Commanders Progress Report: What Grade Does Washington Get After First 4 Games?

One win caused excitement around the Washington Commanders, but three straight losses have undone all the goodwill, resulting in a lack of confidence moving into the second quarter of the season.

Each NFL season is filled with ups and downs, and for the Commanders so far there have been more low moments than high. 

While the year started on an upward swing with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the next three games resulted in losses to the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys, and have degraded the energy around the organization significantly.

COMMANDERS MVP: WR CURTIS SAMUEL

It's tough naming an MVP for a 1-3 team, but not everything is negative these days. 

As a receiver, Samuel is on a path toward career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. 

But Samuel has always been a threat as a runner and receiver and is also on pace to produce near career-high numbers there as well. 

If the Commanders are going to turn things around on offense, Samuel is going to be one of the main players involved in doing so. 

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE QUARTER: RB ANTONIO GIBSON

For the sake of expanding the conversation, Samuel can't be both the MVP and offensive player of the quarter.

With that in mind, we're going with running back Antonio Gibson. 

Currently, Gibson leads the team in touches with 66, and running back J.D. McKissic is second with 36. 

Expectedly, Gibson also leads the team in scrimmage yards, but only has a four-yard lead over Samuel. 

The best part is, he's done all of this without a single fumble. Lost or otherwise.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE QUARTER: CB BENJAMIN ST-JUSTE

In Week 3, it became clear very early that quarterback Jalen Hurts was targeting second-year cornerback Benjamin St-Juste. 

After it didn't work, he turned toward veteran cornerback Kendall Fuller. 

Unfortunately, that went better for Hurts. 

Through four games, St-Juste is one of four Washington defensive backs to face more than 15 targets this season including Darrick Forrest, William Jackson III, and Kendall Fuller. 

Of the four, St-Juste's 38.1 percent catch rate is the lowest in the group, and opposing quarterbacks are earning just a 71.9 quarterback rating while he's broken up three of the 21 targets that have come his way.

If not for a late challenge flag from coach Ron Rivera those numbers would be even better, showing just how much St-Juste has grown in just his second year. 

FIRST QUARTER GRADE: D

It's not good enough to be the smartest kid in class when it comes to the report card. You have to execute the lesson plan and earn the grade. 

Washington has the horses to win just about any race the NFL puts them in. But it's on the team to get it done, and they haven't. 

Rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr. getting activated on Wednesday is huge, but getting him on the playing field will be even bigger. 

Still, one man can't do it alone, and if Robinson delivers on is potential but the rest of the team continues to fail in the biggest moments, this grade isn't going to rise much in the second quarter of Washington's season.

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