Commanders Lose Because They Can't Pressure Geno Smith. Maybe Montez Sweat & Chase Young Might Have Helped
Less than two weeks ago the Washington Commanders were making the case they were serving their best interests by trading both Montez Sweat and Chase Young at the NFL trade deadline.
Weird. It didn't seem that way on Sunday.
It was nearly three hours after the Commanders had lost not one, but two fourth-quarter ties against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday that renown NFL expert Magic Johnson offered his analysis of his team's latest loss:
"Defensively, we couldn't come up with a big play to stop Seattle during their last two drives," Johnson said, unlocking the key to a heartbreaking loss for his 5.2 million followers that hang breathlessly on his football insights.
Geno Cooks Commanders Without Young, Sweat
There's nothing factually incorrect about what Johnson, an NBA Hall of Famer and Commanders minority owner, is saying. The Commanders couldn't sack, hit or hurry Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith at all when it mattered most.
The Commanders got to Smith once in the first half but were unable to disrupt the Seahawks QB in the second half much at all. So Smith and his receivers picked Washington's overmatched secondary apart.
But it's what Magic left unsaid that should be galling to any Commanders fan with a pulse.
Because the Sweat and Young absence -- moves that were supposed to provide addition by subtraction eventually -- only seemed to have unraveled a key fabric of the Commanders defense.
On a day the Commanders couldn't stop Smith from feeling comfortable in the pocket and connecting on 11 of 15 passes in the fourth quarter, the absence of both or even one defensive end glowed in neon.
It seemed to be subtraction by subtraction.
Chase Young of the San Francisco 49ers and Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers sack Trevor Lawrence on Sunday. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Commanders Lack Pass Pressure Without Chase Young
The Commanders, you'll recall, paid handsomely to acquire Sweat and Young. They used first-round picks in the 2019 and 2020 drafts, respectively. But they gave both up because -- the story goes -- they couldn't afford them when they become free agents next offseason.
So the Commanders, deciding they couldn't afford Sweat and didn't love Young, got a second-round pick for Sweat and a third-rounder for Young.
And then came Sunday and the team that didn't want to pay for those two players paid a different price.
They were knotted up multiple times in the fourth quarter with a chance to even their record at 5-5 with a victory. It would put them on the cusp of playoff contention.
But, you know, Washington lacks game-deciding pressure on the passer now. So the defense wilted.
"That's probably the biggest disappointment this week. we had to be better there," coach Ron Rivera said of his defense late in the game. "Take advantage of that opportunity. It was unfortunate. We were set up in a good situation and we just didn't get it done."
Rivera was not asked about Young or Sweat during his press conference. But it's clear the Commanders missed the guys they traded away.
We know this because Young and Sweat led the Commanders in sacks this year -- combining for 11.5 in eight games.
Montez Sweat of the Chicago Bears hits Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Chase Young, Montez Sweat Perform
We know this because both players came out of the gate with their new teams doing what they do best. They both got after the opposing quarterback.
Young had 1/2 a sack (he shared it with Nick Bosa who is a very sack-hungry individual) and had two quarterback hits in the 49ers' victory over Jacksonville. Last Thursday, Sweat had three quarterback hits in the Bears' win over Carolina.
Maybe some of that QB pressure might have helped the Commanders on Sunday.
This all begs the question where does it leave the Commanders?
Geno Smith has time to casually complete a pass against the Commanders on Sunday. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Strong Case Against Sweat-Young Trades
Their defense is obviously diminished by this trade. And rather than using the coming draft to fill spots where help was previously needed, Washington must fill holes the trades created.
The problem is, logic says the Commanders are not as likely to find the same quality of pass rusher in the second- or third-round of the 2024 draft that they found in the first round of the 2019 and 2020 drafts.
So the Commanders need something good to happen the remainder of this season and in the draft to show they got these trades right.
Because Sunday made a strong case against them.