Week 2 didn’t go all that well for the Washington Commanders. And it’s indicative of how the entire season might go for the fans. Coming off an exciting win in Week 1, Washington had a chance to start 2-0 if they beat the Detroit Lions (a team that won three games last year). What we got was the worst first half of football you’ll see in a long time.
The Commanders scored 0 points in the first half. Meanwhile, the Lions had nearly as many points (22) as Washington had total yards of offense (39) through two quarters.
The second half saw Washington make a comeback. While they still lost, they at least put up a fight. The offense got into a bit of a groove for a while, and finally started to move the ball and put some points on the board. This made the game more enjoyable to watch, but they still ultimately fell 36-27.
So what’s the issue? Consistency, or lack thereof. How do they solve it? They probably don’t.
At this point, I feel almost like a bully. Carson Wentz isn’t a miserable quarterback or anything. But it seems like a lot of fans got caught up in the hype surrounding him before the start of the year. Even though he’s been an average and inconsistent quarterback for a heavy majority of his career, a contingent of Washington fans created a narrative that he was great and the media was just knocking him for no reason.
This set everyone up for failure and disappointment.
The truth is, Wentz is who he is. You’re going to see some absolute dimes from him. But he’s also going to grossly miss wide-open targets. He’ll overthrow receivers (like he did to tight end Logan Thomas on the interception), and hold on to the ball for far too long.
Now, in his defense, the offensive line did Wentz zero favors in Week 2. They got bullied all day long. But that doesn’t change his inconsistency. This is who he is, fans need to get used to the inconsistency. He’ll look like an All-Pro one drive, then completely be lost the next.
It’s not just the offensive side of the ball either. The defense has been dreadful. There are some solutions here. Jack Del Rio still having his job seems pretty wild. But it’s not all on him. Washington’s secondary and linebacker corps have too many holes. And the defensive line hasn’t been able to make up for it. Maybe when Chase Young returns things will change, but at this point who knows?
The Detroit Lions are not the easy win they have been in the past. This does look like a much-improved team. It was still a game that the Washington Commanders should have won though. We’ve seen inconsistent play from them in both weeks now. This time, it killed them. And it’s likely going to factor into most games this season, so take some Advil and get a cold rag for your head, because the headaches aren’t stopping any time soon.