5 takeaways from the Commanders’ loss to the Cowboys

Things continue to spiral out of control for the Washington Commanders and head coach Ron Rivera. On Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys spanked the Commanders 45-10, pushing Washington to 4-8 this season and 0-5 in the NFC East.

This was a close game at the beginning of the third quarter, with Dallas holding a 20-10 lead. However, Washington’s failures on offense led to easy opportunities for the Cowboys offense. Of course, Washington’s defense made it far too easy for Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott with wide-open receivers running free in the secondary.

On those six second-half possessions, Washington punted once, turned the ball over on downs three times, had an interception returned for a touchdown and its final possessions ended when time expired.

That’s ugly.

Speaking of ugly, here are five takeaways from the Commanders’ loss to the Cowboys.

Worst Washington defense in at least 30 yearsDallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks (3) scores a touchdown. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Washington fans have seen some bad defensive teams over the last 30 years. Former coordinators, such as Ron Lynn, George Edwards, Jim Haslett, Joe Barry and Greg Manusky, have presided over some bad Washington defenses. But what we’re witnessing under Jack Del Rio is the worst. Perhaps part of it is due to the expectations everyone had for his unit. The Commanders were a consensus top-10 defense last season under every possible metric, regained a healthy Chase Young, and added two high picks to the secondary.

Yet, somehow, this team can’t generate a pass rush — that Giants’ performance is a clear outlier — and I’ve never seen so many wide receivers running free. Del Rio had a good defense in 2020 and it went backward in 2021. It’s been a similar trend for the last two years. How can one team have so many communication breakdowns in the secondary? It’s clear we’ve overrated some of the talent, but not everyone is this bad. Del Rio and his position coaches are a problem.

This team is beyond hard to watch on defense. Imagine what the Dolphins will do to Washington next week?

Hard to evaluate HowellWashington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) passes against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Howell was doing things against the Dallas defense that not many quarterbacks have done this season. And he did so with pressure consistently in his face. In the first half, Howell converted on multiple third-and-long situations while under duress. He used his legs to create opportunities in the passing game. However, in the second half, Howell was let down by his protection, his receivers and his coaching. Some of the short-yardage play-calling was just bizarre.

Now, Howell wasn’t perfect. He still puts too many balls in harm’s way. He also holds onto the ball for too long at times. The game was already over on his pick-six. It was a cherry on top for the Cowboys. But with this team where it currently sits, how do we fairly evaluate Howell for the remainder of this season? He’s shown far more good than bad, but the bad precludes you from saying he should be the permanent guy.

One reason to be concerned is if the pressure breaks him. Thus far, Howell has shown a remarkable ability to keep his eyes downfield and not see the rush. This is what often breaks many young passers. If that happened to Howell, he wouldn’t be the first. These coaches, and I don’t necessarily mean Eric Bieniemy, but more of Ron Rivera, are more worried about looking good than helping Howell’s development.

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore (21) breaks up a pass intended for Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17). Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Terry McLaurin is a terrific player, but this hasn’t been his best season. That’s not really his fault. Bieniemy doesn’t do a good enough job of forcing the ball to McLaurin, which is what you need to do when you have a playmaker like No. 17. Some of the issue is the offense is often designed to spread the ball around.

But McLaurin has made his share of mistakes. Remember the game a few weeks back where McLaurin dropped two critical passes from Howell? The throws weren’t perfect, but they hit him in the hands. They were costly. Most on the outside wanted to blame Howell, but the passes were there. Against Dallas in the second half, Howell threw a strike to McLaurin across the middle for what would’ve been a first down. He dropped it. It hurt.

If McLaurin is frustrated, who could blame him? You also have to wonder if he’s dealing with an injury. He isn’t getting as much separation as he usually does.

There’s no magical hot streak this yearWashington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera reacts to a play against the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

In each of Ron Rivera’s first three seasons as head coach, the team always had one hot streak before fading at the end. That’s not happening this year. This team is more likely to pick No. 1 than win three more games this season. Now 4-8, it’s quite possible the Commanders lose their final five games.

Losing out is the best outcome

Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone likes to discuss “The Process” when discussing Commanders owner Josh Harris. Things are a bit different in the NFL. It’s difficult to tank in the NFL, and players have too much pride. Do you think any of these players care where the Commanders pick next year in the draft?

No, they don’t, but Harris does. And so do fans. Throughout the years, fans have seen far too many late-season wins in lost seasons that felt good at the moment but were quickly forgotten. Those meaningless December wins hurt Washington in April. If you don’t think that matters, I am not sure what to tell you.

Part of that is why the franchise has had difficulty landing a franchise quarterback. They’ve rarely drafted high enough to get one. They may not need a quarterback in 2024, depending on what the new regime feels about Sam Howell, but if the Commanders lose out, they’ll pick no lower than the top four, perhaps as high as No. 2. If that happens, they can land a blue-chip talent, whether it’s a quarterback or left tackle.

Washington’s best chances at a win are against the Jets or Rams, and those games do not look winnable now.

Story originally appeared on Commanders Wire