Commanders Vs. Falcons - Studs and Duds

It wasn’t pretty, but Washington has now won three in a row and six of their last seven to go two games over .500 on the season after beating the Atlanta Falcons at home Sunday.

The Commanders had a tough time stopping the Falcons running game and were outgained 332 to 314 on a rainy afternoon in Landover. However, despite the BOTCHED attempt to honor the late, great Sean Taylor (yet again) with a “tribute”, they did not botch the ending of this game - instead securing an interception in the endzone to help seal the victory.

Below are my Studs and Duds of the game followed by some Notes and players of the game.

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Studs:

Daron Payne - The big man was disruptive all game long, collecting six tackles, two for a loss and three pressures. But no play was bigger than his tipped pass that Kendall Fuller picked off in the endzone. If it wasn’t for this play, the Falcons would have VERY likely won the game as the receiver was wide open.

Brian Robinson Jr. - BRob had a career best 105 rushing yards on 18 carries and caught two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown. He ran with a purpose all afternoon, and his toughness and determination paid off big!

Kendall Fuller - For the second week in a row, Fuller grabbed an interception. Last week, his came at the start of the game, and set the tone for the rest of the contest. This week, his interception came in the waning seconds of the game to help seal the victory.

Darrick Forrest - Forrest continues to make his presence felt all over the field. He led the team with 11 tackles (eight solo) and makes the ball carrier really feel those tackles! Watch him come in here at the end of this play and lay the wood on the 5’11” 220 pound Tyler Allgeier.

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Duds:

Commanders Run Defense - Washington allowed 5.75 yards per carry to the Falcons on the ground. Del Rio tried a few different looks, including the BEAR front, a Buffalo-Nickle down in the box and multiple linebackers next to starter Jamin Davis...however none seemed to really be able to slow down the Atlanta attack. I do pin a lot of this on this staff for failing to bring in quality linebackers in the offseason, instead relying on Jon Bostic and David Mayo.

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Notes:

- Shoutout to the offensive line. This is the fifth game with the same starting unit, and for how much they struggle with pass protection, they have found their niche run blocking.

- I’m giving Scott Turner credit yet again for completely adapting his play calling to the strengths of this offense...AND more 12 personnel! There was just one pass that went for more than 25 yards, but when you are running the ball like we are, that’s not really needed.

- Jamin Davis continues to make plays when we need them the most.

- John Bates is finding his way as a blocker in this run-heavy offense. Today, it was nice to see him get some attention in the passing game as well. He hauled in three receptions for 24 yards and a touchdown and had a key block downfield on Robinson’s 21 yard run.

- Montez Sweat had another sack today (three games in a row now he’s had at least one sack). He had four total tackles, the sack, and another one for a loss to go along with three pressures. He’s putting together a really nice season.

- Jon Allen had a nice game despite getting double teamed most of the afternoon. He finished the contest with five tackles and a HUGE fourth down stop! At this point, I almost feel he should have permanent status on the Studs list.

- Kam Curl continues to play good football. He played a lot of his snaps from the box Sunday afternoon against the Falcons as the Buffalo Nickle and showed pretty well.

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Players of the Game:

Offense - Brian Robinson Jr.

Defense - Daron Payne