They won’t face a Malik Nabers in Week 2, but the Washington Commanders could still be embarrassed by an underrated wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers.
The hosts at Lambeau Field for Thursday Night Football deploy a receiver corps greater than the sum of its parts. But one member is beginning to separate from the crowd.
It’s Jayden Reed, whose deceptive play speed and ability to win from the slot can cause the Commanders’ defense a ton of problems on the back end. Particularly after the way New York Giants slot-specialist Wan’Dale Robinson feasted at times during Washington’s otherwise dominant season-opening win.
Robinson helped himself to six catches for 55 receiving yards, most of them on inside routes from the slot. He moved the sticks to gain four first downs and averaged 5.7 yards after catch per reception to emerge as a bright spot amid the G-Men’s doom and gloom.
Commanders need a concise plan to limit Jayden Reed’s influence in Week 2
Those numbers tell the story. The Commanders’ coverage schemes are vulnerable to a shifty playmaker underneath. It’s a worry when Reed is a more dynamic threat than Robinson.
Another telling stat from Robinson’s gains in Week 1 reveals he averaged 3.1 yards of depth per target. The Packers are likely to have something more expansive in mind for Reed, who logged 416 slot snaps in 2024, according to Player Profiler.
Reed was still winning from the slot when he reeled in this 12-yard touchdown catch against the Detroit Lions in Week 1. He aligned as the inside wideout in a trips set. It’s common for the Packers to stack receivers and hide him in post-snap traffic.
Playing man coverage against this look is a nightmare, thanks to the legal pick concept used to wall off and slow the progress of the nearest tracking defender. In this case, cornerback Terrion Arnold (No. 6).
https://twitter.com/packers/status/1964800617135665176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1964800617135665176%7Ctwgr%5Ec14ccc5690d316b73a469e69198f1081ae6a7544%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Friggosrag.com%2Funderrated-packers-wr-could-embarrass-commanders-if-theyre-not-ready-week-2
While books could (and should) be written about the legality of such rub concepts, the Commanders need to have answers for how the Packers free Reed. Any answers must begin with the right matchup underneath.
The conventional approach would be to have Mike Sainristil over Reed in the slot. He is a natural inside defender, but he was snatching at air at times last week against Robinson, after being burned by the same source for a touchdown in Week 2 last season.
Perhaps Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. would risk having Marshon Lattimore trail Reed. The four-time Pro Bowler is a more handsy cover man whose aggressive lockdown tendencies play better closer to the line of scrimmage.
If Whitt and head coach Dan Quinn don’t want to risk playing press, they could assign second-round pick Trey Amos to play off-coverage over Reed.
Amos impressed against the Giants. But the rookie is likely to be needed against other threats like Reed’s fellow receivers Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, and first-rounder Matthew Golden.
It makes more sense for the Commanders to have Lattimore shadow Reed. Especially if it’s combined with some robber coverage involving Quan Martin dropping down from the safety level post-snap to snatch the crossing routes Reed often runs from the slot, particularly out of bunch formations.
Slowing the Packers’ passing game is how the Commanders win this tough matchup. It won’t happen without a plan for clamping down on Reed.
Be the first to comment