Sunday ended any illusion that these Commanders are anything but a team trudging to the finish line of a lost season. In front of a sellout crowd at FedEx Field, Washington fell into an early 17-point hole against the Miami Dolphins and never recovered, giving up 406 yards in a 45-15 loss. The defeat was Washington’s fourth in as many weeks and its sixth in the past seven games. It ensured the team would enter its bye week in a tailspin and with few options to reverse course.
The Commanders (4-9) aren’t officially out of contention for a wild-card spot, but they’ve created little confidence they can turn things around over their last four games. Washington’s only guarantee now is ending yet another season without a winning record.
Coach Ron Rivera, calling defensive plays for the first time since 2019, hoped some tweaks could at least stop the bleeding this week. The defense has relied on younger players to step into bigger roles because of injuries, so he trimmed the playbook to eliminate some of the checks and zone-match principles in coverage that might trip them up. He also made adjustments up front to try to generate more pressure and shuffled the coaching staff to fill the void.
Yet the Commanders made many of the same mistakes and paid for them just as greatly. Missed assignments, missed tackles and missed opportunities.
“You can’t do that,” Rivera said. “You just can’t do that in this league, especially against really good teams.”
Washington had allowed a league-high 98 explosive plays (16 or more yards passing, 12 or more yards rushing) to opponents before Sunday. The Dolphins needed only three plays to get No. 99 — and then racked up eight more explosive plays throughout the game.
On Miami’s first third down of the day, speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill beat rookie defensive back Quan Martin for a 78-yard touchdown catch, setting a clear tone for the remainder of the game. Hill lined up in the slot and shook Martin at the line of scrimmage, leaving him stumbling out of the blocks as he turned in coverage. Martin trailed from two yards back, alongside Kam Curl, his safety help over the top, as Hill sprinted into the end zone.
“Those guys are great at what they do, and they also get paid,” Hill said. “But at some point it’s like, man. I don’t know, man. I just appreciate it. Thanks for not respecting me, I guess.”
They failed to respect him again in the second quarter.
On third and seven from Miami’s 40-yard line, Hill got a running start with a motion to the outside, then turned on the burners to blow by cornerback Kendall Fuller and catch a 60-yard touchdown pass.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa received pressure from a double blitz on the left side of the line, so he launched a deep ball downfield in Hill’s direction. Hill corrected his route and followed the ball, guiding it to the end zone. Not a single burgundy jersey stood in his way.
If Hill were Miami’s lone offensive threat, maybe Washington could have been competitive.
But the Dolphins are loaded, and they have a coach in Mike McDaniel who knows how to get his best players the ball — and often. Alongside Hill — who had 157 receiving yards, 30 more than Washington’s entire receiving corps — is wideout Jaylen Waddle, who is on pace to top 1,000 yards. Then there are Raheem Mostert, one of the NFL’s leading rushers, and dynamic rookie back De’Von Achane, who combined for 154 scrimmage yards and three rushing touchdowns in Miami’s win.
“I think it is tough for their safety in that instance when you have guys like Tyreek, guys like Jaylen, who have one-on-ones, and then you put a ’backer out there with De’Von,” said Tagovailoa, who completed 18 of 24 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns and a 141.0 passer rating. “I mean, I don’t know what you would expect them to do. If you expect them to cover Tyreek’s side, then we’re going to throw to De’Von. I mean, we liked our matchups, but it definitely is tough when you go man across the board and it’s press against really fast guys like that.”
And if Miami’s offense were the lone problem, maybe Washington could’ve eked out a win.
But the Dolphins’ defense stifled the Commanders’ passing game, sacking Howell three times and limiting him to 12-for-23 passing for 127 yards. In the final minute of the first quarter, after Miami had jumped to a quick 10-0 lead, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel intercepted Howell and ran it back 33 yards for another touchdown.
Howell, who has thrown a pick-six in three consecutive games, still flashed his potential and resilience, albeit inconsistently. On Washington’s ensuing drive after his interception, he found Curtis Samuel for a 33-yard completion, then punched it in the end zone with a one-yard run after two tries by the offense failed. In the third quarter, Howell had his finest play of the day when he scrambled on fourth and three for a 13-yard touchdown.
But the troubles overshadowed the few bright spots. Among the bigger concerns was how little attention the offense paid to wide receiver Terry McLaurin. For only the second time in his career, McLaurin was catchless. He was targeted only three times.
“Nah, I ran a lot of cardio,” he said when asked if he was frustrated by his minimal involvement. “It happens. It comes with it when it’s tough. Yeah, it’s frustrating, but I’m going to keep coming in and practicing and playing hard.”
In the locker room after the game, the tension was palpable as veterans expressed frustration over not just Sunday’s loss but also the team’s failed attempts to improve year after year.
“Yeah, I’ve been dealing with this for seven years,” defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said. “I’m tired of trying to build character. My character has been built up enough. I’m trying to win.”
Added Samuel: “It sucks to lose and to lose like that. We got so much talent, and we know that. But if we’re not going out there and showing everybody, we’re just talking about it.”
Throughout the season, Rivera has preached growth and development, noting the progress of Howell and his potential to become a viable long-term option at quarterback. Rivera has cited the change in system with Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator and the increased playing time of his youngest players on defense. But after four consecutive losses, including a pair of blowouts, the notion of any such growth has lost some credibility, a reality even Rivera acknowledged.
“You can’t do the things we did and expect to win,” he said.
With an upcoming bye, Washington’s hope now is that with rest and a renewed focus, it can try to give the talk of growth some legitimacy in the final four games. But what little is left of the season feels practically lost.
“Honestly, I’d say it sounds like words,” running back Antonio Gibson said of the team’s discussions of growth. “We keep saying that, but … it’s too late for growth right now, I feel like.”
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