The Washington Commanders knew exactly what the Los Angeles Rams would do on offense in Week 9, so why couldn’t the defense stop one play and one player during the 20-13 defeat at Northwest Stadium?
That question prompted starting edge-rusher K’Lavon Chaisson to call out Washington’s defense and its coaches. Chaisson was beyond frustrated the Commanders didn’t have any answers for wide receiver Puka Nacua at Northwest Stadium.
Speaking to reporters after the game on Sunday, November 8, including JP Finlay of NBC4 Sports, Chaisson admitted that “On days like this, it hurts a little more for the defense because they threw the ball to one person all day. They ran one play all day. So, when the game plan is that constricted, when you just have to do a nine-on-seven matchup and stop one person from catching the ball, a defense should have an advantage on that for sure.”
Chaisson continued to vent when he said, “They running the same play all day, feeding the person the same ball all day, so as a defense, man, you just gotta drop your nuts and figure out how you’re going to stop that. When you have a game-plan that easy, when they’re kinda just, they’re not hiding what they’re doing, they’re running duo all day, they find a way to get Puka the ball. What was that? Twenty-something targets, man. That’s what you gotta hone in on and find the ways to stop that and get your defense off the field,” per 7NewsDC’s Scott Abraham.
Those words can be read as more than a veiled dig at Commanders’ first-year defensive coordinator Daronte Jones. Chaisson and Co. thought they had the ideal plan to stun Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Instead, the Commanders failed to adjust and disrupt the 38-year-old’s prolific connection with Nacua.
Commanders Couldn’t Stop Obvious Puka Nacua Threat
Neither Jones nor head coach Dan Quinn had any answers for the way the Rams routinely found Nacua in space for big gains. He finished with 14 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown.
It’s not as if the Commanders didn’t know the Rams’ offense would go through Nacua. Finlay told 106.7 The Fan that “what really is bothering the players, especially on defense, is that, I mean, I talked to these guys all week. They knew Nacua was the option, they knew that’s how this offense ran. They game-planned for him all week and still just weren’t able to stop him.”
Stopping Nacua was always going to be a difficult task. He’s one of the best receivers in the NFL, but he’s also a playmaker lacking support while fellow wideout Davante Adams is on the shelf.
The absence of Adams should’ve made it easier to assign more bodies to Nacua. Particularly in clutch situations.
That’s what “Grant & Danny Show” co-host Grant Paulsen was calling for after Nacua “picked up 19 yards on a dig route on 3rd-and-11. He’s got 13 catches for 143 yards. Why not double him on 3rd downs and force somebody else to beat man?”
Why not double him on 3rd downs and force somebody else to beat man?
Jones was allowed to rigidly stick to his man coverage and heavy blitzing strategy. It’s the complex and aggressive mix of pressure and disguise he was hired to use to confuse offenses, but the Commanders needed a more straightforward approach against what the Rams do best.
The problem extended to how Washington’s defense fared on the ground.
K’Lavon Chaisson, Defense Not Prepared for Rams
The Rams gained 124 rushing yards, mostly running their now familiar ‘Duo’ concept. They unleashed this play out of their favorite, three-tight end set.
Numbers from Next Gen Stats show “The Rams used 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TEs) on 40 of 73 plays (54.8%) against the Commanders, the highest rate by any team in a game this season. The Rams offense had a 57.5% success rate in 13 personnel, compared to 27.3% in all other groupings.”
The Rams offense had a 57.5% success rate in 13 personnel, compared to 27.3% in all other groupings.
@LARvsWAS | #RamsHouseChaisson and the defense weren’t adequately prepare for this formation. That’s despite ESPN’s John Keim noting before the game how the Rams had “used that look 186 times — 41 more than the No. 2 team. They have used PA out of that 49 times. They’ve run it 121 times.”
The Commanders having no answers for what the Rams always run is an indictment of Jones and Quinn. The latter’s expertise is defense, but he hasn’t fielded a credible unit during nearly three seasons in charge.
Jones’ arrival, along with several high-priced free agents, including Chaisson, was supposed to change the narrative. Instead, the Commanders are learning the hard way how talent goes to waste without the right coaching.
K’Lavon Chaisson Blasts Commanders’ Game Plan vs. ‘Easy’ Rams