NFL Power Rankings: Commanders Falling After Loss vs. Cowboys? Ticket News
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
After suffering its third straight loss, the Washington Commanders found themselves in the same spot as last week in Sports Illustrated’s power rankings at 30th.
The only teams keeping Washington out of the cellar are the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans.
“Carson Wentz is the most sacked quarterback in the NFL and he continues to operate in a Commanders’ offense that is allowing him to hold the ball as long as Russell Wilson in the pocket without any consequences (except, you know, getting pummeled),” SI writes.
The Commanders’ struggles persisted in their 25-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
In the first two games of its losing streak, a slow start and poor offensive line play hampered Washington. Against Dallas, 11 penalties for 136 yards prevented the Commanders from ever finding any momentum.
After giving up nine sacks when they faced Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 25, the Commanders’ offensive line did a much better of protecting Wentz, allowing just two sacks against Dallas, who led the NFL with 13 sacks going into the game. Unfortunately for Washington, the offensive line found other ways to prevent the offense from succeeding.
Nick Martin and Sam Cosmi each had a holding penalty — Martin’s negated a 13-yard run by Antonio Gibson in the first quarter that would have put Washington in Cowboys territory. The o-line also combined for three false starts.
Wentz also had two intentional grounding penalties — both of which came in Dallas territory.
William Jackson III had two pass interferences called on him that set up Dallas in Commander territory. After the first pass interference that was called on Jackson III, the Cowboys scored two plays later to extend their lead to 12 in the fourth quarter.
The Commanders also had two interceptions negated by defensive holding and illegal contact.
Washington’s sloppy play has drawn the ire of head coach Ron Rivera as his frustration has reached a boiling point.
“I understand everybody's frustration, especially how proud this organization is. Shit, this organization's got five championships. You f----g kidding me?" Rivera said, via NBC Sports. "I get it. I understand how important it is to win."
What do fans think as it relates to ticket sales? SI reports that as a result of what happened last week, Cowboys Divisional Round reservation prices are up 65 percent.
Washington’s path doesn’t get much easier, as they’ll host the Tennessee Titans at home on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Titans are riding a two-game winning streak after losing their first two games of the season.
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