The Washington Commanders fell to 1-3 on the season after Sunday’s 25-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. It was another ugly offensive performance in which quarterback Carson Wentz passed for just 170 yards on 42 attempts.
Part of the reason for Wentz’s meager numbers is Washington was trying to limit his dropbacks against a terrific Dallas pass rush. Wentz only took two sacks but was under duress throughout the game.
After the game, head coach Ron Rivera had the following answer when asked about Wentz’s play.
“I thought he had his moments, but, again, it’s the same thing,” Rivera said. “We’ve got to sustain the success that we’re having. I thought, for the most part that the offensive line battled and gave us some time. We had some opportunities that, again, we missed.”
To say Wentz had his moments is true, although there weren’t many of them. His touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson was one of the best throws from Sunday’s NFL action. Wentz also made another excellent play when he broke free from pressure and found Dotson down the field for a 31-yard gain.
Outside of that, it was another less-than-stellar day from the quarterback.
Overall, Rivera saw some positives, including the running game and Washington’s ability to stop the run.
When he was asked to assess the team at this point in the season, Rivera kept his message simple:
“I think this team stands where it’s time to take another step,” he said. “You look at the players; you watch the entirety of the game, play by play by play by play, you see enough that tells you you should play better. We need to play better.”
He’s right. But Washington’s coaches also need to do a better job. This team is slow to adjust to teams that adapt to them.
