ASHBURN, Va. -- Midway through the first quarter Sunday, the Washington Commanders ' offseason vision for its pass rush came to light. They showed seven defenders at the line of scrimmage; both inside linebackers stood at the line on either side of the center.
Then came the organized chaos and, for Washington, the fun. And a blueprint for what the Commanders (2-4-1) need to compensate for losing its top two defensive linemen, if it wants to turn its season around -- starting Sunday vs. the Rams (4-4).
After all, they spent nearly $100 million in guaranteed money in the offseason to help the pass rush. It needs to help lead any resurgence and that was the case in Week 8.
"It was definitely a snapshot of what we can be," Washington defensive coordinator Daronte Jones said. "Now it's just about consistency."
If they find it, it would provide a big boost -- especially with linemen Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw both out for the season.
"The better we are," outside linebacker Dorance Armstrong said of the pass rush, "the better our defense is. Everyone knows that."
Numerous plays showed their ability to pressure the passer. But this third-down play vs. the Eagles in Week 8 showed what can happen when they work more together, as Jones and coach Dan Quinn have wanted.
At the snap on this third-and-6, inside linebacker Sonny Styles dropped into coverage as did Armstrong. The edge rusher on the right side, K'Lavon Chaisson, stepped forward, drew the attention of the left tackle, then looped inside with tackle Charles Omenihu moving outside.
That's all safety Nick Cross needed for a free rush off the edge, and that forced Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee to throw a deep out early and the pass fell 5 yards from its intended target.
It was coordinated. It was effective. It didn't result in a huge play, but it incorporated what they had hoped. And it wasn't the only time this happened in that 27-10 win; they pressured McKee on a season-high 46.5% of dropbacks.
"Last week gives you a snapshot of when guy are working in unison, whether it's a four-man or five-man [rush]," Jones said, "you never know who's going to make the play or who may come to life. As long as we're doing those things consistently there's some shining light to be seen."
The trick will be incorporating this level of pressure vs. the Rams' Matthew Stafford, one of the hardest quarterbacks to harass. He ranks fourth in terms of pressure rate and eighth in the league in quickest release. He's also thrown 80 play-action passes, another way to try to slow the pass rush.
"It's all about the rush in the middle of the pocket," Chaisson said. "It's about getting hands in the face, making him uncomfortable, making it muddy and getting the offensive linemen to step on his toes, hit him on his follow through, anything you can do to disrupt the timing and rhythm."
Finally, teams pressure him on only 37.6% of their blitzes -- the fourth-lowest rate in the league.
"There's obviously a philosophy that allows the blitz to sometimes not be as successful," Jones said, "because of the way Matthew Stafford sees the game."
But the Commanders' hope is that the pass rush will continue to impact opposing quarterbacks. They spent $99.5 million in guaranteed money on players who can affect the passer, from outside linebackers Odafe Oweh ($68 million) and Chaisson ($10.3 million) to Cross ($4 million). They drafted Styles with the seventh overall pickto help in coverage but also as a blitzer.
"We've always known what we had," defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. said. "We are putting the pieces together for four quarters straight."
Too often early in the season the rush wasn't as coordinated, Oweh said in September. It would lead to gaps in the rush, allowing quarterbacks to escape. Some of that stemmed from playing in a new system under Jones; some of that was due to having four new starters in their front seven.
"They were more coordinated and connected than we have been," Quinn said. "That's the steps I'm looking to see."
It took time in part because Oweh and Chaisson missed nearly a month of practice in training camp with soft-tissue injuries.
Their top pass rusher from 2025, Armstrong, tore his ACL in Week 7 and though he returned to practice on Aug. 7 he was slowly worked back into the lineup - and the NFL suspended him for Week 1 because of their personal conduct policy.
Armstrong said he's just now feeling like he was prior to the knee injury when he had 5.5 sacks and seven tackles for a loss in six full games. Sunday, he recorded his first sack and first tackle for a loss.
"Just getting back to what I'm used to doing," Armstrong said.
He provides a different look than Chaisson and Oweh, using more power -- which also enables him to rush inside in some packages. Oweh leads Washington with four sacks; Chaisson has 3.5 -- he also has a team-best 22 pressures and 11 quarterback hits.
"We're just trusting what the coaches are telling us," Oweh said. "We know the sacks are going to come with reps and everyone trusting each other as pass rushers, and it showed last weekend."
The last piece that made a difference Sunday -- and, the Commanders hope it does so over the next 10 games, was the return of corner Trey Amos and Cross. Amos was Washington's best corner as a rookie last season until fracturing his leg in Week 10. He then practiced just once in camp before suffering an ankle injury that kept him out until Week 6.
Cross suffered an internal injury in Week 2 that required surgery and also kept him out until Week 6. He's key to the secondary because of his versatility: he lines up at linebacker, in the slot, at free and strong safety.
But he's also their best blitzer from the secondary. He's blitzed 15 times in four games; the other nine defensive backs have combined for 31. Jones said Cross' presence allows them to use different packages, allowing for more versatility.
"Nick is a gem," Oweh said. "He's a great defensive player. He does it all, very cerebral guy. It's always good to have him there."
All of it adds up why the Commanders like where the defense is headed -- provided the pass rush becomes consistent.
"The sky's the limit," Armstrong said. "Everybody knows what we're all capable of but we're just now getting to have the opportunity to play together. As long as we keep getting better with that each week we should produce more."