Losing to Super Bowl contenders Buffalo and Philadelphia is aggravating. A 40-20 loss to the winless Chicago Bears on Thursday was humiliating.
The 27-3 halftime deficit was among the three worst first-half efforts in 26 years at FedEx Field, maybe the worst ever given the Bears entered 0-4 and losers of 14 straight since last year. Washington never came close winning, sending a shocked full house to the exits early.
The most amazing part was the defensive collapse. The four first-rounders on the line were once more manhandled. The secondary was beyond beaten with first-rounder Emmanuel Forbes overwhelmed for the second straight week before he was benched for Danny Johnson.
But, Forbes wasn’t alone. The team was outcoached, outworked, outplayed and outshined. The prime-time loss confirmed the Commanders (2-3) were simply fortunate to start 2-0 because they’re exposed more than a go-go dancer.
What a bewildering loss. Washington once more flexed enough offense to contend and were driving down 30-20 midway through the fourth, though their success only came against a soft Bears defense playing with a big lead. For some reason, Washington could not expose a depleted Chicago secondary until it was too late. (Just 71 passing yards in the first half.)
The worst part – this was supposed to be the feel-good game where Washington regrouped after two bruising losses. Instead, it just broke the back of the season, fans and maybe staff.
Washington has nine days off until facing Atlanta where the Falcons can beat the Commanders. Washington then faces NFC East foes New York Giants and Eagles. The Commanders were hoping to be 5-2, but they’ll be lucky to avoid escaping 2-5.
Is it too soon for new owner Josh Harris to make changes? Coach Ron Rivera does a lot of good things, but winning games isn’t one of them. This loss was a fireable offense. You can’t lose to a team coming off 14 straight losses and traveling to Washington on a short week. And not just lose, but get its butt kicked.
That falls on coaches. The problem with firing Rivera now is Harris doesn’t want to look reactionary. Firing Rivera in October is something his predecessor Dan Snyder would have done. That’s the last thing Harris wants to resemble.
Meanwhile, the team can’t be handed over to defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. He’s the reason Rivera is eventually exiting. A defense with so much talent has looked awful over the last four games. There’s no reason for it.
The team could promote offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, but he’s been here basically five minutes and trying to learn to be a playcaller. Two of his games were poor. Plus, Bieniemy doesn’t want the stink of a sinking ship on his head coaching resume after seeking a job for so long. And, he could be gone come January like everyone else so the risk isn’t worth it career-wise.
The Commanders can rebound, but becoming a playoff team is asking too much even with a young quarterback who has exceeded expectations. It’s another long goodbye of a season before it even started.