Hail or Fail: Offense comes alive, but special teams, defense let Commanders down

A bad day for the Commanders’ offensive line got even worse at the end

Fail: Commanders vs. 2022′s No. 1 and No. 2 picks

Washington has faced the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in this year’s draft in consecutive weeks, and it has not gone well for the Commanders. Former Georgia standout edge defender Travon Walker had an interception and a sack in Washington’s season-opening win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. On Sunday, former Michigan star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson set a Lions rookie record with three sacks in the first half. The good news for Washington is it won’t face the No. 3 pick in the 2022 draft, Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., until Week 11.

Hail: Washington’s wide receivers

They were quiet along with the rest of the offense for most of the first half, but Curtis Samuel (seven catches, 78 yards), Terry McLaurin (four catches, 75 yards) and Jahan Dotson (four catches, 59 yards) combined to finish with 15 catches for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Samuel got the Commanders on the board with a 15-yard scoring grab in the third quarter. Dotson had a catch on a two-point conversion and recorded his third touchdown of the season with a one-yard grab in the final two minutes. The rookie used some fancy footwork at the line of scrimmage to create just enough separation from veteran cornerback Will Harris on the play.

Fail: Special teams

Joey Slye made all 12 of his field goal attempts after Washington signed him to replace Chris Blewitt last November, but he missed an extra point wide right late in the fourth quarter Sunday to prevent the Commanders from making it a one-possession game. Slye’s ensuing onside kick traveled all of five yards. Dax Milne had a 33-yard kickoff return to help spark a touchdown drive on Washington’s first possession of the second half, but the second-year pro, who is in his first year as the team’s primary return man, otherwise struggled, failing to take three kick returns back to the 20-yard line. A 52-yard return by Kalif Raymond on a free kick set up Detroit’s first touchdown.

Hail: The Lions’ underdog streak

Before this week, Detroit had been an underdog in 24 straight games, the longest streak in the Super Bowl era. The Lions opened as a 2.5-point favorite, but after two starters along the offensive line and starting cornerback Amani Oruwariye were ruled out for the game with injuries, the line moved and Dan Campbell’s team was a one-point underdog at most sportsbooks by kickoff. It’s hard to imagine Detroit will be favored at Minnesota next week, but the streak could come to an end when the Lions host the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 2.

Fail: All the teams who passed on Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

St. Brown finished with nine catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns (plus two rushes for 68 yards), becoming the first receiver with at least eight catches and a touchdown in six straight games. The 2021 fourth-round pick out of USC also joined Antonio Brown and Michael Thomas as the only receivers with at least eight receptions in eight consecutive games. In an interview on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series during training camp, St. Brown said the draft was a disappointing experience. He then rattled off the names of the 16 wide receivers taken ahead of him and where they went to college, including Washington third-round pick Dyami Brown, who has 12 catches in 15 career games.

Hail: Scott Turner’s offensive adjustments

Offensively, the Commanders’ first half couldn’t have been much uglier. Washington’s first five possessions included four three-and-outs and a safety after Wentz was sacked and fumbled the ball out of the end zone. The visitors didn’t manage a first down until more than halfway through the second quarter and entered the break with zero points. The Commanders’ offense was virtually unstoppable in the final two quarters; their 27 points after halftime were their most in a second half since they scored 29 in a 42-24 win over the Green Bay Packers in 2016.

Fail: Jack Del Rio’s defense

Containing St. Brown was far from the only problem for Del Rio’s unit. No play epitomized the sorry state of the Commanders’ defense more than D’Andre Swift’s 22-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter. Less than two minutes earlier, Washington had cut the Lions’ lead to seven. Rather than getting a stop and giving the ball back to the offense, the defense allowed Detroit to go 75 yards on four plays. On third and 15, Goff was pressured and floated a pass in the flat to Swift, who lost his balance and fell to the turf after corralling the low throw. The third-year running back immediately popped up and avoided diving attempts by safety Bobby McCain and cornerback Kendall Fuller to bring him down before outracing everyone to the end zone.