He was handed a contract worth $45 million in 2025 NFL free agency to beef up a soft Washington Commanders run defense, but defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw knows the unit was anything but solid against the Atlanta Falcons and star running back Bijan Robinson in Week 4.
To his credit, Kinlaw isn’t shirking his share of the blame for the Commanders getting gashed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on the ground by Robinson and Co. Those yards and scores help condemn Washington to a 34-27 defeat at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, September 28, and Kinlaw knows why things went wrong.
The first-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft told reporters, including JP Finlay of NBC4 Sports, “For sure he’s one of the best running backs, if not the best running back, but like I said, I’ve jut got to better in certain situations.”
Getting into specifics, Kinlaw admitted “I had a few details where I wasn’t really on the details tonight, and just got to play better.”
It’s a frank admission from a veteran player fronting for a defense that buckled in clutch moments all game. Yet, as much as Kinlaw is being a team player in front of the media, his struggles will refocus the spotlight on whether or not the Commanders grossly overpaid the former San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets interior D-lineman on the veteran market.
Javon Kinlaw Couldn’t Fix Commanders Weakness
The Kinlaw debate will be back on after he was a non-factor in Atlanta. That’s not how it’s supposed to go for a 6-foot-5, 319-pounder expected to fill the middle and force runners to move laterally.
Robinson was allowed to move in whatever direction he wanted en route to averaging 4.4 yards per carry. His ability to dominate wasn’t all on Kinlaw, though.
The latter wasn’t on the field when Robinson danced around and powered through would-be tacklers for his 16-yard touchdown run.
Poor tackling made this score possible and was a depressing feature of the Commanders defensively. The level of the problem was noted by Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, who cited Pro Football Focus crediting Washington’s D’ with “12 missed tackles today.”
This stat is eerily reminiscent of last season, when the Commanders yielded 4.8 yards per carry. Reducing that figure is why Kinlaw was added to a remodelled defensive front, but the group is instead living up to preseason predictions of doom.
There are mitigating factors, like the season-ending injury suffered by big-bodied defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr., but the Commanders and their front seven weren’t just beaten up on the ground by the Falcons.
Commanders Defense Gashed In Every Way
Robinson adding four catches for 106 yards summed up how easily the Falcons were able to move the ball any way they wanted. This 69-yard swing pass to Robinson brutally illustrated how the Falcons exploited Commanders weaknesses.
As PFF’s Nick Akridge described, the Falcons isolated Robinson against 35-year-old middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. Akridge called it a “Mesh rail with Bijan and Bobby has to carry the rail. Not a chance.”
That about says it, because the Commanders simply don’t posses the athleticism at linebacker to stay with receivers in space, nor to track runners sideline to sideline. It’s just one problem for an ageing unit devoid of bluechip game-wreckers.
Without them, the Commanders couldn’t displace the line of scrimmage against the run or puncture the pass-pocket consistently. It meant struggling Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw for over 300 yards.
The numbers add up to a bleak reality for Kinlaw and Wagner. They need help, but the roster doesn’t feature star power on the defensive side of the ball, so head coach Dan Quinn and coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. must get more creative to plug gaps.