Daily Slop – 23 Oct 23: Jonathan Allen explodes in the locker room: ‘Seven…years of the same s***!”

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Washington Post (paywall)

Commanders can’t overcome first-half deficit, fall to lowly Giants

Outside of their punter, the Washington Commanders had little else Sunday in a 14-7 loss to the New York Giants that made a team that started the day 1-5, with a decimated offensive line and an injured starting quarterback, look like a Super Bowl contender.

The score is deceiving; the game was disastrous enough to make Washington’s loss to the previously winless Chicago Bears two weeks ago seem almost normal. Maybe this is who the Commanders are: a team that can compete occasionally but that too often disappoints in games it should win. Washington has a habit of falling behind early and waiting until the start of the second half, if not later, to pull it together, sending the offense into catch-up mode and leaving the defense pressured to make big plays.

“It’s been seven f—ing years of the same s—,” defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said. “I’m tired of this s—.”

The blame falls on everyone — especially Washington’s porous offensive line and a coaching staff that seemed to stick too long to a game plan that repeatedly failed.

Entering Week 7, the Giants had used five or more rushers on 38.3 percent of their defensive plays and man-to-man coverage on the back end for more than a third of their plays, according to TruMedia. Against the Commanders, they dialed up the pressure even more, sending five rushers on 55.1 percent of Washington’s dropbacks.

When asked if the Giants surprised them, multiple Commanders players said they had done what they had anticipated.

“They gave us some looks, but they weren’t any looks that we don’t know the answers to,” Howell said. “It was just more of a matter of just executing.”

The result: Washington’s eight drives in the half produced zero points. None included more than four plays, and half led to zero or negative net yards. Only one ended in Giants territory. The Commanders averaged 1.8 yards per play, and Howell produced just 15 net passing yards.

The Athletic (paywall)

Commanders’ Jonathan Allen expresses frustration in obscenity-laced tirade after loss to Giants

Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen expressed his frustration with his team’s lack of success in recent years following a 14-7 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.

Commanders.com

Instant analysis | Commanders offense falls flat in 14-7 loss to Giants

It’s hard to pin down one thing that led to the Commanders falling to the Giants in a 14-7 defeat. Perhaps it was the fact that Howell, who has now been sacked 40 times in seven games, couldn’t even get out of his drops at times before having a Giants defender breathe down his neck. Or maybe it was that Washington couldn’t get a third down conversion until the end of the third quarter. And of course, Washington’s issues with starting games flat continue to persist.

No matter what the main cause was, all the Commanders’ offensive problems, which have been around since Week 1, were all back against the Giants, leading to them once again fighting to get back to .500 with a home matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles up next on the schedule.

The Athletic (paywall)

Aldridge: Stop worrying about Sam Howell. Concentrate on the other 52 Commanders

Perhaps, to paraphrase an old English joke, we’re putting the wrong em-phas-is on the wrong syl-la-ble.

All of us have made this season a referendum on Sam Howell. Is Washington’s second-year quarterback good enough to be a starting NFL QB? Have the Commanders finally solved their most vexing on-field problem for most of the last two decades with the 2022 fifth-round pick? Or do they have to again dream of a high enough draft pick to take Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or the latest, hottest prospect?

But, maybe, we’re all wrong.

Maybe it’s about the other 47 active guys on Sundays, as well as the coaches.

Are they, collectively, good enough to help him?

Howell had no chance. With the running game again stymied, he had to drop back, again and again, in third-and-longs. And he couldn’t get to his fourth step on five-step drops, much less a sixth step on a seven-step drop. He’s now been sacked 40 times, the second most ever through seven games behind David Carr, who was sacked 43 times en route to an NFL-record 76 sacks taken as a rookie with the Houston Texans in 2002.

Washington adjusted in the second half, using three-tight end packages, bringing in a third tackle, Cornelius Lucas, to help with the blocking, using max protections, sliding Howell out on bootlegs left and right. And a lot of it worked, at least much better than what the Commanders were doing in the first half. After racking up five sacks of Howell in the first half, the Giants had only one in the second. All good changes. But, why did that take so long to do?

Of course, Eric Bieniemy can’t wad up his whole game plan after a couple of bad drives, but New York made no secret of its intentions. On every passing down, it was going to overload a side, or stunt, play single coverage across the field against Washington’s receivers with a single-high safety, and it was going to keep doing that until Washington stopped it. But that means linemen have to win their blocks, and receivers have to beat their defenders. Neither happened very often until the Commanders were down 14.

Josh Harris, in attendance Sunday, is going to decide Ron Rivera’s future. But whether or not there’s a new coach here after New Year’s, the Commanders have so, so much more to answer.

Riggo’s Rag

4 major observations from Sam Howell’s performance at the NY Giants in Week 7

How did QB1 fare at MetLife Stadium?

A tale of two halves Sam Howell

Howell recognized pre-snap reads a lot better versus Wink Martindale’s exotic blitz schemes over the final two quarters. The signal-caller also got the football out quickly, put his escapability to good use, and threw it away when the situation dictated.

Had it not been for a Jahan Dotson drop on fourth down late when Howell somehow evaded the oncoming Isaiah Simmons, things might have been different. Instead, the Washington Commanders notched just seven points versus a depleted New York Giants team they should have beaten convincingly.

The second-year-pro finished with 249 passing yards, no touchdowns, and a 60.5 passer rating according to ESPN. It was far from perfect for Howell at a time when expectations are undoubtedly rising, but he can take some heart from the second half if nothing else once the dust settles.

