Eye on the Opponent: How Much Did Washington's Defense Lose Pass Rush "Edge"?
When the New York Giants square off with the Washington Commanders in Week 11 on Sunday, they will certainly notice a stronger opposing offense than the one they faced over a month ago at MetLife Stadium.
However, another change has taken place within their locker room, one that encompasses the other side of the field and could likely make a difference in the trajectory of the second game: the departure (via trade) of their two leading edge rushers.
For the last handful of seasons, the Commanders defensive front has been defined by a duo of prolific edge rushers in Chase Young and Montez Sweat. Since both players came into the league in 2019 and 2020, respectively, they have combined for 292 tackles, 49.5 sacks, 15 fumbles, and three fumbles recovered to the Washington defense that has had its ups and downs under defensive coordinator Jake Del Rio.
Behind the pair of defensive ends attacking opposing backfields, the Commanders have boasted one of the best defenses in the NFL yearly. In 2019, when Sweat was a rookie, they were ranked 27th in both total points and yards allowed and held a -169-point differential for one of the highest numbers for that season.
After Young joined his teammate in 2020, Washington shot themselves up to the top-10 in the same categories and brought that scoring deficit up to a +6 differential. The team did so again in the 2022 season before suddenly falling out of favor with the rankings in the last few weeks since the players’ departures.
On October 31, hours before the league’s trade deadline, the Commanders decided to offload two of their valuable defensive assets with the season collapsing in front of them. In deals that acquired future draft capital for the franchise, they shipped Young to the San Francisco 49ers and Sweat to the Chicago Bears to leave gapping holes on the edge.
With those trades in the rearview, the Commanders have seen less success in getting pressure on the quarterback and a poorer product for the other side of the scoreboard as a result. They rank 31st and 29th in total points and yards allowed, and their point differential has fallen to -57, the worst points allowed in the last decade and the second-largest differential in the Ron Rivera coaching era.
Before Young’s exit, Washington had a top-10 edge rusher with a pass rush win rate of 24 percent and a double team win rate of 11 percent that juiced their team numbers. Conversely, those rankings have dropped to 21st for team pass rush win rate and 28th for run stop win rate to provide a cleaner pocket for the competing gunslinger to let it rip on the Commander coverage.
Against the pass, Del Rio’s unit has allowed the 29th most yards, 31st most passing touchdowns, and the 28th highest average throw of 6.8 yards. Their run prevention has still been efficient at 16th and 21st in attempts and yards allowed, but it still gives up the 25th most yards on average at 4.4 yards.
All these downward trends indicate that Sunday’s game with the Commanders could be the one that gets the Giants offense back on track for at least one week. Even with Tommy DeVito slated to remain the primary quarterback, the opportunity to finally build some passing confidence against a much weaker Washington defense is crucial after he consecutively faced two of the tougher units in Las Vegas and Dallas.
Undoubtedly, the Giants need an offensive wake-up call amid what is feared to be a nosediving second half of the season. For the sake of competency, they must capitalize on the opponent and have a good chance to open the floodgates against Washington despite entering the matchup dead last in points, yards, and other passing categories.
It’s been a season filled with facing some of the best edge rushers in the entire sport, including last week against Micah Parsons for the second time. The Giants desperately need a break from the constant pressure, and they could now have that against a divisional rival whose number they’ve had for much of their storied history.
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