Aye, yung… Did the defense just shut me up for good this season? Sure, the Cardinals moved the ball, but only allowing 14 points is only allowing 14 points… on the road! It was an impressive performance by the unit, especially considering 24 hours earlier, I was on TikTok saying you’d never see a game like that from them this season.
The Good:
“The more we work together, together-together; the more we work together, the happier you’ll be!” My goodness! The communication was ON POINT! From the secondary to the linebackers, the defense was in a groove, and it was mostly due to their ability to know what the other was doing. In this day and age of explosive passing attacks, the defense must be on the same page to cover wider areas. Washington took a HUGE step forward with that on Sunday.
The Bad:
Like I said, Arizona did move the ball, especially on the ground. It’s a concern. It’s not likely that every game will be a shootout, and the defense will need to find a way to stop the run in order to win a game—or two—especially if they have playoff aspirations (which, as of today, they should).
Two Up 👍
Dorance Armstrong Jr. (PFF WK 4 DEF Grade: 80.0)
Armstrong’s two sacks (officially 1.5) were very impactful for Washington. It’s the first game he’s played that reminded me of how he looked when he was in Dallas—very disruptive and active in that Arizona backfield. Obviously, he wasn’t perfect, but if you can get him going, suddenly the D-Line doesn’t look so bad.
Jonathan Allen (PFF WK 4 DEF Grade: 48.8)
YES! YES! This is what a leader is supposed to play like. He was aggressive, assertive, active, and hungry. I saw him chasing people way upfield. Nine tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss—the man was getting active! Hopefully, this is the beginning of Allen’s ascension to establish himself as the impact player he’s supposed to be.
I, in good conscience, cannot give a “Thumbs Down” to anyone this week. No one earned a down grade in my opinion, so…
Two MORE Up 👍👍
Jeremy Chinn (PFF WK 4 DEF Grade: 77.1)
After getting the honorable mention last week, Chinn followed that game up with arguably his best outing of the year versus the Cardinals. With his athleticism and tenacity, you see why he was highly touted coming out of college, and with the Panthers before injuries started to affect him. He’s only 26, so he has a lot left in the tank, and this year could be very lucrative for him.
Noah Igbinoghene (PFF WK 4 DEF Grade: 60.7)
Yes, he gave up a touchdown, but Igbinoghene is on here for rebounding after such a difficult play for him. He was very solid for the rest of the game, and even on the touchdown he gave up, he was still in decent position—Harrison Jr. and Kyler Murray were just better on that play. That’s okay.
Commanders’ Defensive Season Progressive Grade
Week 4 Grade: B
Season Grade: D
Commanders Defensive Rankings:
Total YPG: 357.0 (26th, Last Week: 29th)
Pass YPG: 220.5 (21st, Last Week: 31st)
Run YPG: 136.5 (23rd, Last Week: 18th)
3rd Down Conversion Rate: 54.76% (Still last, Last Week: Last)
The defense did what they had to do, and it resulted in the Cardinals only putting up 14 points. That’s not to say the Commanders are capable of doing this every week. At some point, they may need to actually carry the offense. That could happen as early as this week…
Photo credits: Commanders.com
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