Have you noticed the Commanders defense trending upward?
Following losses to Detroit and Philadelphia many in the Commanders fan base cried out that the Commanders defensive coordinator had to go.
Can we fire Jack Del Rio yet?#HTTC
— Commandalorian (@Commandalore) September 18, 2022
Del Rio had actually named Jamin Davis as someone who could play better, and that didn’t go over well with the fan base. Del Rio also this year talked of last season having some players who performed like they were individual contractors rather than teammates playing together as a unit defensively.
The Commanders third-down defense is allowing only 32.8% conversions, up from 31st in 2021 to 3rd after nine games and they are bringing pressure, tied for 10th in sacks with 23 sacks.
Del Rio indeed has his defense improving, yielding 217.4 passing yards per game, which is 18th in the NFL. The rushing defense is also on the rise, tied for 12th, yielding 4.4 yards per rushing attempt. They are also at No. 1 in the NFL in rushing defense per the Football Outsiders DVOA metric.
Keep in mind this reforming and progression defensively has occurred without the second overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, defensive end Chase Young.
Did you know Jonathan Allen is third in the NFL in tackles for a loss (11)? In addition, Daron Payne is right behind Allen with 10. Montez Sweat is second in the NFL with 19 QB hits. Payne, James Smith-Williams and Allen have also produced 13, 12 and 11 QB hits respectively.
The offense is not significantly better with Taylor Heinicke. Though Heinicke has more mobility than Wentz, it’s not a matter of Wentz being bad and Heinicke being good. No, they both have their struggles and limitations.
The offensive line continues to struggle in pass protection, regardless of the quarterback. In addition, we’ve not seen the line control portions of games via the running game like we did during a four-game winning streak in 2021.
How much is Del Rio’s defense carrying this team? Well, did you realize the punter who has been forced to punt the most times in the NFL through nine weeks is Tress Way?
