Commanders' defensive collapse turning into a crippling pattern

The Washington Commanders’ front seven could not stop the Atlanta Falcons from running, and their secondary looked largely helpless against Michael Penix Jr. and the wide receivers. Inevitably, that left Dan Quinn's squad licking their wounds in defeat, putting them two games behind the Philadelphia Eagles.

The fact that Washington dropped the game is not a shock.

The offense played without Jayden Daniels for the second straight week. They were also missing two of their top three receivers and the team's top in-line blocking tight end. Including others previously lost to injury or benched, more than half of the offensive starters from Week 1 were not on the field against Atlanta.

If the Commanders were going to pull out a road victory, it was going to come courtesy of the defense. That unit was also missing a few projected starters but had most of its top playmakers available. They failed to match their opponents’ intensity.

Commanders' defense was out-executed and overpowered

The Falcons clearly had something to prove. Coming off an embarrassing performance against the Carolina Panthers, the Penix-led offense scored on its first three possessions and never trailed in the game.

Bijan Robinson carried the ball five times for 24 rushing yards on the opening drive, and tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. converted the first third down with a 26-yard reception on what appeared to be a coverage mix-up. Those plays set the tone for the entire contest.

Joe Whitt Jr.’s run defense often got good penetration and had shots at both Robinson and Tyler Allgeier in the backfield, but they couldn't bring either of them down on first contact frequently enough. The running backs broke tackle after tackle, turning no gain into long runs all day.

If anything, the pass defense was worse. Falcons' receivers were running free, whether the Commanders were in man or zone coverage.

On the second drive, there were more missed tackles and more open receivers. It ended with Drake London finding a gap in the zone right at the goal line for an easy short touchdown reception.

The pattern was reversed on the following drive. London beat Marshon Latimore cleanly for a big pass play that set up a Robinson touchdown run, pushing Atlanta’s lead.

The Commanders’ defense settled down a bit toward the end of the first half and forced a couple of Falcon punts, though Pitts beat Bobby Wagner cleanly on a 12-yard cross that foreshadowed a big play to come.

On Atlanta’s first play of the second half, Robinson was matched up with Wagner and easily outpaced the linebacker, resulting in a 69-yard catch and run, which set up another Falcons touchdown. That play was a backbreaker.

The Commanders had just come off one of their best drives of the day. They had cut the lead to 17-13, but another defensive miscue immediately squashed whatever momentum they were building. Washington allowed Robinson, Allgeier, London, and Pitts to run roughshod.

London, who was sensational all game long, caught eight balls and doubled his receiving average for the season with 110 yards. Pitts very nearly did the same. The powerful Allgeier ran through the Commanders' defenders for 51 yards — up from the 35 he had been averaging. All three players scored touchdowns. They came into the game with just one score combined for the season.

Robinson was simply unstoppable. His ability to power through arm tackles, to make quick cuts in the hole, and to run past defenders on pass plays led to 181 all-purpose yards and another touchdown. That is 46 more yards than he came into the game averaging.

Overall, it was Washington's worst defensive showing since running into Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6 last year.

The Falcons have a lot of talent on offense, and when they put it all together, they are challenging to stop. Washington ran into one of those days in Week 4 and seemed helpless to respond.

Whatever the problem is, they had better figure it out quickly.

They go on the road again next week against another potent offense, which, like the Falcons in Week 4, is coming off an embarrassing loss. Quinn and Whitt know full well that Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers will be fired up after an anemic performance against the New York Giants. Washington hopes to have Daniels back under center for the game, but it won’t matter much if the defense is overwhelmed.