Commander Country

Chandler is Coming!

The Eagles pass rush is good but was also missing two key ingredients. They still sacked Dwayne Haskins three times. Chandler Jones might do that by himself.

George Carmi

Chandler is Coming!
Chandler is Coming! /

Heading into week two, the Washington Football Team can take solace in the fact that their defensive line dominated against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Their offensive line? Not so much.

In fact, coming away from week one, the left side rated as among the worst in the league according to Pro Football Focus. Left tackle Geron Christian was graded as at 37.9 and guard Wes Martin was given a 38.8.

This should create some pause going into week two, as the team travels to Arizona and faces off against one of the most prolific pass rushers in the game, Chandler Jones. The standout linebacker has simply dominated since he has entered the league, tallying 97 sacks and 27 forced fumbles. Both are league bests since he was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2012.

“He does wreck things,"  Ron Rivera said. “You have to account for where he is in his alignment and understand what they’re trying to do with him when he’s in certain positions. He’s definitely a guy that you have to pay attention to.”

Under former Head Coach Steve Wilks, Jones primarily played with his hand in the dirt as 4-3 defensive end. Now, he is slated as the strong-side linebacker in Arizona’s base defense, and deployed up and down the line, usually in a two-point stance.

Against the 49ers, he played in 55 of 62 defensive snaps with an almost even split between the left and right edge. He had a slight nod to the right side where he faced off against Left Tackle Trent Williams.

He left the Bay Area with two tackles, one sack, and an additional QB hit.

Unfortunately, Washington will have its hands full tomorrow, and Christian is not the same caliber of athlete as Williams. The team must be creative in how they stop Jones, or the game may be turned by one of his big plays. He has shown the ability to take over games and had a few eye-openers last season, sacking Kyle Allen (3), Daniel Jones (4) and Russell Wilson (4) multiple times in a game.

He also led the league with eight forced fumbles last season. This can’t happen if Washington expects to win. Especially in a game where the Cardinals are expected to put up some points.

Washington would be wise to account for Jones and either shade blocking to his side or devise a game plan to release the ball quickly. An indecisive outing by Dwayne Haskins would leave him susceptible to big hits.

Since leaving New England, Jones' game has improved. He has registered six-straight seasons of double-digit sacks, including seasons of 17, 13 and 19 between 2017-2019. This accomplishment had him selected as an All-Pro in two of those seasons.

Last year, he was outpaced only by Tampa Bay’s Shaquil Barrett (19.5 sacks) and was second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. 

Join "Burgundy & Gold Forever + now and get exclusive access available only to members and Sports Illustrated Magazine for free!

/nfl/washingtonfootball/burgundy-and-gold-forever-plus/

George Carmi joined "Washington Football" on SI.com in April. He is also an editor/contributing writer to FullPressCoverage.com or @FPC_Redskins. He is a native of the DC metropolitan area and is an avid fan of DC Sports. A former journalism major at the University of Maryland, his focus is now in public education. His earliest memories consist of Darrell Green, "The Posse" and Super Bowl XXVI. Follow him on twitter @Gcarmi21

Published
George Carmi
GEORGE CARMI

Home/News