bWashington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell went over 300 yards passing for the second consecutive week in Sunday’s 20-17 win over the New England Patriots. Outside of one throw, Howell was brilliant.
One of Howell’s more impressive plays was his 24-yard scramble on third-and-23. Those are the types of back-breaking plays that have gone against Washington over the years.
Sunday also featured rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes’ return to the lineup, and Forbes had his best NFL game.
How did Washington’s offensive line perform?
Here’s a look at the best and worst performers from Week 9, according to Pro Football Focus.
Top 5 offense
- RB Antonio Gibson: 84.9
- WR Byron Pringle: 80.4
- LT Charles Leno Jr: 79.5
- QB Sam Howell: 77.9
- RT Andrew Wylie: 70.8
Gibson was phenomenal on Sunday. He carried the ball six times for 34 yards and also caught five passes for 42 yards. He was effective each time he touched the ball. Gibson was also good in pass protection.
Pringle took advantage of his playing time with three big receptions for 55 yards.
Howell had his highest PFF grade yet. Howell was terrific at all levels of the field and did an excellent job in the pocket. It was the type of performance Washington coaches wanted to see from Howell after he was excellent against Philadelphia the week before.
Top 5 defense
- CB Emmanuel Forbes: 91.3
- DE Efe Obada: 83.8
- LB David Mayo: 78.3
- DB Quan Martin: 72.7
- DE K.J. Henry: 68.7
Forbes returned to the lineup and had his best NFL game yet. Sure, it was against a pedestrian group of wide receivers, but Forbes did what he was supposed to do. The hope is he builds off that performance.
Martin also played more snaps this week and had the game-sealing interception.
Henry didn’t play a lot but was impactful. He had a sack, but it didn’t count as the officials called the worst roughing-the-passer penalty you’ll ever see on Henry.
Bottom 5 offense
- WR Jamison Crowder: 61.3
- TE Logan Thomas: 55.4
- TE John Bates: 54.4
- RB Brian Robinson Jr: 51.1
- FB Alex Armah: 43.7
For the most part, Washington’s offense graded well. PFF didn’t like Washington’s tight ends on Sunday, though. We aren’t sure why PFF was so low on Robinson. He scored another touchdown and led the Commanders in rushing yards. He did miss some extra yardage on more than one occasion, though.
Bottom 5 defense
- DT Daron Payne: 53.2
- DT Jonathan Allen: 49.6
- DE Casey Toohill: 44.2
- LB Khaleke Hudson: 42.1
- DT Phidarian Mathis: 29.9
Some alarming numbers here. You never see Allen this low. But it was clear from watching Sunday’s game that Allen and Payne weren’t at their best. After trading Chase Young and Montez Sweat, the Commanders need their high-paid interior duo to impact games.
Hudson continues to receive linebacker snaps, but he had played well until Sunday’s game. He should get more reps. Mathis played in his second game since returning from a knee injury.
Other notable grades
- WR Terry McLaurin: 69.7
- WR Jahan Dotson: 66.4
- C Tyler Larsen: 61.6
- LG Chris Paul: 66.7
- CB Benjamin St-Juste: 65.1
- CB Kendall Fuller: 55.9
- S Kam Curl: 67.5
- LB Jamin Davis: 61.8
McLaurin was his usual terrific self when he received the opportunities. Most of his action came in the second half. Dotson had another big-time game, but he did have one drop.
While Forbes had a terrific game, St-Juste and Fuller weren’t quite as good.
Some of Davis’ issues are still in coverage.
