No one expected the Washington Commanders to defeat the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas Eve. Yet, in the first half, the Commanders and 49ers exchanged heavyweight blows and were tied 7-7.
However, the second half was a different story as Washington’s defense couldn’t stop 49ers tight end George Kittle, and San Francisco scored 30 second-half points to come away with a 37-20 victory.
The most notable takeaway from Washington’s perspective was the benching of quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Carson Wentz replaced Heinicke with around 10 minutes remaining in the game.
The loss dropped the Commanders to 7-7-1, but they remain in possession of the NFC’s No. 7 playoff seed, thanks to losses from Detroit and Seattle.
Here are five takeaways from Washington’s loss.
Chase Young was impactful
Chase Young finally made his 2022 season debut against the 49ers. He was expected to be on a pitch count of between 12-16 plays. Young was so good, he went past that proposed limit. Three plays stood out. One, Young stopped a San Francisco running back for no gain. On another play, Young got his hands up to knock down a pass and came close to finding it for an interception. Finally, vintage Young chased down Christian McCaffrey from the backside, holding him to four yards.
It will be exciting to see Young build off his first game action in over a year. The Commanders are very happy with what they saw from Young.
The end of Heinicke
Heinicke was playing well until his interception in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for him, two plays prior, he fumbled after being hit by 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa. It was his third fumble in two weeks — all ending in points for the opposition. The interception was enough for Ron Rivera to make a change. While Rivera says he hasn’t decided about next week, he knows he’s going with Wentz.
Heinicke was handcuffed at times by poor pass protection and strange playcalling from offensive coordinator Scott Turner [more on him later]. But, when you are already limited, you can’t turn the ball over. Those turnovers likely cost Heinicke his starting job for the remainder of this season.
Hello, Carson Wentz
Carson Wentz recently returned to practice after missing around two months with a fractured finger on his throwing hand. During that time away, Heinicke played well, putting Washington in playoff position. However, in recent weeks, the Commanders sputtered on offense and had a limited ceiling with Heinicke. Many believed Wentz would get one more shot as Washington’s quarterback.
That time arrived Sunday. Wentz looked good in limited action. He essentially took everything given to him, resulting in some easy completions underneath. His touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel was an excellent throw.
Washington’s offense has some issues with pass protection. That’s not ideal with a quarterback like Wentz. However, the Commanders are banking on Wentz’s right arm, making some big plays down the field, taking advantage of Washington’s terrific wideouts and pushing them into the playoffs.
It should be an interesting final two weeks.
Scott Turner's struggles
Last week, Turner’s name was mentioned for all the wrong reasons. If Turner had keeping feeding running back Brian Robinson Jr., Washington beats the New York Giants. Somehow, Robinson received just 12 carries while averaging over seven yards per attempt. Turner admitted after the game, Robinson should have gotten the football more.
How did Turner respond? By force-feeding Robinson 18 attempts in the first half. In total, Robinson carried the ball 22 times for 58 yards. You may not be impressed with those numbers, but those were impressive yards. Robinson earned every yard. Ran hard, ran through and around the Niners to earn those yards. In a curious sequence in the first half, Ron Rivera went for it on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line. After running Robinson three times, he pulls him on the fourth-down run and brings in Antonio Gibson. While Gibson is a talented back, he’s not an effective short-yardage runner. Predictably, he was short and Washington turned the ball over on downs.
During this time, Heinicke was having success throwing the ball, even on third-and-long. Yet Turner kept running the football. It’s almost as if Turner has no feel for the game. If he deviates from his plan, he’s lost. Look at Kyle Shanahan; he adjusts. Did you notice that San Francisco offense in the second half? Turner never adjusts like that. It’s like he’s always too late to adjust to the defense. Turner deserves more blame than Heinicke for Washington’s offensive issues Saturday.
What happened to the defense?
Washington’s defense looked ready through the first 30 minutes. The Commanders were locked in a tie with the Niners and it looked like they had a real chance at winning this game. However, in the second half, the 49ers exploited holes in the defense. Specifically, rookie quarterback Brock Purdy found star tight end George Kittle, who had a big game.
Washington didn’t make life difficult for Purdy. Sure, the box score says three sacks, but two were essentially coverage sacks. Where was Jonathan Allen? Where was Montez Sweat? San Francisco’s rushing numbers are skewed by one 71-yard run. Outside of that, the run defense was pretty good. It was the pass defense on Saturday.
The Commanders really missed safety Kam Curl.
