"Some analysts predicted a regression to the norm in terms of the team's close wins this year. They have been spot on. Dan Quinn's team pulled out a lot of nailbiters last year. There seems to have been an almost divine symmetry at play in the two contests with the Chicago Bears in 2024 and 2025. A miracle win one year and a sloppy loss the next - both leading to protracted runs of success and failure."
"Yards per play are way up. Turnovers are down. The pass defense, in particular, has been wretched. You can point to a variety of stats to illustrate just how bad it has been. This one says it all for me. In 2024, the Commanders allowed six yards per pass attempt, the 11th-best in the league. This year, that number is up 7.7 yards per attempt, dead last in the entire NFL."
The Washington Commanders' 2025 season is rapidly disintegrating amid clear defensive regression. Close-game success from 2024 has reversed, producing expected regression in tight results. Injuries and mathematical variance explain some outcomes, but the decline of key young players is puzzling and consequential. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.'s unit is especially troubling, with widespread missed tackles and declining performance. Adam Peters' offseason roster changes produced improvement in 2024, lifting the defense to middle-of-the-pack, but that progress has evaporated. The team is surrendering more yards and points, generating fewer turnovers, and allowing a league-worst 7.7 yards per pass attempt in 2025.
Read at Riggo's Rag
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