Washington Post (paywall)

If only the Commanders could give their MVP punter a break

[O]n a windy day at MetLife Stadium, as Washington and New York joined forces to suck the joy out of a football game, the Commanders did do something right. Sunday wasn’t a waste after all — only because they, finally, played the kind of game that showcased their best player.

Thank you, unwatchable game, for the gift that you gave us in Tress Way.

In Washington’s 14-7 loss, no one shined brighter than their Pro Bowl punter. Days such as this are blaring reminders that not all heroes wear capes — Way prefers a No. 5 jersey — and no one on the Commanders’ roster plays as consistently as their punter.

Let’s be honest: When the punt team takes the field, it’s the perfect time for a bathroom run. So if you looked away, you missed Way finishing with 513 yards, his all-time best, and tying his career high with 10 punts. He also became the third punter to have three games of more than 500 yards.

There will be countless stories written from this NFL Sunday, and probably no others will focus on a punter. Only this one because Way — seriously — deserves a game ball almost every time the Commanders compete. That’s why I sought him out on this Sunday afternoon. There was no cape in his locker, by the way — just a white short-sleeved shirt he could easily wear beneath a plaid sport jacket. He spoke with gratitude about the support he has received from coaches, old and current, and teammates.

“I think I’ve only had two tackles in my career, and I’ve never snapped the ball to myself, so I had great players all around me,” he said.

Washington Post (paywall)

Four takeaways from the Commanders’ 14-7 loss to the Giants

Washington’s running game is grounded again: If there were ever a game for Washington’s pass-heavy attack to get its running game going, this figured to be it. The Giants were allowing 5.1 yards per carry and had allowed at least 120 rushing yards in every game. Washington running back Brian Robinson Jr. had a four-yard touchdown run after the Giants muffed a punt early in the third quarter, but he managed only 23 yards on eight carries. The second-year pro has rushed for 109 yards in his past four games combined.

Washington’s screen game, which has produced big plays in recent weeks, was virtually nonexistent against the Giants’ aggressive defense. Meanwhile, rookie running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., who had four carries in last week’s win over the Falcons in Atlanta, was even more involved Sunday, posting seven carries for a team-high 31 yards.

DC Sports King

Sam Howell gifts Deonte Banks with his first career INT

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell would like to forget his first-half performance against the New York Giants. Despite facing the NFL’s second-worst run defense and defense with the lowest sacks, Howell and the Commanders’ offense couldn’t get out of their own way.

Howell completed just five of 14 passes. He got sacked five times. Then, Howell gifted Giants rookie cornerback Deonte Banks with his first career interception.

Howell tossed a balloon in the MetLife Stadium air as Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson had cleared the Giants’ Cover 3 defense. The ball sailed short right into the hands of Banks for the pick.

Sports Illustrated

‘We’re The Better Team!’ New York Giants 14-7 Over Washington Commanders Tells A Different Truth; Live Blog

‘We’re The Better Team!’ New York Giants 14-7 Over Washington Commanders Tells A Different Truth; Live Blog

Maybe the Washington Commanders truly have confidence in their program. Or maybe the locker room mirrors are too foggy to see the truth.

Said QB Sam Howell after Sunday’s Week 7 loss to the lowly New York Giants by a 14-7 score: “We feel like we were the better team, but that wasn’t the case today.”

No, indeed. And so the Commanders could not win their second straight game, could not avoid falling to 3-4 and could not avoid the obvious questions that will come for a team that says the right things but too often on Sundays does not do the right things.

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Commanders.com

PHOTOS | Commanders vs. Giants, Week 7

Check out the best photos from the Washington Commanders’ Week 7 matchup against the New York Giants. (Photos by Emilee Fails/Washington Commanders)

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ESPN

Judging biggest overreactions for NFL Week 7

Ron Rivera needs to bench Sam Howell for Jacoby Brissett if he wants to keep his job

The Commanders have lost four of their past five games to drop to 3-4 on the season after Sunday’s loss to the injury-shredded Giants. Howell, the second-year quarterback out of North Carolina, has been Washington’s starter since the beginning of the season and has shown some flashes of what he can do, but he has also been incredibly reckless.

He was sacked six times Sunday, which sounds like a lot unless you’ve been paying attention to Howell’s season. He has been sacked at least four times in each of the Commanders’ seven games and a total of 40 times so far this year. Since sacks became an official stat in 1963, the only quarterback who has been sacked more times in the first seven games of a season is David Carr, who was sacked 43 times in the first seven games of his 2002 season. And Howell has also thrown seven interceptions and fumbled once.

Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION

[Editorial note: This take is utter horse shit; Graziano clearly didn’t see the game if he thinks a different QB would have made a difference to the sack total. – Bill-in-Bangkok]

I don’t see how the Commanders can keep running Howell out there if he’s going to keep putting himself and the ball in harm’s way this often. I mean, he was sacked six times on Sunday by the Giants. New York had a total of five sacks all season prior to Sunday’s game. Howell is on pace to be sacked 97 times this season. The all-time record is 76 by … yeah, David Carr in 2002. That was a rough year. But Howell is on pace to break that record this season in Week 15, and only because Washington has a bye in Week 14. There’s no way to sustain an offense when your quarterback is constantly moving the chains backward instead of forward.

The Commanders are under new ownership, which generally calls a coach’s job into some level of question. There is obviously time for them to salvage their season. Brissett has been a competent-to-good starting quarterback in the NFL, finishing eighth in QBR last season with Cleveland (62.0), and could at least calm things down a bit while Howell works in a backup role on the parts of his game that need ironing out.

It might be a good idea to make this move before it’s too late.