WFT Defense Has Improved, But a Long Way to Go

The Washington Football Team was dominant in the season opening win over the Eagles. Since then, anything but.

After a season-opening win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the optimism around the Washington Football Team was renewed.

Washington had just defeated a division rival that had dominated the series in recent history and held the Eagles to a mere 266 total yards. Washington had also seemingly solved the mystery of Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz, whose dominance against them in recent years was legendary.

Washington sacked Wentz eight times and intercepted him twice.

This was the new Washington defense, led by head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, a pair of former standout NFL linebackers.

Since that time, Washington has given up a total of 95 points in the past three games and lost each game.

In Week 2, Washington struggled to contain Arizona’s dynamic quarterback Kyler Murray. In Week 3, Washington had no answer for the Cleveland Browns’ running game, led by Nick Chubb. In last week’s loss to Baltimore, Washington’s defense just didn’t have any answers.

So, where is Washington’s defense one quarter into the 2020 season?

It’s somewhat better.

Sure, the stats may not convince you, but the Football Team has essentially played the last two games without star first-round pick Chase Young. Young showed in the Week 1 win against the Eagles he was a game-changer for this defense. Washington also lost defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis for the season in the loss to the Browns.

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Some of the bigger issues heading into 2020, well, remain an issue.

Washington does not have a free safety. Troy Apke is a good player on special teams and a quality backup, but he is not a starting free safety in the NFL. Rookie Kamren Curl does continue to show promise each week.

High-priced strong safety Landon Collins still misses tackles. Collins did have a big interception two weeks ago. Washington needs more from Collins.

Another issue for this team is the linebackers. Heading into the season, there were question marks at linebacker. The questions still remain. At times, Jon Bostic and Kevin Pierre-Louis have played well. Neither, are long-term solutions.

The cornerback unit has held up well this season. Kendall Fuller missed the first two games but has played well since returning. He had two interceptions in the loss to Baltimore. Ronald Darby has remained healthy and has yet to prove he is a major liability.

Fabian Moreau and Jimmy Moreland have had their moments, both good and bad.

What Washington needs is more from its defensive line. Sure, the sacks are nice, but this team should be able to consistently stop the run.

Washington ranks No. 23 against the run through four weeks. Yes, it is not all on the defensive line. We know that. The linebackers must be better, too. But a group that features Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Ryan Kerrigan, Montez Sweat, Tim Settle and Young should be better.

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For many longtime fans, seeing teams run through Washington late in the second half reminds them of far too many Sundays over the last 20 years. When Washington needs a stop, it needs to be able to count on its defense. So far, outside of one week, that’s not been the case.

There are encouraging signs. But it means nothing until Washington wins more football games.

With Kyle Allen taking over at quarterback, Rivera and Del Rio need to get more out of their defense.

Otherwise, fans assume it’s just more of the same. 

Bryan Manning writes about the Washington Football Team for 'Washington Football' and contributed to All Hokies on SI.com as well. He has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, college football and college basketball for almost 10 years for various outlets such as Bleacher Report, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today SMG, and others. For his day job, Bryan works in engineering for a major communications company.