"Beginning a drive from their own nine-yard line, Caleb Williams tossed a short pass to Cole Kmet in the right flat. Commanders nickel corner Mike Sainristil had coverage on the play. He closed quickly and hit the tight end high. Initial contact came about three yards downfield. Kmet then proceeded to drag the Commanders' corner another eight yards until Sainristil finally forced him out of bounds at the 20-yard line."
"Being a bit undersized is not a deal breaker for a defensive back. There are plenty of smaller safeties and corners who have punched well above their weight throughout NFL history. Bob Sanders was a dynamo at safety despite standing 5-foot-8 and barely cracking 200 pounds. Smaller slot corners like Mike Hilton and Kenny Moore have not let their size prevent them from performing at consistently high levels. Sainristil is cut from the same cloth."
A short fourth-quarter play illustrated a recurring problem: Commanders nickel corner Mike Sainristil was physically mismatched against tight end Cole Kmet, getting driven several extra yards after initial contact. The play, later negated by penalty, still spotlighted that Washington's interior defensive backs lack size and are vulnerable in physical matchups. While smaller defensive backs have succeeded historically, the current personnel group faces repeated mismatches that allow opponents to gain yardage against the secondary. Defensive coaches Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. must address personnel and schematic solutions to limit tight-end and short-pass exploitation.
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