Commanders have found their relentless heartbeat keeping them alive

There was an otherwise meaningless play in the Washington Commanders’ easy win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3 that created an odd statistical quirk.

It was the first drive of the second half. The Raiders faced a 2nd-and-4 from their own 36-yard line. Quarterback Geno Smith threw a short pass in the right flat to all-world tight end Brock Bowers, and the Commanders’ Daron Payne dropped him for a two-yard loss.

The NFL stat gurus deemed that Payne was in coverage on the play. Four games into the season, it is the only time the 320-pound defensive tackle has been targeted on a pass play. That means that for the season, he has a negative yards-against number when in pass coverage. He leads the team in that category.

Payne is not on the team to drop into pass coverage. He is on the team to crush ball carriers in the middle of the line of scrimmage, to pressure quarterbacks, and to clog up passing lanes. He is doing those tasks at the same high level he has displayed since entering the league in 2018.

Daron Payne is now the unquestioned leader of the Commanders' defensive line

But for the first time in his NFL career, Payne is not lining up next to his former Alabama teammate Jonathan Allen.

For most of their time together, Allen was the leader of the defensive front. But something seemed to change in the Pro Bowler as the losses continued to mount, and the two friends had a well-publicized fight on the bench during a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys during the 2021 season.

Payne would go on to have his finest season the following year. However, he did not really build on that success. Though his play remained adequate, the interior lineman had back-to-back mediocre seasons in 2023 and 2024.

This past offseason, it became clear that Adam Peters and Dan Quinn wanted to add size to the middle of the defensive line. They released Allen, bringing in Javon Kinlaw and Eddie Goldman to play alongside Payne. They also had the talented young Johnny Newton, now in his second campaign.

With Allen gone, Payne has become the unquestioned veteran leader on the defensive front. His game on the field has also bounced back.

Through four games, he is playing more than two-thirds of the defensive snaps. Payne leads all interior linemen in tackles, sacks, and quarterback hits. He is tied with Kinlaw for the most tackles for loss, and he is the only lineman to have recorded pass deflections.

That has always been a specialty of Payne’s. During his time playing with Allen, they had virtually identical numbers in every major statistical category. Allen was a better pass rusher, but Payne was much more effective at causing fumbles and deflecting passes at the line.

With all the injuries the Commanders have suffered to their offense, pressure has fallen on the defense to carry the team for a while. Some of the defensive stars have seemed to struggle under the added pressure. The secondary has not played well as a unit.

However, a few veterans, such as Bobby Wagner and Dorance Armstrong Jr., have remained stalwart. In the middle of it all, the big man from Alabama has been the anchor around which it all revolves.