One standout for the Commanders has put the league on notice, and it's helping mask a glaring team issue

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Josh Taylor | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 4:52 PM ET

The Washington Commanders are back in the win column after getting their first road win of the season against the Los Angeles Chargers, and a big reason for it was the defense.

We've seen many times this season that the defense turned out to be the liability that we were afraid of, but there are still key players making their impact felt. There were a lot of new players added on defense, but one player is making a very notable jump in his second season with the Commanders, and it's impacting the rest of the game.

The best way to help a struggling secondary is by getting to the quarterback, and that's what Dorance Armstrong is doing at a high level this year.

Dorance Armstrong is a top defensive end this season

The biggest headline of the offseason was about how the Commanders would address the defensive end position and trade for a big-name player or draft one in the early rounds, and they did neither of those. General manager Adam Peters decided to stick with what they had and sign some quieter players, such as Deatrich Wise, Jacob Martin, and Von Miller. So far, that decision is paying off with Armstrong playing out of his mind.

His production has been steady this season, minus the Atlanta Falcons game, and it's been one of the needed surprises of the season. Through the first five games of the season, Armstrong is currently second in the NFL in sacks with five, and he's third in pressure rate at 20.6% which is .2% away from first place.

SACK

Dorance Armstrong wins his battle and brings down Herbert on 1st down.

Armstrong has had a solid start to this season.#RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/3YYHutrYNH
— Chad Ryan (@ChadwikoTWW) October 5, 2025

We knew the defense had to take advantage of an injured Chargers offensive line, and they did just that with 18 pressures, seven sacks, and another eight hurries against Justin Herbert. The pass rush went a long way in helping the secondary bounce back, and held Herbert to just 166 passing yards.

The secondary looked much improved

The biggest issue with the team so far this season has been the explosive plays given up on defense and the awful coverage in the secondary. It wasn't perfect against the Chargers, but it was a step in the right direction, especially with two turnovers that flipped the game upside down and led to two touchdowns by the offense.

The one trend we've noticed over the season is how much the pass rush helps the secondary. The defensive line had nothing on Michael Penix Jr. last week, and it led to a career game for him. Herbert was hurried and pressured on many dropbacks on Sunday, and the results showed.

Big play for the defense here with a busted Chargers play resulting in a huge loss.

Herbert needed to throw this away rather than looking for the completion. #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/xiD5wNg7W2
— Chad Ryan (@ChadwikoTWW) October 5, 2025

The secondary is still the weakness on defense, but the pass rush can help mask it along the way while they work on improving. In the meantime, the defense can build off of this performance and continue to get turnovers along the way to stay in games and not fall behind. This was the first road win of the season, and the Commanders have to go to the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs after the Monday Night Football rematch against the Chicago Bears.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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