Do you feel flat on a victory Monday? That’s a question that BMitch & Finlay had to ask, because yes, the Commanders won Sunday, but the second half was a slog and they didn’t really look terribly impressive in what ended up a close win in Atlanta.
The guys took a bunch of calls from Commanders fans about their feelings on a victory Monday, but in talking about it all themselves, Brian and JP were happy with the win, but the rollercoaster it was left them feeling like they’d like to see the Commanders play a complete game for a change.
“Wasn’t pretty but kind of doesn’t matter…a win is a win, and the defense showed up when it needed to,” JP Finlay said.
“I’m gonna say stop looking for pretty and just look for wins, because there were some ugly wins for some teams this weekend,” Brian replied. “The Bills last night was ugly, you think they care? I don’t care how pretty or ugly they are.”
JP is hoping that the biggest takeaway from Sunday is the Commanders’ defense is actually good, knows they’ve underperformed, and have now realized it’s time to step it up.
“A lot of the stuff we’ve been asking for, like being more aggressive and blitzing, they did that and it worked,” JP said. “And obviously, there have been personnel changes like Emmanuel Forbes to the bench, and more understanding of run support.”
“For me, watching the Jets last night, and Cleveland yesterday, that was basically defensive-led,” Brian replied. “You have to get to the point where your front is so damn disruptive and that's what you saw. Even the Giants last night – when Dexter Lawrence decided to play, he was pushing a wheelbarrow with the offensive linemen. Cleveland’s defense shut Christian McCaffrey down too.”
But the Commanders’ line, the supposed strength?
“I think we played a damn good defensive game yesterday, but still, I have not seen the dominance that I know they're capable of, because they've done it,” BMitch said. “They’ve done it as individuals, but if all four come together and play like they’re capable of, that’s the day you’re going to find me running here and running through that door. But, they’re still playing way less than they’re capable of. My expectations for this defense are higher than others; I don’t want to see it just against teams that aren’t great offensively. I know the talent they have, but I want to see you get to the level of expectations that you have that you're capable of. Show me how you could be dominant.”
They did well, but got nothing offensively, especially in the second half, and that leaves JP wondering what it will look like if all three phases actually play well…and BMitch went off on another rant about analytics.
“This is one thing I don’t like about analytics: they got short fields two times, and they got touchdown two times – but analytics would go, ‘oh, look how many yards they had,’” Brian said. “Who gives a damn? They got a touchdown, that's what matters.”
It does, and thankfully, those scores carried them, because the execution in the second half was brutal, which is why it was such an ugly win to many.
“Their last four real possessions of the game were four punts, none of those possessions more than five plays,” JP said. “They were up two scores in the fourth quarter, and let Atlanta back in, because offensively, they couldn’t stay on the field.”
Thank the defense, but…
“I don't know what this team is, because in Philly, the defense wasn't there in the second half,” JP said. “Imagine if all three phases show up at once?”
“It’s a roller-coaster ride,” BMitch replied. “I’ve only asked for this for four or five years: I want a complete game; I haven’t seen one, but I don't think it's something bad to be asking for. This is not knocking them, I'm thrilled about the victory, but I expect them to get to the level of consistent play that I feel they're capable of. And if they get to that, I think they can compete with anybody in this league.”
Take a listen above as BMitch & Finlay discuss the ride!
