Games like today are a reminder every once in a while that I still got it in me to care and feel emotion when it comes to this team. Plain and simple, I'm upset more so than I have been at any point this season, or in several of the previous past years. Maybe it was Kirk. Maybe I didn't want that guy to walk into our stadium and win at our expense. Maybe it was the fact that we were in complete control of the game midway through the 3rd quarter against the #2 seed in the NFC. Regardless, we did what this franchise has done for what has seemed like an eternity - find creative ways to lose games that we should have won easily. Let's get right to this week's Studs, Duds, and Hat Tips.
Studs:
1. Defensive Line - Kirk Cousins is going to be feeling it not just tomorrow, but throughout the week. Life wasn't easy for the Vikings' signal caller today. The interior of Payne and Allen made life miserable and we consistently got pressure on Cousins throughout the day. His stat line today was 22 of 40 for 265 yards, 1 INT and 2 TDs. He made some nice throws here and there, but when you hold Cousins, who has been applauded for his play this year, to those kinds of numbers, it feels like a game you should have walked away winning.
2. Kendall Fuller - #29 probably had his best game of the season. He was solid in coverage, making several stops and chipped in nicely on run defense on a few occasions as well. It was a much needed impactful game for Fuller, who many harped on early in the year for his struggles. Hopefully he can consistently bring the type of performance he had today as we head down the stretch.
Duds:
1. Referees - some of us joked in the BGO Chat today that it was Jerome Boger's crew officiating the game, and that it spelled trouble. You know what they say - death, taxes, and a Boger officiating crew that is going to Boger. The Benjamin St. Juste pick six that should have made the game 24-7 Washington (and should have essentially ended the game) was reversed in what seemed like a case of two players in Jefferson and St. Juste that were equally guilty of hand fighting. I was thinking to myself for a large portion of the game that it was a fairly clean game and Boger's crew was avoiding the yellow laundry today. Nope. In the most critical of moments, they made sure that they got involved.
2. Scott Turner - fire this man already. The offense does not seem to be tailored to the things that Taylor Heinicke can do well. We aren't seeing quick throws, we aren't seeing Heinicke moving around a whole lot. Instead, many plays are slow to develop and Taylor is a sitting duck waiting to take a sack far too often at times. That was especially apparent in the first half where we had less than 50 passing yards. A really strong defensive showing against a pretty solid offense was wasted due to offensive inefficiency, and that largely falls at the feet of Scott Turner.
3. Ron Rivera - I applaud Rivera for keeping this team together this season when so many people wanted to rip it apart at 1-4. His in-game decision-making was bad at critical junctures in the game today. Having already wasted a timeout deciding if they wanted to go for it on a 4th and 1 in the second half, Rivera then decided to challenge a 2nd down play where Heinicke scrambled for 9 and a half yards. Instead of having faith/confidence in his team to convert on a 3rd and short at worst, we unnecessarily threw the challenge on a play where it was definitely not conclusive that Heinicke passed the line of gain. That wasted timeout might have come in handy as the Vikings were trying to milk the clock before their game winning field goal.
4. John Ridgeway - I heard many people talking about how Ridgeway was a great find for defensive interior depth, after acquiring him off waivers from Dallas. In the long run, that might turn out to be true. However, today, Ridgeway made a critical mistake with a personal foul on the Vikings game winning FG attempt. Instead of giving us 1:55 to work with to come up with a miracle, his blunder left us with 12 seconds to come up with a miracle. Where is Patrick Mahomes when you need him?
5. Taylor Heinicke - with the Commanders seemingly in control of the game in the third quarter and up 7 points, Heinicke threw a critical interception which Harrison Smith returned deep into Washington territory. It led to a TD which tied the game and it felt as though the game basically slipped out of our control at that point, and that we would not recover. Heinicke magic was not in the cards today. Sometimes his costly errors don't hurt us in the end. Today they most certainly did in a huge way.
Hat Tips:
1. Jamin Davis - on a few critical third down plays today, Davis applied good pressure on Cousins up the middle, forcing punts for the Vikings. He made a few notable tackles as well in the run game and continues to show that he is slowly growing in his role. For a player that looked like he might be a dud #1 draft pick, that is encouraging news for fans of the Commanders.
