Behind Enemy Lines: Insider Analysis on the Washington Commanders

Commanders Country reporter David Harrison gives us a deeper glimpse behind the Giants' next opponent.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Dec 1, 2022 8:00 AM EST

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The season starts this week.

That's the message New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has preached to his players. It's a reminder to not worry about what happened in the past but to stay focused on the now and what's directly ahead of them as they continue to chip away at their 2022 season schedule and toward a playoff berth.

What's ahead of the Giants is a Washington Commanders team that has won six of its last seven games and is nipping at their heels in the NFC East and for a playoff berth.

The Giants need to split the season series with Washington at bare minimum if they want to stay a step ahead of their division foes. If they drop this game at home, it will be difficult for the Giants to try to win on the road.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here, so let's stick with Coach Daboll's preaching to keep what's directly in front of us in focus. And that starts with our checking in with Commanders Country reporter David Harrison for additional insight from an insider's perspective on the Commanders.

Washington has won six of their last seven. What are the biggest factors in the turnaround of their season?

Defense. Washington’s defense is playing at another level from top to bottom. It all began with the benching of cornerback William Jackson III who was eventually traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. While Jackson certainly fit in the locker room and with his teammates, his play on the field was the weed in the flower bed, and since he’s left, the secondary has truly blossomed.

Chase Young is reportedly on track to play this weekend. If he does play, realistically speaking, what are the expectations from him regarding workload?

If he plays, I would expect no more than a 25 percent snap share, and even that might be high. Young was limited in practice all week leading up to Week 12, and though some thought he might play against the Falcons, I always go back to the words of coach Ron Rivera who said they want to see him do everything fully in practice before taking it to a playing field. Limited all three days doesn’t sound like full ability in practice.

However, we know how coachspeak sometimes doesn’t translate to decision-making. Still, given that Young is coming off two knee surgeries and hasn’t played real football in over a year, his first game back has to come with some conservative snap counts.

It seems that of late, Washington keeps looking for the holy grail at quarterback, only to end up going back to Taylor Heinicke. Do they have their franchise quarterback in Heinicke, or is he not a fit for what they want to do moving forward?

Right now, the offensive attack during the recent stretch of winning football relies on a defense that keeps opponents below the league average of 22 points per game and a two-headed running game that pounds the will to win out of its opponents.

If that’s what Washington wants to be moving forward, then Heinicke can lead them into the future. But they didn’t draft receiver Jahan Dotson in the first round because of his short-area ability alone, and Terry McLaurin is known for his downfield plays.

So I have to believe this team is willing to win with this short-area attack that sparks occasional downfield opportunities for now but still wants to be a team that regularly attacks all three levels of the defense long-term.

On paper, the Washington run defense vs. the Giants rushing offense seems to be a big factor. What has Washington been doing consistently to limit opponents in the running game?

Each man on the Commanders’ defensive front is simply doing their job and winning their matchups. That has been the key. We know the talent and investment have been there, but the issues dating back to even earlier this season have been that too many times, guys in the front seven decided to play outside of the play-calling in an attempt to make the big play.

Now, it appears the guys are playing their roles for a given call, and it’s leading to each of them having their moments to shine and facilitating others getting big plays set up by working off each other.

They're playing together and for each other, and that’s going to be the method they need to use to contain Saquon Barkley.

What is the X-factor in this game that no one is thinking or talking about now?

I think it’s Dotson. He and Heinicke didn’t get much work together in training camp and preseason because of the arrival of quarterback Carson Wentz. Adding to the recent downward turn in production for Dotson is the fact Washington’s offense looked different with Wentz than it does with Heinicke. So not only is Dotson trying to build chemistry with a new quarterback on the fly, but he’s doing it in an offensive attack. He’s also learning as he goes.

Everyone is looking for where Washington can develop their offense into one capable of scoring 24 or more points each week, and getting Dotson and Heinicke going is where I think it happens.