INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — It’s hard to win without controlling the line of scrimmage, as the Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Chargers were reminded last week.
The Commanders couldn’t rush the passer in a 34-27 loss at the Atlanta Falcons, and the Chargers failed to protect Justin Herbert as their undefeated start ended with a 21-18 defeat at the New York Giants, putting the teams' respective struggles up front in the spotlight when they face off Sunday.
Washington (2-2) managed just one sack and gave Michael Penix Jr. enough time to throw for a career-best 313 yards. That lack of pressure allowed Penix to pick apart the Commanders’ secondary, which is allowing 8.1 yards per pass attempt this season. Only two NFL clubs are worse — the Dallas Cowboys (8.8) and Miami Dolphins (8.3).
Coach Dan Quinn wasn’t pleased with the lack of a pass rush against the Falcons and wondered aloud whether some extra pressure could have been generated by trying different schemes.
“I thought, ‘When are we going to take our shots?’ … I thought we could have stunted more to try to put the offensive line in some disadvantages,” Quinn said. “I do feel like we’ve got to get them off the spot.”
The Commanders have 10 sacks, which puts them in a seven-way tie for 12th in the league, but half of that total came in one game — against the Las Vegas Raiders, who have one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines.
The Chargers (3-1) might not be much better in protection than their AFC West rivals right now, with offensive tackle Joe Alt ruled out Friday after spraining his right ankle at the Meadowlands. Alt moved over from right tackle to left tackle when Rashawn Slater sustained a season-ending patellar tendon tear in August, and the drop-off without the second-year Notre Dame product left Herbert under constant duress from the Giants’ formidable pass rush.
Herbert expressed optimism about his blind-side security without Alt available, which seems likely to come from Jamaree Salyer this week after Austin Deculus struggled badly against New York.
“Thankfully, we’ve got so many guys that are going to step up and contribute to the team,” Herbert said. “They’re gonna go out there, you know, we’re gonna give our best every week, and I think they’re gonna do a great job stepping in.”
Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels is set to return from a left knee injury that kept him out the past two games. Daniels’ recovery is all the more fortuitous because he was born in San Bernardino, some 70 miles east of SoFi Stadium.
“It would mean the world,” Daniels said of the chance to play Sunday. “I plan on having a lot of people attend the game. … To be able to play back in my hometown as a pro, it would mean everything.”
Daniels’ presence means the Chargers will have to deal with another mobile quarterback after failing to contain Jaxson Dart, who rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown in his first career start. Safety Alohi Gilman said the defense wasn’t focused enough on the details needed to limit both designed runs and scrambles, and the team will need to be locked in against Daniels.
“Obviously, he’s an elite player,” Gilman said of Daniels, who had 891 yards rushing and six touchdowns as a rookie. “I think we’re excited for the challenge, excited for what he brings.”
The Commanders are 2-0 at home and 0-2 on the road. A common thread to those losses was slow starts. Washington trailed Atlanta 10-0 after the first quarter last week and fell behind 14-0 midway through the second quarter of a Week 2 defeat at Green Bay.
“We just have to make sure we can hit the gas early,” Quinn said. “I didn’t feel that going into preparation or any of that, but the results are what they are. We’ve got to make sure we can find our edge and make sure that weighs different and feels different and feels aggressive at the start.”
After intercepting 15 passes and recovering six fumbles last season, forcing turnovers has been much harder for Los Angeles through the first month of the season. The Chargers had three picks against the Raiders in Week 2 but did not have a takeaway in their other three games.
“I think teams are doing a good job of trying to protect themselves, but I also think we have some chances to make sure we’re taking advantage of those opportunities. We got to be a little bit more conscious and aware of it, but it’ll come,” Gilman said.
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AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich in Ashburn, Virginia, contributed to this report.
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