Paul’s Pivotal Plays: Jaguars @ Commanders
September 14, 2022
By Paul Francis
Welcome to the Week 1 installment of Paul’s Pivotal Plays, where I select a single critical play from each quarter of the game and overanalyze it, while also providing some team commentary. I’ll link a video to the play in focus, if I can find one available.
First of all – what a game! In a rollercoaster victory like this one, there were sooooo many plays to choose from, which made this column both fun and difficult.
1st Quarter – Commanders ball. 2nd and goal at the Jaguars 3. 7:41 to go.
The Jaguars took the lead with a field goal on the game’s first drive, and now it’s the Commanders turn to respond.
Curtis Samuel lines up as the outside receiver to the right, with Terry McLaurin in the slot. Samuel goes in pre-snap motion back towards McLaurin. As the ball is snapped, Samuel switches directions again and runs his route outside towards the pylon. This movement and misdirection does two things. First, it appears to create confusion for the Panthers defensive backs. As Samuel briefly motions past McLaurin in the slot, the defensive backs have a split-second to decide who will cover whom. The Panthers inside-safety, Andre Cisco, decides to pickup Samuel. But Cisco gets in a well-executed rub-play, and Terry McLaurin delivers a perfect legal pick. Carson Wentz delivers a pinpoint pass, and Samuel catches it and skips inside the pylon for the first ever Washington TD for him, Wentz and the Commanders.
Major morale boost all around. Great stuff from Curtis Samuel, who spent all last season fighting off the “injured free agent bust” label but flashed his skills the entire opening drive. Nice throw from Carson Wentz to get the confidence boost that comes from completing his first touchdown pass in a Commanders uniform. Given the questions coming his way since being traded from Indianapolis, it must have felt great to get the season going with such a positive first drive. It was great for the Commanders to open their first ever drive with a touchdown, making a statement and answering the Jaguars. After the extra point, the Commanders are winning 7-3. Game on.
This was also well-designed and well-executed play that showcased some of the imagination going into Scott Turner’s playbook. Misdirection, pre-snap motion, changing formations, keeping defenders guessing – we can expect a lot of this, and it’s really fun to watch when it’s done well. At the end of the day, Wentz targeted 10 different receivers, while 4 different players took handoffs of some kind. Both Curtis Samuel and Antonio Gibson were deployed as hybrid runners/pass-catchers and gave the Panthers defense fits all day. When you look at the list of quarterbacks that Scott Turner has had to work with the past 2 seasons, you can’t help but feel for the guy. He’s been asked to make bricks without straw. Now that he can work with a bonafide NFL-caliber quarterback, the difference in offensive game-planning was plain to see.
2nd quarter – Jaguars ball. 2nd and goal at the Commanders 14. 32 seconds to go.
The Jaguars are down 14-3, but seem to be clawing back into the game.
The Commanders gifted their opponents a boost on the previous drive with a turnover. Now the Jaguars have a chance to feel good about something before halftime with a scoring drive of their own. Deep in Commanders territory, Trevor Lawrence fires a pass out to Travis Etienne in the right flat. Etienne catches the ball and begins to turn upfield but gets immediately plastered by safety Darrick Forrest. Etienne fumbles, and the ball bounces backwards out of bounds for an 8-yard loss. This puts the Jags in 3rd and 19. The defense holds, and Jacksonville ends up missing the field goal attempt.
This play was pivotal for a several reasons. First, it halted the momentum that Jacksonville was building on the drive, allowing the Commanders (and the fans) to go into halftime on a high note. Second, it sure seemed to boost the confidence of the defense. All last year and into the preseason, the defense has taken flak for its inability to get key stops. But these are the kind of momentum-shifting defensive plays that take the initiative away from the offense. Third, this was one of a several highlight plays for second-year safety Darrick Forrest, who ended the game 2nd on the team with 5 tackles, while adding 2 passes defended (including one in the end zone) and the game-sealing interception.
Seeing a player like Forrest step up was an unexpected encouragement. When Landon Collins and Washington parted ways, filling the safety/Buffalo nickel hybrid role has been a point of concern. TO the chagrin of many, the Commanders passed on Notre Dame safety and athletic freak Kyle Hamilton. Then, losing Kamren Curl for this opener was a real bummer for a defensive unit that needed available playmakers. Having Forrest step in and ball out bodes extremely well for this team and reflects well on the front office. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come from Forrest, setting the tone for other young players and building the “next man up” mentality that good teams instill into their culture.
3rd Quarter – Jaguars ball. 3rd and 6 on the Washington 25. 1:24 to go.
Jacksonville has cut the lead to 5, and now sits on the doorstep of Washington’s red zone with a chance for a go-ahead touchdown.
