Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne must deliver.
The plan was simple. The Washington Commanders were going to build the best defensive line in the NFL.
It began in 2017 when concerns over Jonathan Allen’s injuries caused him to drop out of the top 10, where he had been projected. Washington got him with the No. 17 overall selection.
The following year, they doubled down, choosing his Alabama teammate Daron Payne at No. 13 overall. Montez Sweat was a first-round pick in 2019 and 2020 was the capper. Chase Young arrived from Ohio State with the No. 2 overall pick to complete a front four made up of first-round selections.
This was also the year that Ron Rivera came on as head coach and switched the base defense from a 3-4 to a traditional 4-3. That meant Allen and Payne — who had been lining up at defensive end and nose tackle — would now be next to each other in the middle of the line as defensive tackles. For a little while, it looked like it might work.
Washington made the playoffs in 2020. What’s more, the two tackles seemed to flourish. Allen was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022. Payne joined him in 2022 after a spectacular season where he recorded 11.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, and even got a safety.
However, there were troubling signs. As a team, Washington’s on-field performance floundered. Late in 2021, during an embarrassing blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Allen and Payne got into a very noticeable argument on the sidelines.
Payne poked at Allen’s face. Allen threw a punch. They had to be separated.
Then, shortly before the start of the 2022 season, Rivera surprisingly fired defensive line coach Sam Mills Jr. It was clear that despite the obvious on-field success, something was not right with the Commanders’ star defensive linemen.
Of all the great stories that have blossomed in 2024, the one that failed to materialize concerned Allen and Payne.
As with the entire team, 2023 had been a disaster for them. According to Pro Football Focus, both tackles had the worst grades of their careers. Allen’s frustration with a dysfunctional losing franchise was palpable. He had been one of the team’s best leaders, but he was becoming a problem — even going so far as hinting that he wanted a trade.
This season offered a new beginning. For Washington’s two Pro Bowl tackles, it didn’t happen.
Their Pro Football Focus grades continued to plummet. Allen suffered his first serious injury since 2017. Payne had a career-low in tackles, and his quarterback pressure numbers were the lowest since his second season when he was in and out of the lineup. For context, journeyman backup Sheldon Day graded higher.
That continued last week in the playoff win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Payne suffered an ugly-looking finger injury and was credited with just one tackle and no pressures. Allen, in 28 defensive snaps, had no statistics whatsoever.
Linemen, especially defensive tackles, can have an impact that goes beyond mere stats. And Pro Football Focus grades aren’t sacrosanct. The fact that Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu were both honored as second-team All-Pros this season suggests that the linemen in front of them were doing a good enough job eating up blockers to allow them to shine.
Commanders need Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne in top gear at the Lions
If the Commanders are to have any chance of upsetting the powerful Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round, Allen and Payne must find their Pro Bowl form. They not only have to keep an outstanding offensive line away from Wagner and Luvu. They also need to make plays themselves.
They need to stuff runners at the line and get pressure on quarterback Jared Goff. It will not be easy.
Detroit’s offensive line boasts two All-Pros, including center Frank Ragnow. Guard Kevin Zeitler is having another Pro Bowl-caliber year and Graham Glasgow is a steady presence on the other side.
The Lions' interior blocking is the best in the NFL. They have a dynamic tandem with bruising David Montgomery and explosive Jahmyr Gibbs running behind them. They are extremely difficult to defend because Ben Johnson’s creative offensive attack never settles into any one style of running play for very long.
CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin analyzed the Lions running attack at midseason. He found that they boasted elite running numbers on three different types of runs — zone blocking, man blocking, and misdirection runs. That means Detroit's talented linemen and runners can beat a defense in a variety of ways.
That in turn sets up their potent passing attack, drawing attention away from playmakers like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta.
The Commanders caught a break. Zeitler injured his hamstring in Week 18 and has been ruled out. Rookie Christian Mahogany will likely get the start. He has played just 75 offensive snaps in his career. Zeitler has played more than 1,000 this season alone.
Detroit still has immense talent. They will still pound the ball at the Commanders' defensive front. Allen and Payne have to be ready.
Allen is signed through the 2025 season and Payne through 2026. Even so, their subpar performances this season add extra significance to this weekend's contest at Ford Field.
Adam Peters has proven time and time again that he will not hesitate to move on from veterans who are no longer performing. Neither Allen nor Payne runs the risk of being released this off-season, but either or both could be on the trade block if they can’t regain the form that made them fan favorites a few years back.
High stakes, indeed.
