Commanders, Week 3 — What Repeats: The Four-Man Rush Took the Ball

Last week this show said to watch who was rushing on the snaps that went wrong. Here is the answer. Washington sent five or more pass rushers on 24 of Seattle's 47 dropbacks, 51 percent, third-highest of the 32 defenses this week. That rate has climbed every week — 39 percent, then 47, then 51 — against a little over a quarter of dropbacks across last season. On those 24 dropbacks Sam Darnold completed 17 of 24 throws for 238 yards and two touchdowns. On the other 23, where Washington rushed four or fewer, he went 14 of 21 for a hundred 41 yards, two touchdowns, and both interceptions. A week ago the split ran the other way: the five-plus snaps held Dallas and the four-man rush got beaten. This week the five-plus snaps gave up the yards and the four-man rush took the ball. Two games, opposite conclusions, and the thing that actually held is the coach's willingness to send five.

The turnovers deserve the charting, because the Recap gave them the score. Sonny Styles's interception was charted contested but not interception-worthy — the receiver and defender arrived together on an uncatchable ball. Kain Medrano's pick-six was the one charted interception-worthy, a throw a defender should have caught, and it came off a play fake against four rushers. So Seattle put one interception-worthy ball in the air on 46 throws, about two percent, and Washington caught it. Over the first two weeks opponents had given this defense one such ball, and a penalty erased it. The first one that counted, it took.

The run defense repeated the shape of last week and improved the result. Washington showed six or fewer defenders in the box on five of Seattle's 17 designed runs, 29 percent, 20-sixth of 32. Seattle gained 2.3 yards a carry, and only one defense in the league allowed less per designed run this week. Last week it was a 33 percent light box and 2.4 a carry. In Week 1 it was 61 percent and five yards a carry; across last season, 61 percent and 4.7. Two straight weeks of loaded boxes, two straight weeks under two and a half a carry. The five light-box runs Seattle did get went for seven yards.

The pass coverage was the unit that got beaten, and the charting is honest about it. 39 of Seattle's 46 throws were catchable, 85 percent. That is the fifth-highest share any defense allowed this week, after 87 percent against Dallas. Two games in a row the opposing quarterback has been accurate against this secondary. Seattle also faked the handoff on 16 of 47 dropbacks, 34 percent, fifth-highest play-action rate any defense faced this week, and Darnold went 11 of 15 for a hundred 54 off the fake. 12 of Seattle's throws were contested, 26 percent, so the coverage was close often. Close on a catchable ball still counts as a catch.

On offense Marcus Mariota threw every pass, and the ball got more accurate. 25 of 31 throws were catchable, 81 percent, seventh of 32. It was 62 percent in Week 1 and 69 in Week 2, and 69 across last season. 11 of the 31 were contested, 36 percent, third-highest of any offense this week and more than double last season's 15. Terry McLaurin drew five of them. He was targeted nine times and eight were catchable, after three of nine catchable a week ago. He caught six for 77 and the touchdown, and he dropped one. Three drops on 25 catchable balls is 12 percent, third-highest in the league this week. One throw was interception-worthy, a first-down ball to Stefon Diggs in the second quarter that fell incomplete.

A few smaller lines. The five sacks Washington's defense made over the first two weeks were all charged to the passer; on Sunday it did not sack Darnold once. Mariota was sacked twice, and neither was charted as his fault. The pass rush Washington faced went the other way from the one it sent: Seattle rushed five or more on five of 35 dropbacks, 14 percent, and only Kansas City faced five or more on a smaller share this week. Play-action sat right at last season's rate — nine of 35 dropbacks, 26 percent, tied for fourteenth — and Mariota completed four of eight off the fake for 26 yards, the longest for nine. The no-huddle stayed away a third week: about five percent of snaps, fifteenth, after 12 and about seven, against 61 percent across last season.

The designed run game lost its light boxes and its yards together. Seattle showed six or fewer on 11 of 28 designed runs, 39 percent, eighteenth of 32, after 66 60 percent in the first two weeks and 67 across last season. All 28 designed runs gained 80 yards, 2.9 a carry, 20-seventh of 32. The 11 light-box runs went for 35 yards; the 17 into seven or more went for 45. Jacory Croskey-Merritt carried 19 times for 36.

The stat lines have settled, so here they are, scored half-PPR. Mariota, 20.4: 19 of 31 for a hundred 83 three touchdowns, no interceptions, five carries for 11. McLaurin, 16.7. Rachaad White, 10.6, eight carries for 35 and the six-yard receiving touchdown. Treylon Burks caught both targets, one for a score, 8.3. Diggs four of seven for 33. Croskey-Merritt 4.8. For Seattle, Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 10 of 14 for a hundred 28 two touchdowns, 30.4; Darnold 31 of 45 for 379, four touchdowns and the two interceptions, 27.7; Cooper Kupp four catches for 46 and a score, 12.6.

The yardstick, one last time. Every comparison above is to last season, a different roster. From next week this show measures Washington against Washington's own games this year.

The thread, for anyone new. Washington went five and 12 last season. This year it lost 24 to 22 at Philadelphia, lost 37 to 20 at Dallas, and beat Seattle 33 to 31 at home, so it is one and two. The notebook had three lines. The defense sends five or more far more often than last season — held a third time, and rising, though this week the four-man snaps did the damage instead. Opponents had given it one interception-worthy ball, erased by a flag — Sunday it got one more and caught it. The no-huddle of last season has not shown up — three games now. New to the notebook: the loaded box against the run, two weeks under two and a half a carry. Washington faces the Colts in London next. Watch whether the five-plus share climbs a fourth time, and what the four-man snaps cost.

That's your Commanders — every game, by the numbers. This is Muffed: we do the same deep dive for all 32 teams. Follow the Commanders show wherever you're listening, so next week's recap lands the moment it's out. No theater. Just the football.

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_Data via nflverse. Charting: FTN Data via nflverse._