"It's almost hard to reconcile how much has changed around him since entering the league as a first-round pick out of Alabama back in 2018. He no longer has his longtime running mate, Jonathan Allen, beside him - not only gone, but lining up on the opposite sideline this Sunday as a member of the Vikings. The Commanders' front has been rebuilt, gutted, and reshaped multiple times over the past few years, but Payne has remained."
"Payne enters Week 14 on the longest pressure drought of his career: three straight games without a single pressure. On 62 combined pass rush snaps across those matchups, the interior defensive lineman didn't generate a single hurry, hit, or sack. In 129 career games, he had never gone three straight weeks without registering pressure, until now. And when you zoom out, the complete picture of his season isn't much kinder."
"Payne hasn't recorded a sack since Week 1, when he opened the year with a two-sack burst against the New York Giants. He has 17 total pressures from the interior - respectable, but far below what Washington needs from him. Add in the suspension for punching Amon-Ra St. Brown in Week 10, which kept him out of the Madrid game, and 2025 has been the most turbulent year of his career."
At 3-9, Washington's defense has frequently underperformed and needs Daron Payne to reclaim foundational play. Payne entered the league as a 2018 first-round pick from Alabama and has remained through multiple front-seven rebuilds, even as Jonathan Allen moved to the Vikings. He currently faces a career-long pressure drought, going three straight games without a pressure on 62 combined pass rush snaps — a streak unseen in his previous 129 games. He has not recorded a sack since Week 1 and has totaled 17 interior pressures this season. A suspension for punching Amon-Ra St. Brown in Week 10 caused him to miss the Madrid game, making 2025 a turbulent season despite retained talent.
Read at Riggo's Rag
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