The Washington Commanders had a pretty exciting win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1. In a fashion that fans have grown far too accustomed to over the years, they didn’t make it easy. After jumping out to an early lead, the offense fell asleep for a while. However, they came storming back in the fourth quarter. And overall, this was actually a pretty good all-around team win.
Now, it is important to remember this is still the Jaguars. They made a lot of moves this offseason and should be an improved squad. However, they have a young quarterback who didn’t exactly light the world on fire in his rookie season in 2021. There are still plenty of question marks on that team.
So if Washington was facing a higher-caliber opponent this might be a much different article. It’s Week 1 though, so you can excuse a team not coming out of the gates firing on all cylinders. What we got was a game that gave us a lot of positives to build off of. There were clear improvements in some areas, while there were struggles in other spots that reinforced the idea that things still need to get better.
What did we learn in the Week 1 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars though? Let’s take a look at the performances of the Washington Commanders and find the three biggest takeaways from an entertaining game that has a lot of fans already looking forward to Week 2.
Top 3 takeaways from Commanders season-opening win vs. Jaguars in 2022
You have to take the good with the bad when it comes to QB Carson Wentz
Well, that was certainly a roller coaster of a game for new Washington Commanders’ QB Carson Wentz. The veteran got the offense moving decently in the first half. He led two touchdown drives that both ended with him finding the end zone through the air.
If we’re being honest though, he didn’t make many great throws in that time. There was a beautiful pass to Antonio Gibson for a big game. Outside of that though it felt like mostly screen passes and short under routes (mainly to Curtis Samuel). We saw a lot of Samuel and others making defenders miss to pick up the extra yards.
Meanwhile, we saw a couple of pretty bad throws as well. He overthrew wide-open receivers on a couple of occasions. Then Wentz threw ugly interceptions on back-to-back possessions to start the fourth quarter. Jacksonville had the lead and Washington was in a bad spot with a QB that looked lost.
This led to something we hadn’t seen all day though. Wentz started airing it out. After his second interception, the next drive was just four plays. We saw a three-yard scramble by Wentz, then a screen pass to Curtis Samuel lose a yard. Logan Thomas picked up a big 27 yards to keep the drive alive. Then we got the big hitter. A gorgeous 49-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin.
Washington’s next drive was nice-and-long and saw Wentz throw another beautiful pass for a touchdown. This time it was a 24-yarder to rookie Jahan Dotson.
So we saw both sides. Wentz is great at getting away from sacks. He has a strong arm and can absolutely make deep throws. However, he’s going to rely too heavily on the short game quite often. And you’ll have to deal with the accuracy issues as well.
No one is expecting Carson Wentz to win an MVP this year. But the hope was that he would at least be an improvement from the QB situation in 2021. In Week 1 we definitely got an improvement, but it’s going to be a wild ride of a year. Expect a wide range of emotions each week.
Terry McLaurin finally has other weapons around him
Wow was this refreshing. Wentz is an upgrade at quarterback, yes. But it’s also hard to fail too much with the talent on this Washington Commanders’ offense. That’s not something you hear often, but it’s the case for the 2022 season.
For the last few years, it’s really been superstar wide receiver Terry McLaurin. That’s it. The hope would be that someone would step up each week to help.
Logan Thomas proved to be a solid piece in 2020. He wasn’t meant to be the second-best receiving option though. Antonio Gibson has flashed crazy potential too, but the fumbles really derailed his momentum last season.
Meanwhile, wide receiver was rough. Teams could zero in on McLaurin and not really have to worry about anyone else. This year though, Washington has Thomas back and healthy after missing most of last season due to injury. And Gibson looked great again.
Then there are the other receivers. Curtis Samuel is healthy after barely playing in 2021. And he celebrated by having a massive game, leading Washington with eight receptions that included a touchdown. He was constantly making defenders miss tackles, which was just beautiful to watch.
Jahan Dotson was the other big addition this year. The rookie had a monster first game. He reeled in three passes for 40 yards and two touchdowns (including the game-winner). His speed and route-running were highlighted, but his hands on that final touchdown catch were the real stars of the show.
Wentz is flush with weapons. He’s spoiled at the moment, honestly. It’s nice to watch a game and not be constantly worrying about finding McLaurin. Last season it felt like if he wasn’t getting the ball, good things weren’t going to happen. Now there are so many weapons that it felt like whoever touched the ball was capable of something massive.
McLaurin is still the star of the show here. And Wentz should try to get him more involved. It felt like he was relying on those screen passes to Samuel far too much if we’re being honest. But the fact that McLaurin was only targeted four times and Washington still managed over 300 passing yards is fun.
Safety Darrick Forrest has that dog in him
Wooo boy was Darrick Forrest everywhere on Sunday. Two of my friends (hi Todd and Harry) absolutely love Forrest. I’m pretty sure it had something to do with Madden last year, but I can’t be 100% certain. Either way, this led to multiple texts from them during the game hyping up Forrest. And neither of them are even Washington fans (Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears).
Forrest isn’t even meant to be a starter. The only reason he was on the field so much is that starter Kam Curl was hurt and didn’t suit up. And Forrest (a fifth-round pick from the 2021 draft) made the absolute most out of it.
The safety ended the game with five tackles, two pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one interception (to clinch the win at the end of the game). That forced fumble came on one of the best hits I’ve seen in a while. It was completely clean, but still, one that makes you make a weird face when you hear the crack of the pads. Beautiful.
Forrest did also get a flag for an “illegal” hit. But it wasn’t a dirty play or anything. He lowered himself for a tackle around the midsection, but the ball carrier lowered himself at the same time. This led to some helmet-on-helmet contact. Even the announcers were a little confused though, stating that the ball carrier went low as well, which is what created the contact.
Overall, Forrest looked comfortable in his big role. He was flying all over the field, and never really looked out-of-place or like he didn’t belong. It was the type of game that’s definitely going to earn him some more playing time, even if Curl is back for next week.
Every football player needs intensity. But for some reason safety is one of those positions where it hits different. Having that guy that can make plays while still playing sound defense is so big. Forrest proved in Week 1 that he might be that guy. He has that dog in him. One play he’ll give you good coverage, the next he’s hitting someone with a spear that would make Goldberg blush.
Don’t look now, but the Washington Commanders might have found a safety.