{"id":936000,"date":"2026-10-17T04:26:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T04:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/936000\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T04:26:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T04:26:31","slug":"commanders-news-nfls-worst-second-half-defense-faces-unbeaten-49ers-scoring-31-a-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/936000\/","title":{"rendered":"Commanders News: NFL&#8217;s Worst Second-Half Defense Faces Unbeaten 49ers Scoring 31 a Game"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01kzhtcz5d2pje9xj3py.jpg\" alt=\"the burgundy roundup\" title=\"the burgundy roundup\" width=\"0\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"a1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Washington&#8217;s second-half defensive struggles face a major test against the undefeated 49ers, while injuries continue to create questions for both teams ahead of Monday Night Football. | HTTR4LIFE LLC<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"a7\">Currently, Washington has allowed 95 second-half points, the most in the NFL through five games. Commanders defensive coordinator Daronte Jones spoke with reporters Friday and didn&#8217;t waste time addressing the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/commanders\/onsi\/commanders-winners-losers-giants-week-5-tie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> team&#8217;s second-half defensive issues.<\/a> &#8220;We&#8217;re okay with a three- or four-yard catch; just gotta rally make the tackle.&#8221; Of course, Washington has been allowing a lot more than three- or four-yard catches after halftime, and things aren&#8217;t likely to get any easier against a San Francisco offense averaging nearly 31 points per game and ranking second in the NFL in second-half scoring.<\/p>\n<p>In what seems like a never-ending story, the Washington <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commanders.com\/news\/commanders-vs-49ers-week-6-injury-report-2026\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Commanders&#8217; injury report<\/a> took yet another hit Friday when defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw didn&#8217;t practice and was listed with ankle\/knee injuries after practicing fully on Thursday. <\/p>\n<p>The list is long these days, with Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Charles Omenihu, and Marcus Mariota all still out. Austin Ekeler remained limited, while Rachaad White was downgraded from full to limited, and WR Stefon Diggs returned to limited participation after missing Thursday. Washington still has Saturday&#8217;s practice before final game designations.<\/p>\n<p>The Commanders aren&#8217;t the only ones dealing with injuries, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsportsbayarea.com\/nfl\/san-francisco-49ers\/mike-evans-nick-bosa-practice-friday\/1971672\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nick Bosa missed practice for the 49ers for the second straight day<\/a> with a calf injury. Maybe more importantly, receiver Mike Evans also remained out, but fullback Kyle Juszczyk returned to full participation after dealing with a knee injury. While Saturday&#8217;s practice should give a better answer, GM John Lynch said the 49ers want to avoid rushing Bosa back and risking another injury.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/49ers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">#49ers<\/a> WR Mike Evans (ribs\/achilles) doing some work on the side in early open portion of Friday practice.<\/p>\n<p>OL Carver Willis (toe) was back on the field. DT Gracen Halton (quad) was in warmups then working on the side. <\/p>\n<p>OT Colton McKivitz (illness) also on the side.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nwagoner\/status\/2111186265819566172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">October 16, 2026<\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m53rzthf09c643qdvk.jpg\" alt=\"Friday's Injury Report Week 6\" title=\"Friday's Injury Report Week 6\" width=\"0\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"at\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Commanders PR<\/p>\n<p>Commanders News From the Day<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/commanders\/onsi\/commanders-turnover-margin-one-win-nfl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Commanders Have One of NFL&#8217;s Best Turnover Margins \u2014 So Why Just One Win?<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"b9\">One of Washington&#8217;s top defensive priorities this offseason was to carry a mindset into the season that lived and died off of takeaways. Five weeks in, the team has produced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/commanders\/onsi\/commanders-takeaways-points-seahawks-colts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">seven takeaways <\/a>in a season where they&#8217;ve turned the ball over only twice. That&#8217;s a +5 turnover differential for the Commanders, tied for second-best in the NFL, even though the team has only won once this season. This is unusual, as teams in the top five in that category tend to be better positioned to win.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">QB Pressures in Under 2.5 Seconds<\/p>\n<p>Data: <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FantasyPtsData?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">@FantasyPtsData<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WmMoVed9FE\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/WmMoVed9FE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SFdata9ers\ud83c\udfc8\ud83d\udcca (@sfdata9ers) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/sfdata9ers\/status\/2111192707720781852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">October 16, 2026<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/commanders\/onsi\/commanders-jayden-daniels-giants-blitz-problem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Jayden Daniels Identifies What Washington Was Missing Against the Giants\u2019 Blitz \u2014 Commanders Daily<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"bo\">\u201cWe just gotta learn from it,\u201d Daniels said when asked about Washington&#8217;s fourth-quarter passing game. \u201cYou know, they were bringing a lot of zero pressure. I gotta be able to get different checks to the guys and, you know, ultimately just be, play in the quarterback position, make sure we&#8217;re in the right position to be able to get the ball out to its perimeters, to the skill guys, so they can make plays and hopefully break a couple tackles and make some things happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">\u2600\ufe0f\u2600\ufe0f\u2600\ufe0f<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NWFCU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">@NWFCU<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/RaiseHail?