The Washington Commanders fell to 1-4-1 after losing 23-17 to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football in Week 6. Once again, an avoidable loss put Dan Quinn in a negative light when he didn’t know what down it was in the first half.
Down 13-3 in the first half, Quinn chose to go for it on fourth down, instead of kicking the field goal. Many agreed that was the right call, but when quarterback Jayden Daniels inexplicably threw the ball out of bounds, cameras caught Quinn appearing to think he could kick the field goal, but Washington turned the ball over on downs instead.
Next up for Washington is their much-needed bye week. They get a week to rest and recover in Week 7, and they’ll return to face the Philadelphia Eagles (without Jalen Hurts) in Week 8. But before we completely turn the page, let’s take one last look back at Week 6. Here’s how we graded the Commanders in our Week 6 report cards.
Offense: C+
The offense could not get anything done in the first half. They kicked a field goal on their first possession, which made it seem like maybe they were going to show up, but that's not what happened. They turned it over on downs, punted, and kneeled it down to end the half. They ran just 17 plays in the first half, including that kneel-down.
The second half was much better, as the Commanders scored a touchdown in both the third and fourth quarters, making the score more respectable than we anticipated at halftime. Washington briefly took the lead in the fourth quarter on a Jeremy McNichols' touchdown run, but it was called back due to a penalty.
Pass protection was awful overall; Daniels was forced to run with the ball, throw it away, or make a tough decision on too many plays. It’s also the reason the run game was nonexistent. Again. However, Daniels, Chig Okonkwo, Stefon Diggs, Treylon Burks, and Antonio Williams all stepped up in a big way to get those scores at the end of the game.
Defense: B-
Clearly, the defense was not ready to play when the whistle blew for kickoff on Monday night. The entire first half was terrible as the defense allowed San Francisco to score 20 points. Although Washington did recover a fumble in the first half, the offense couldn't capitalize on it. Missed tackles, blown coverages, and lack of communication all contributed to the poor defensive showing in the first half.
The second half was a much better showing by the Commanders’ defense. They allowed only 72 yards in the second half after allowing 303 yards in the first half. They held San Francisco to multiple three-and-outs, got pressure on Brock Purdy, and set the offense up for success.
Rookie linebacker Sonny Styles has really come along this season. Styles had another big game, and now it seems like he’s in on almost every single defensive play. He led the game with 13 tackles (seven solo) and one pass defensed, and even though he didn’t record any quarterback hits, he was often in Purdy’s face, causing problems, especially in the second half.
Special teams: B-
Tress Way and Drew Stevens were good. Stevens didn’t miss any field goal attempts or extra points, and Way averaged 52 yards per punt with two of three landing inside the 20-yard line. The coverage was solid, and the returns were okay. Luke McCaffrey misplayed a punt, but he didn’t fumble, so we’ll call that a win. Still, the return game offered nothing in this game.
Coaching: C-
The coaching staff didn't put this team in a good position to win on Monday.
Daronte Jones’ defense struggled immensely in the first half. They rebounded in the second half, and helped get Washington back in the game. The Commanders’ defense was thought to be their biggest weakness heading into this season, and it's turned out to be the opposite. But that doesn’t matter if you’re not playing four quarters.
David Blough’s route combinations are a problem, especially when you combine them with pass protection. Daniels, Marcus Mariota, and Athan Kaliakmanis can all attest to the lack of protection for the quarterbacks this season, and Blough has to find a way to fix it. Personnel is definitely a problem because of injuries, but he has to find a way to improve the protection, or the offense will not reach its full potential.
Lastly, we have head coach Dan Quinn. This is the second week in a row he’s lost track of something in the game. Last week it was massive clock mismanagement and not kicking a field goal that would have won the game. This week, it was losing track of what down they were on and turning the ball over on downs when the offense was once again in field goal range. That kick wouldn’t have won the game, but it would have given the team a chance to tie it up since they had another possession. Quinn going for it wasn’t the wrong decision, but he has to know what down it is. That’s inexcusable.
Jayden Daniels: B+
It’s good to see Jayden Daniels back on the field and playing well. He has a microscope on him this season, fair or not. He played well and really heated up in the second half. He threw the ball away on fourth-and-3 in the first half, and he missed McCaffrey on what would have been a big play, but mostly. It was another really good day for Daniels, and he barely used his legs. He went 29-for-40 for 300 yards and two touchdowns, and he carried the ball just four times for 10 yards. He did everything from the pocket, as Blough asked, and many questioned whether he could. He’s proven that he can, even when the protection breaks down.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders report card: How we graded the Week 6 loss