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Arefocused offense with the running game clicking into gear again, wasn’t the only reason the Washington Commanders got back to winning ways in Week 13. Head coach Dan Quinn also made a subtle but significant change involving defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis.
Specifically, Quinn sent Washington’s second-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft to the bench and promoted former New England Patriots D-lineman Carl Davis. Quinn revealed why Mathis, Mathis was sat down for the 42-19 win over the Tennessee Titans.
The coach called the switch something made in the service of “internal competition,” according to Ben Standig of The Athletic.
That’s fairly neutral reasoning from Quinn, but there might be more than classic coach speak behind this decision. At least based on how the defense improved in a key area.
Dan Quinn Change Helped Commanders Improve vs. the Run
The improvement was notched by a run defense that allowed just 35 yards all day. Tennessee’s lowly output represented quite the turnaround for a Commanders unit that had been gashed on the ground in previous weeks.
Washington’s defense has allowed 1,781 rushing yards and a gaudy 4.8 yards per carry. The Commanders had surrendered 202 yards to the Chicago Bears in Week 8, 164 to the New York Giants a week later, 140 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 228 to the Philadelphia Eagles and 91 to the Dallas Cowboys, according to Pro Football Reference.
Mathis made a mere nine tackles across those games, failing to register a meaningful statistic against the Cowboys, despite playing 15 snaps. Davis played just one fewer snap against the Titans, but his presence made a difference.
The difference came from Davis being able to play over the ball as a natural nose tackle. His 6-foot-5 and 320-pound frame added the beef and two-gap skills the Commanders needed to readjust the line of scrimmage and occupy double teams so others could stop the run.
Those are the attributes Quinn knew the Commanders were getting when they added Davis to the practice squad back in October. He’d briefly played for Quinn and Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. with the Cowboys in 2023.
There were mitigating factors to Davis and the Commanders proving more solid against the run in Week 13. Factors like the home team quickly building a 28-0 lead and all but taking the run away from a Titans offense playing catch up.
Yet context may not help Mathis get back onto the field. Davis’ scheme fit and better aptitude for stopping the run could put Mathis’ future in jeopardy, even after the Commanders backed the former Alabama stud in the offseason.
Phidarian Mathis Faces Uphill Battle
Quinn showed faith in Mathis, who spent a large portion of the offseason looking like a prime candidate for roster cuts. Mathis survived when the Commanders opted instead to trade nose tackle John Ridgeway III to the New Orleans Saints.
That deal kept Mathis on the roster, but rather than a reprieve, the 26-year-old is facing another crossroads in his Commanders career. Injuries had long been an issue for a player who missed most of his first two seasons because of knee and calf problems, but being a healthy scratch does not bode well for his development.
Davis and fellow mid-season arrival Sheldon Day aren’t the only tackles who can take playing time away from Mathis. His problems are compounded by this year’s second-rounder Jer’Zhan ‘Johnny’ Newton.
The latter is a raw, but more explosive lineman than Mathis. Newton can get downhill quickly and rush the passer, making him a natural complement to somebody like Davis and incumbent Daron Payne.
Davis and Day are journeymen who have been on an off practice squads in recent years, so if they continue to get onto the field in the absence of injured Jonathan Allen, Mathis’ position will become untenable.
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