New York Giants defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) sacks Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) in front of offensive tackle Charles Leno Jr. (72) during overtime at MetLife Stadium. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Penalty-plagued Commanders stray from winning formula

By Ryan McCafferty | Last updated Dec 5, 2022 3:25 PM ET

In their recent stretch of six wins in seven games heading into this past weekend, the Commanders' recipe for success was to lean on the running game, make plays on defense and dominate time of possession. An underrated component was avoiding penalties.

Before Sunday's 20-20 tie against the Giants, Washington (7-5-1) had only one game with 10 or more penalties and no more than five in a game since October.

Washington can attribute undisciplined play and penalties as the reason for the tie, snapping its three-game winning streak.

— Chris Russell AKA the ! (@Russellmania621) December 4, 2022

Commanders threw three times on that three-and-out because of the holding penalty on their first run making it 1st and 15.

1st: Overthrow, near INT.
2nd: 2-yard dart on quick out.
3rd: Overthrow, near INT.

Flirted with disaster.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) December 4, 2022

Washington was penalized seven times for 56 yards — four in the fourth quarter and overtime and twice on kickoff returns that cost the Commanders field position.

Besides an opening-drive fumble and questionable clock management down the stretch, the Giants made few mistakes, and Washington still nearly stole the win.

That the Commanders escaped with a tie in a game in which they played so badly should be encouraging to the fan base.

As long as Sunday remains an outlier, Washington has a good chance to sneak into the playoffs. Per the New York Times' Playoff Picture, the Commanders have a 67 percent chance to make the postseason — so long as they stick to the script and avoid self-inflicted mistakes.

Ryan McCafferty

Ryan McCafferty is a passionate sports fan from Herndon, Va, where he follows the Washington Commanders, Wizards. Ryan particularly enjoys covering the statistical aspect of sports, and in his spare time, he manages RJMAnalytics, a blog in which he formulates and analyzes his own advanced metrics for NASCAR and basketball. He is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington, where he majored in communications and minored in sports management, and reports on local high school sports in Northern Virginia for the Falls Church News-Press

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