Commanders 3rd down defense continues to struggle
Breaking down the 3rd down defense after the Commanders struggled in that area against the Panthers
The most disappointing aspect of the Commanders preseason opener was the starting defense, particularly on third downs. Washington has plenty of resources and talent on defense, but the unit has failed to perform up to expectations on a consistent basis. Last year they were one of the worst teams in the league on third downs, which should have made third downs a point of emphasis this offseason.
Against the Panthers in the preseason opener though, the Panthers converted 11 of their 18 third down attempts. The Commanders starters allowed three of five third downs they faced. All three of those came on the Panthers long opening drive, allowing them to continually move the chains and extend the drive as they moved the ball down the field.
So what went wrong for the Commanders on those three third down attempts? Let’s take a closer look.
This was the Panthers first third down of the game. It’s third and three and they opt to try the mesh concept. Washington appears to match up man-to-man across the board, with Jamin Davis sprinting out to match the running back on the wheel route and Kam Curl matching the tight end inside. Cole Holcomb appears to play as a hole player underneath, giving the Commanders an extra defender in the middle to help with shallow crossers. However, on the back side, slot corner Danny Johnson appears to get a different call. He doesn’t run with the slot receiver on his shallow cross, instead holding his position. Perhaps he felt that Holcomb would have picked it up as he was in the hole specifically designed for helping crossers, but he didn’t step inside to be ready to replace Holcomb in that hole either.
What ends up happening is Holcomb looks to help Curl with the tight end, taking over the route as Curl then peels off to replace Holcomb in the hole, but nobody is running with the slot receiver, who runs open and catches an easy pass before turning up the sideline for a first down and more.
A few plays later, the Commanders face another third and three situation.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Bullock's Film Room to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.