'Bad Decisions' Led to Commanders Defensive Goal Line Stand, Says Coach Ron Rivera

While they didn't allow any points the Washington Commander bent as much as they could before standing up in the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns' starting offense.

If you're counting, that's one touchdown drive for Washington Commanders starting quarterback Sam Howell and none for Cleveland Browns starter Deshaun Watson.

Of course, Watson was able to navigate his offense down to the goal line against the Commanders' defense before getting stood up and eventually failing to convert on fourth and goal from the one.

What led to that long drive was bad decisions according to the man in charge of the on-field product in Washington.

"On two of the long runs on the outside to the right side of our defense, the biggest problem more than anything else (is) we played behind the ball," coach Ron Rivera said when asked about that drive specifically by Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. "We didn't get a good edge said and when we decided to run through we ran behind and not in front. Bad decisions on the guys that were supposed to fit those creases."

If there are negatives to take away from the Commanders' first preseason contest - and first preseason win since 2021 - it's that the defense didn't look as dominant as we may have expected.

The Browns' first drive of the game gained a net total of 67 yards, lasted 12 plays, and melted nearly seven minutes off the game clock. 

Still, by the end of it, Watson and his offense left the field pointless. Something they'll say doesn't truly matter, but something we all know bugs any competitor just a little bit. 

It was good to see Washington's defense stand up tall at the end, but the troubling views of pressure without sacks and long runs surrendered will be harped on in meetings to come by defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio without a doubt.

And if we're being honest, there were likely some conversations had on the sideline as well, as the Commanders' defense came out in the second Cleveland possession and took them off the field without a single first down.

That was more like what we expected, and coach Rivera opted to pull his starting defense at that time. 

Isolated to one game, that one drive is perhaps a slight wake-up call in preseason football that Washington's talented defense still has to put in an effort against any NFL team. 

And the second result serves as a reminder of what could be. 

For now, it's a blip on the radar and nothing to be overly concerned about, but we'd be lying if we didn't say it caught our attention.

Find David Harrison on the Locked On Commanders podcast or text him directly at (202) 760-2188.

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