The Washington Commanders shocked the NFL this season, doing what no one expected and landing a playoff spot. However, it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns, as they hit a rough patch in the middle of the season. They managed to rebound, but that rough patch illuminated some glaring problems.
The biggest problem the Commanders had this year surrounded their run defense, and that is the one reason Bleacher Report says the Commanders won’t make it to the Super Bowl.
As Scott Smith wrote for the Buccaneers’ website, even rookie Bucky Irving has emerged as a force for Tampa in his first professional season.
“Irving’s instinctive moves make him a pain to bring down despite his size, as he forced a missed tackle on 35.8 percent of his runs, the highest mark for any player with at least 150 carries this season,” Smith said. “Just two weeks ago during a 190-yard performance in a win over Carolina, Irving gained 111 yards after contact. He is also a natural pass-catcher and a weapon to go the distance on outlet and swing passes.”
That presents a real problem for the Commanders. Washington’s defense has struggled all season against the run, allowing 137.5 yards per game. No team in the postseason has surrendered more.
It will be next to impossible for the Commanders to make a deep postseason run if they can’t control the tempo of games. And when opponents are running the ball at will, that’s not an easy thing to do.
The Commanders’ run defense is not great, this is true. It ranks third worst in the NFL, having allowed 137.5 rushing yards per game. However, it was successful enough to get them 12 wins this season, so let’s not completely discredit them. And while Bucky Irving is a phenomenal player, he’s still a rookie in a high-pressure situation.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have home-field advantage, and they defeated the Commanders in Jayden Daniels’ NFL debut, but all of that only motivates the Commanders to do better and come out on top.
Kickoff for this matchup is scheduled for 8 pm EDT on Sunday.