Up next, the Commanders have a difficult road game in Philadelphia. Will they come out flat following a heartbreaking loss vs. Minnesota, or will they fight like they have done so often in the Ron Rivera era? Following that, the Texans and Falcons are on the slate. Anything less than 6-6 after the Atlanta game and it is likely that we will be drawing the curtains on the 2022 season.
Studs:
1. Defensive Line - Kirk Cousins is going to be feeling it not just tomorrow, but throughout the week. Life wasn't easy for the Vikings' signal caller today. The interior of Payne and Allen made life miserable and we consistently got pressure on Cousins throughout the day. His stat line today was 22 of 40 for 265 yards, 1 INT and 2 TDs. He made some nice throws here and there, but when you hold Cousins, who has been applauded for his play this year, to those kinds of numbers, it feels like a game you should have walked away winning.
2. Kendall Fuller - #29 probably had his best game of the season. He was solid in coverage, making several stops and chipped in nicely on run defense on a few occasions as well. It was a much needed impactful game for Fuller, who many harped on early in the year for his struggles. Hopefully he can consistently bring the type of performance he had today as we head down the stretch.
Duds:
1. Referees - some of us joked in the BGO Chat today that it was Jerome Boger's crew officiating the game, and that it spelled trouble. You know what they say - death, taxes, and a Boger officiating crew that is going to Boger. The Benjamin St. Juste pick six that should have made the game 24-7 Washington (and should have essentially ended the game) was reversed in what seemed like a case of two players in Jefferson and St. Juste that were equally guilty of hand fighting. I was thinking to myself for a large portion of the game that it was a fairly clean game and Boger's crew was avoiding the yellow laundry today. Nope. In the most critical of moments, they made sure that they got involved.
2. Scott Turner - fire this man already. The offense does not seem to be tailored to the things that Taylor Heinicke can do well. We aren't seeing quick throws, we aren't seeing Heinicke moving around a whole lot. Instead, many plays are slow to develop and Taylor is a sitting duck waiting to take a sack far too often at times. That was especially apparent in the first half where we had less than 50 passing yards. A really strong defensive showing against a pretty solid offense was wasted due to offensive inefficiency, and that largely falls at the feet of Scott Turner.
3. Ron Rivera - I applaud Rivera for keeping this team together this season when so many people wanted to rip it apart at 1-4. His in-game decision-making was bad at critical junctures in the game today. Having already wasted a timeout deciding if they wanted to go for it on a 4th and 1 in the second half, Rivera then decided to challenge a 2nd down play where Heinicke scrambled for 9 and a half yards. Instead of having faith/confidence in his team to convert on a 3rd and short at worst, we unnecessarily threw the challenge on a play where it was definitely not conclusive that Heinicke passed the line of gain. That wasted timeout might have come in handy as the Vikings were trying to milk the clock before their game winning field goal.
4. John Ridgeway - I heard many people talking about how Ridgeway was a great find for defensive interior depth, after acquiring him off waivers from Dallas. In the long run, that might turn out to be true. However, today, Ridgeway made a critical mistake with a personal foul on the Vikings game winning FG attempt. Instead of giving us 1:55 to work with to come up with a miracle, his blunder left us with 12 seconds to come up with a miracle. Where is Patrick Mahomes when you need him?
5. Taylor Heinicke - with the Commanders seemingly in control of the game in the third quarter and up 7 points, Heinicke threw a critical interception which Harrison Smith returned deep into Washington territory. It led to a TD which tied the game and it felt as though the game basically slipped out of our control at that point, and that we would not recover. Heinicke magic was not in the cards today. Sometimes his costly errors don't hurt us in the end. Today they most certainly did in a huge way.
Hat Tips:
1. Jamin Davis - on a few critical third down plays today, Davis applied good pressure on Cousins up the middle, forcing punts for the Vikings. He made a few notable tackles as well in the run game and continues to show that he is slowly growing in his role. For a player that looked like he might be a dud #1 draft pick, that is encouraging news for fans of the Commanders.
Up next, the Commanders have a difficult road game in Philadelphia. Will they come out flat following a heartbreaking loss vs. Minnesota, or will they fight like they have done so often in the Ron Rivera era? Following that, the Texans and Falcons are on the slate. Anything less than 6-6 after the Atlanta game and it is likely that we will be drawing the curtains on the 2022 season.
