How Bad is Washington Commanders Defense? Coach Ron Rivera 'Disappointed' or 'Surprised'?
The Washington Commanders have had some extra time to think about their woeful defensive performance from Thursday night's 40-20 loss to the Chicago Bears at home. After a 2-0 start, the Commanders have now dropped three straight games headed into Sunday's meeting with the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Washington has its defense to thank for such an up-and-down start to the season. After surrendering at least 30 points for the fourth straight game on Thursday, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio's unit is now allowing the the second-most points per game (32) through five games. Only the 1-4 Denver Broncos are worse in this regard with a defense that's given up 36.2 points per game.
Despite their defensive talent, the Commanders haven't been able to put it all together quite yet. Washington coach Ron Rivera sounded like a disappointed parent when asked if he's surprised by the defensive struggles.
“Well, I'm a little disappointed, more so than I am surprised," Rivera said. "I just think that some of the things that we have to do is we have to play with a little bit more discipline. We're going to stop trying to do more than we need to and do our jobs. Probably the basic thing that goes to it, and as I said, we're taking a look at some of the things that we're doing with them. Are we truly putting them in the best position to make plays? That's the thing that we have to look at and go through the next day.”
Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and Commanders head coach Ron Rivera stand on the sidelines against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second quarterat FedExField.
© Geoff Burke, USA TODAY
The Commanders have made it a point to build their defense through the draft, evident by the selections of rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes and safety Jartavius Martin in the first and second round, respectively, this past April. This adds to a defense that already includes former first-round picks like Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen.
But the talent on the defense isn't yielding desired results just yet. The Commanders will get their next shot to right the ship on Sunday against a Falcons team that's currently tied for averaging the fifth-fewest points per game (16.6) this season.
Sunday's kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
