del Rio deserves some praise although he won’t get it because people can’t separate the man from the coach.
Payne and Jonathan Allen are playing like All-Pros up front. If this unit can stay healthy when Chase Young returns, the second half of the season will be fun.
Antonio Gibson should be the primary back
This is not meant to disrespect rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr., but Antonio Gibson should be Washington’s No. 1 running back. You can bring Robinson in to give Gibson a breather, change of pace, or in short yardage. But Gibson needs at least 20 touches per game between the running game and passing game.
The offense is more dynamic with Gibson.