This third quarter pivotal play is another big defensive stop. In case you haven’t been following the team, third down has been a dreaded bugaboo for this defense. So, when Trevor Lawrence dropped back and looked for Christian Kirk over the middle, only for his throw to get volleyball spiked at the line of scrimmage by Daron Payne, that’s a pivotal play. The defense got off the field and the Jaguars were held to a FG.
Not only does the defense do its job to preserve the lead, but it’s a standout play from the Commanders defensive line, and Daron Payne in particular. Both the defensive line and Payne have been under scrutiny coming into the season. As one of the parts of the roster in which the team has heavily invested, much of the defensive gameplan rests on the guys up front making disruptive plays commensurate with their talent level. This is the kind of play the defensive line needs to show on third downs to change the narrative of this unit and defense overall. Although the defense only recorded 2 sacks on the day, Trevor Lawrence was officially hit 10 times. He was pushed out of the pocket on several occasions. Against less mobile quarterbacks, the Commanders would have surely boosted those sack numbers with that kind of work.
The Commanders parted ways with roster regulars Matthew Ioannidis and Tim Settle, and lost Phidarian Mathis for the season to a knee injury, leaving front-line starters Jon Allen and Daron Payne with a load to carry. The way Payne stepped up this game reassures that the middle of the Dline can be the potent pocket-wrecking force it’s billed to be. Payne chipped in 3 tackles, 1 sack, 2 batted balls, 3 QB hits, and 1 tackle for loss. This is the kind of game that should make the Commanders think twice about letting him walk in free agency without trying to re-sign him.
4th Quarter – Commanders ball. 3rd and 8 at the Jacksonville 24. 1:52 left in the game.
Losing 22-20 with less than 2 minutes to go, it is do or die time for Washington.
The Commanders have squandered their lead after a couple of Carson Wentz interceptions. But they’ve put together a solid drive that started at their own 10 yard line, and they’re in range for a 40+ yard field goal. Given the field position and game situation most are probably thinking that the Commanders should get some “safe” yards and a first down. If not, they can lineup for the FG and pray the defense holds a 1-point lead.
The Jaguars defense stacks the box, leaving Jahan Dotson in one-on-one coverage. The single safety cheats over to the other side of the formation, where two receivers are lined up. The Jaguars must be thinking about sacking Wentz and pushing the Commanders into a very long FG, because they rush 7 guys. But several good things click on this play. The pass-blockers do a tremendous job picking up the rush, giving Dotson time to make a double-move. Wentz has time to set up a nice deep touch-throw and floats the ball into the end zone. Dotson makes a terrific concentration play, shrugging off contact from the DB and securing the catch for the game-clinching TD.
Up to this point, Carson Wentz was scripting the wrong narrative about himself. Despite a bright start to the game, everyone would only recall the costly interceptions and sailed passes. They’d recall the ghosts of Indianapolis and Philadelphia and all the reasons why 2 teams decided to trade him away in as many years. But in that one play, Wentz completely flipped the script. He hung in there, showed resilience and delivered a clutch touchdown pass when it mattered most. I believe this was not only THE pivotal play to turn this game from an “L” to a “W”, but also THE pivotal play to turn Wentz’s psyche from “perennial loser” to “potential franchise-guy rediscovered”. We’ll see.
This play also represents vindication for the front office. The Commanders got Wentz because they believe he can be the type of “put-the-game-on-his-shoulders” quarterback that Washington has not had since…I don’t know how long. With Wentz’s stock plummeting after Indianapolis bailed on him in only 1 season, the Commanders front office was widely panned for the move. But despite some mistakes and shaky throws, he proved he could be “that guy” on the drive that mattered most. Furthermore, when the Commanders traded down in the draft and selected Jahan Dotson, they passed on several higher-graded and better-heralded wide receivers, including Treylon Burks who was still on the board. There was a collective skepticism about the move and a sense from fans and pundits alike that “this had better work”. Well, it sure worked out for Week 1, considering that Dotson was the only rookie wide receiver to catch a touchdown (2 to be precise!) in their opening game this season. Here’s to hoping that this kind of Wentz-to-Dotson connection is a regular thing.
The game was far from perfect, but it had the perfect ending. Washington gave away some plays, but also got some plays from a Jacksonville team that looks like it needs a rebuild. If the Commanders can clean up the mistakes and stay humble and hard-working in their approach, they have some nice things to build on. The Commanders are currently undefeated in their history, so let’s enjoy it while we can. I’ve not said it or wrote it before because it always felt awkward, but after an exciting opening game victory, I’ll do it now and give credit where credit is due: Hail to the Commanders!
Well, there you have it, folks. The first installment of Paul’s Pivotal Plays. Let me know what you think, and which plays you would pick down in the comments.
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