Things could not have started any better for the Washington Commanders in their Week 17 showdown with the Atlanta Falcons. Washington safety Quan Martin intercepted Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and returned it into Falcons’ territory.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels took care of the rest, ending the drive with a short touchdown pass to wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus.
From there, things went downhill. The Falcons scored two touchdowns to take a 14-7 lead and ended the half with a field goal to take a 17-7 lead into halftime.
Here are four takeaways from what went wrong in the first half for Washington.
Penalties
Penalties were a problem against the Eagles last week, as Washington was penalized for 93 yards. In the first half against Atlanta, the Commanders were penalized six times for 50 yards. One of those penalties proved extremely costly, as cornerback Mike Sainristil lined up in the neutral zone on Atlanta’s first field-goal attempt. It wiped out the field goal and continued the Falcons’ drive. Other penalties, including two holding penalties, pushed the offense back.
Tyler Biadasz injury
Tyler Biadasz has been the Commanders’ best offensive lineman this year, stabilizing the center position. When he missed a game earlier this season, the dropoff was noticeable. Biadasz had to be helped off the field late in the second quarter, and it did not look good.
More McLaurin
Terry McLaurin received one target in the first. He caught the pass for five yards. It’s a broken record, but Washington’s offense works best when it runs through McLaurin. Feed him the ball. Olamide Zaccheaus has been excellent again, but McLaurin needs multiple targets on the Commanders’ first drive coming out of halftime.
Can’t stop the run
The theme of this season is Washington’s inability to stop the run. Saquon Barkley ran all over the Commanders last week, but the defense tightened up in the second half. We are likely to see Washington selling out to stop Robinson in the second half, which means a lot of one-on-one matchups for the secondary. That’s probably not ideal, considering the Commanders’ secondary issues.
The Falcons rushed for 101 yards in the first half, with Robinson rushing for 82 and two touchdowns.
