Playoff hopes over with loss to Cleveland
Wentz throws three picks in ugly defeat to Browns; Packers’ win eliminates Commanders from postseason
LANDOVER — A chorus of “Heinick-e!” chants ushered Carson Wentz back onto the field Sunday afternoon. He had thrown two interceptions, the first of which incited calls for a switch back to quarterback Taylor Heinicke, and the Washington Commanders also had turned the ball over on downs, providing a blueprint of the worst-case scenario in a game with major playoff implications.
And the second quarter had barely begun.
Coach Ron Rivera said he had benched Heinicke in favor of Wentz to create a “spark” for the Commanders’ offense as they made a final push for the playoffs. But surely the ire pouring out of the FedEx Field stands was far from what he envisioned.
Outside of a 21-play touchdown drive that consumed much of the second quarter, the Commanders again were in disarray because of three Wentz interceptions, a slogging run game and a leaky defense as they fell, 24-10, to the playing-for-nothing Cleveland Browns. The defeat left Washington’s postseason hopes nearly extinguished at 7-8-1; the Green Bay Packers’ 41-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings later Sunday eliminated the Commanders.
Falling short of the postseason is a hugely disappointing end to Rivera’s third season after the Commanders had turned a 1-4 start into a 7-5 record.
“In this league, these opportunities are precious,” defensive back Bobby McCain said. “You got to take advantage of them when they come. You only got 17 games to prove yourself . ... We’re kicking ourselves because we let games slip away early in the season and now that we know we can win . ... It’s tough. It sucks.”
Heinicke took over in Week 7 after Wentz underwent finger surgery, and he led the Commanders to five wins in six games to put them squarely in the playoff picture — seemingly putting Rivera’s rebuild back on track.
“It’s always about where you are [in] your third season,” Rivera said two days before Sunday’s loss. “Have you put the players in position? Are you confident in what you’re doing as far as your scheme? And then really the thing that just shows everybody we’re there is to get to the playoffs.”
After it went winless (0-3-1) in its past four games, the only likelihood in Washington’s near future is yet another quarterback search. Maybe a full housecleaning — and perhaps a sale by owner Daniel Snyder.
“Turnovers, not scoring points and leaving our defense out there too long sometimes,” tight end Logan Thomas said. “We got to put points on the
board.”
Wentz finished 16-for-28 for 143 yards and no touchdowns for a dismal 31.4 passer rating. He scored the Commanders’ lone touchdown on a 1-yard plunge late in the second quarter.
Sunday’s damage was self-inflicted — as it typically is for Washington — and snowballed.
Wentz’s second attempt was a short pass intended for Terry McLaurin that Browns cornerback Denzel Ward intercepted. That let Cleveland (7-9) grab an early 3-0 lead.
The Commanders’ next drive ended in a turnover on downs at the Cleveland 40-yard line. They turned to running back Jonathan Williams — and not powerful rookie Brian Robinson Jr. (87 yards on 24 carries) — on third and four, then again on fourth and one. Williams was stuffed for a 1-yard loss.
Washington’s red-zone defense made sure Cleveland didn’t capitalize. Defensive tackle Daron Payne sacked Deshaun Watson at Washington’s 7-yard line, forcing Cleveland to try a field goal on fourth and goal. Khaleke Hudson was offside on the kick and the Browns took the points off the board, but Watson mustered only one yard on a run to give the Commanders the ball back.
If the bleeding had stopped there, perhaps Washington would’ve had a chance. Instead, on its third drive, Wentz was picked off again, a deep pass over the middle for Curtis Samuel that was snagged by Browns safety Grant Delpit.
“I tried to be aggressive, tried to force a couple throws early, obviously, and kind of put us in a hole,” Wentz said. “Then the rest of the way, just didn’t make enough plays personally, as a team — the whole nine yards. I’m definitely kicking myself over some.”
The Commanders forced a three-and-out, but on the first play — a sack of Watson by Montez Sweat — defensive tackle Jonathan Allen suffered a left knee injury and later was ruled out for the rest of the game. His loss, along with the absences of cornerback Benjamin St-Juste and safety Kam Curl, proved particularly painful.
Curl, the Commanders’ do-it-all defender, was inactive for the second consecutive game because of an ankle injury. Without him or Allen, Washington’s run defense cratered, and its pass defense got exposed.
In a 37-20 loss at San Francisco on Christmas Eve, Washington gave up five plays of 20 yards or more. Against the Browns, the Commanders gave up six — including a 46-yard touchdown Amari Cooper, who slipped through the grasp of cornerback Kendall Fuller en route to the end zone in the third quarter. Watson later had two more deep passes that set up a touchdown catch by Donovan People-Jones in the third, then a 33-yard, pylon-diving touchdown by Cooper that sent fans to the exits in the fourth.
“You can’t miss tackles — not against big runners, good runners,” Rivera said. “You got to make sure, if you do anything, you at least slow them down so somebody else can come in and tackle them. We missed a couple completely.”
Cooper’s second score expanded the Browns’ lead to 24-10 with 5:21 left, and the result would’ve been much worse had the Commanders not consumed much of the second quarter with their lone touchdown drive.
Rivera said Wentz “had his moments” but added that he considered switching back to Heinicke.
“When they went up by 14, I figured for sure we’d be throwing the ball downfield,” Rivera said.
In the second quarter, Wentz quieted the chants for Heinicke just long enough to lead the Commanders on a 21-play, 96-yard drive that spanned 11:27 — its longest by time since at least 2000 — and culminated with a Wentz sneak for a touchdown. Sixteen of those plays were runs. Wentz finally dived over the pile from a yard out, using every inch of his 6-foot-5 frame to cross the goal line and give the Commanders a 7-3 halftime lead.
The satisfaction of the crowd lasted just long enough for the Commanders to introduce their new mascot, a hog named Major Tuddy, and honor their famed “Hogs” offensive line at halftime. But the fans soon resumed their role as frustrated commentators.
Washington’s pièce de résistance came in the final minutes: an overthrown pass by Wentz, a drop by Thomas, a pair of false starts and a turnover on downs.