Falcons lead Commanders at halftime: Four quick takeaways from the first half

For the Washington Commanders, their Week 17 showdown with the Atlanta Falcons couldn’t have started better. Washington safety Quan Martin intercepted Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and returned him to Falcons territory.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels took care of the rest, ending the drive with a short touchdown pass to wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus.

Things went downhill from there. The Falcons scored two touchdowns to take a 14-7 lead and ended the half with a field goal to take a 17-7 lead into halftime.

Here are four takeaways from what went wrong for Washington in the first half.

Punish

Penalties were a problem against the Eagles last week, as Washington was penalized for 93 yards. In the first half against Atlanta, the Commanders were penalized six times for 50 yards. One of those penalties proved extremely costly as cornerback Mike Sainristil lined up in the neutral zone on Atlanta’s first field goal attempt. It nullified the field goal and continued the Falcons’ push. Further penalties, including two holding penalties, pushed the offense back.

Tyler Biadasz injury

Tyler Biadasz was the Commanders’ best offensive lineman this year and stabilized the center position. When he missed a game earlier this season, the decline was noticeable. Towards the end of the second quarter, Biadasz had to be helped off the field and things weren’t looking good.

More McLaurin

Terry McLaurin received a target in the first round. He caught the pass from five yards. It’s a broken record, but Washington’s offense works best when it runs through McLaurin. Feed him the ball. Olamide Zaccheaus was outstanding again, but McLaurin needs multiple goals on the Commanders’ first drive after halftime.

I can’t stop the run

The theme this season is Washington’s inability to stop the run. Saquon Barkley ran all over the Commanders last week, but the defense got stronger in the second half. We’ll likely see Washington sell out to stop Robinson in the second half, which means a lot of one-on-one duels for the secondary. This is probably not ideal considering the commanders’ secondary issues.

The Falcons rushed for 101 yards in the first half, with Robinson rushing for 82 yards and two touchdowns.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Falcons lead Commanders at halftime: Four quick takeaways from the first half