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">#RaiseHail<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YVpJzIFwB1\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/YVpJzIFwB1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Washington Commanders (@Commanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Commanders\/status\/2111096338578383004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">October 16, 2026<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/commanders\/onsi\/commanders-daron-payne-trade-rumors-nfl-deadline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Commanders&#8217; Next Three Games Could Put Daron Payne on the Trade Block<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"c3\">The Washington Commanders already look to be slipping down the path of the future seller following their tough start to the regular season, having slumped out to a disappointing 1-3-1 record with the help of injuries to most of their featured offensive staples and some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/commanders\/onsi\/commanders-report-card-giants-tie-week-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">glaringly poor late-game choices<\/a>. It&#8217;s time for Commanders executives to evaluate who&#8217;s worth paying while key contributors waste away in an unworthy situation, and someone like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/commanders\/onsi\/commanders-roster-evaluation-daron-payne-contract-year-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Daron Payne<\/a> will continue seeing his name come up in mock trades over the weeks to come.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">From NFL Pro: The <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/Commanders?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">#Commanders<\/a> are averaging 3.9 yards per carry on runs inside the tackles (17th). That figure jumps to 5.7 YPC (4th) on runs outside the tackles, so your feeling is correct.<\/p>\n<p>Pass protection has been good from the IOL, but run blocking has not. Vice versa at OT. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZGO56GCmIx\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/ZGO56GCmIx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/tashanreed\/status\/2111149730462126109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">October 16, 2026<\/a>Podcasts<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">LIVE: Command Center Podcast from <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MGMNatlHarbor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">@MGMNatlHarbor<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/poid93Gm4t\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/poid93Gm4t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Washington Commanders (@Commanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Commanders\/status\/2110874239138148665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">October 15, 2026<\/a>Roster reset + Wizards preview &#8211; Last Man Standig<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"cy\">Commanders insider Ben Standig takes a look at Washington\u2019s lengthy injury list by going through the status of each position group and recaps David Blough\u2019s turn at the mic. Bill out against 49ers? Cross\/safeties trending toward returning. The George Kittle problem.<\/p>\n<p>Throwback<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Antonio Pierce 78 yard house call! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hDh2Sqt0wh\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/hDh2Sqt0wh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Washington Commanders (@Commanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Commanders\/status\/2111224165999022382?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">October 16, 2026<\/a>Interviews<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sonny Styles talking 49ers use of motion and the threat of George Kittle <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/z2tVEV57j7\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/z2tVEV57j7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JPFinlayNBCS\/status\/2111197393953657308?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">October 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Terry McLaurin says \u201cthe belief is still there\u201d inside the locker room and that Washington has to avoid long 3rd downs in San Fran <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jtAQr57eh6\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/jtAQr57eh6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JPFinlayNBCS\/status\/2111161247081095676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">October 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Asked Amik Robertson about his tweet from yesterday, &#8220;Chin up, Chest out, New Day, New Opportunity.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>What that phrase meant &amp; why it was important for him to put that out into the universe: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/N8HQkAwKIw\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/N8HQkAwKIw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Casey Kay (@caseykaytv) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/caseykaytv\/status\/2110858107702391132?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">October 15, 2026<\/a>The HTTR4LIFE Mailbag<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-28\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"e8\">Don&#8217;t forget to send your mailbag questions to: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/commanders\/onsi\/mailto:hailbng+si@gmail.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hailbng+si@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" preventdefault:click=\"\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\" on:click=\"q-DZGOBo6r.js#s_lDqay9E5m5g[0]\" q:id=\"ee\">Follow<\/a><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Washington&#8217;s second-half defensive struggles face a major test against the undefeated 49ers, while injuries continue to create questions&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":936001,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[49,48,514,82],"class_list":["post-936000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/936000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=936000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/936000\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/936001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=936000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=936000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=936000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}