The 2021 NFL season was one to forget for the Washington Football Team — now Commanders. After going to the playoffs in head coach Ron Rivera’s first season in 2020, Washington fell to 7-10 in 2021.
There were many reasons why the 2021 season was such a failure for Washington. First, the team signed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Curtis Samuel in free agency to pair with returning stars Terry McLaurin, Logan Thomas and Antonio Gibson. Only McLaurin and Gibson played in more than six games due to injuries.
Then, there was the defense. Miscommunication, underachieving, injuries, and COVID-19 played a part in Washington’s defensive failures in 2021. While the Commanders were historically bad defensively early in the season, the unit played much better in Weeks 7-15 before COVID-19 took its toll.
Which Washington players stood out the most? According to Pro Football Focus, two Commanders ended the season on the analytics site’s top 101 players of 2021: defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and cornerback Kendall Fuller.
Surprisingly, guard Brandon Scherff and wide receiver Terry McLaurin missed the cut. Unlike the NFL Network’s Top 100 players, PFF emphasizes the individual grades the site gives each player.
Here’s what PFF said about Allen, ranked No. 54:
Allen was one of the most consistent interior pass-rushers in the game this season, although he cooled off a little down the stretch. Allen registered 67 pressures overall, upping his career-high by 17. He made 32 defensive stops and recorded an elite 90.9 PFF pass-rushing grade for a Washington defense that vastly underachieved relative to expectations.
And Fuller, ranked No. 73:
Given the overall performance from Washington’s defense, it might be hard to believe that there was anybody who performed well in coverage, but Fuller was that man. He earned his best overall grade and coverage grade since 2017, racking up 14 pass breakups even though he came away with just one interception. Fuller allowed only 9.4 yards per reception and put up an excellent grade against the run.
If you ask Washington fans, many would disagree with Fuller. However, Fuller’s second half of 2021 was much better than his first half of the season.