Commanders vs. Colts: 3 things to watch, including Sonny Styles’ fast-tracked development

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WATFORD, England — A few seconds before the interception, Sonny Styles looked over his defense and saw a problem.

Washington was showing pressure from its two linebackers, hoping for Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold to line up in the shotgun. They’d bring pressure up the middle and prevent a deep pass.

But, when the huddle broke, Darnold walked up to the line of scrimmage to take the snap under center.

“We don’t want to show a mugged-up [pressure] look in that particular situation,” defensive coordinator Daronte Jones said, worried his blitz would backfire.

But the rookie linebacker, playing just his third NFL game, recognized the issue and rerouted Washington’s defense. He dropped into coverage and told fellow linebacker Kain Medrano to do the same.

When the ball snapped, Darnold expected a blitz. He fired a pass in the middle of the field, trying to get the ball out quickly, and never saw Medrano.

A fourth-quarter interception. A game-winning play. And a mini crisis avoided.

All thanks to Styles.

“Just being a football player,” Styles said.

That might be underselling it. Washington’s first-round draft pick has shown considerable improvement in his first month. Styles finished Washington’s win with seven tackles, a sack and an interception of his own. Washington had already given him the green dot on defense, meaning he’s calling plays in the huddle. And, for his efforts, he won the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

“He’s probably a little ahead of schedule,” Jones said with a smile.

All of this is taking place against the backdrop of Styles’ preseason, when some critics in his own fanbase doubted his abilities. They said he looked lost and questioned whether using the seventh overall pick on the linebacker was a mistake.

Now? He might be one of Washington’s best defensive players.

How about that for a turnaround?

“I still feel like I’m catching my stride, honestly,” Styles said. “It’s starting to slow down a little bit. But I still don’t feel like I’m where I want to be yet. Obviously, made some good plays last week.”

And many of the plays that have Washington so excited are the same ones he wasn’t making in the preseason.

One example was a snap at the end of the first half. Seattle called a deep throw to running back Jadarian Price, hoping the speedster could outrun Styles in space and beat him to set up a score with a little over a minute left.

Instead, Styles matched Price stride for stride and ended up with a pass breakup.

“He shot down the sideline, man-to-man coverage, and that’s a big moment,” coach Dan Quinn. “And I think, in that space, you felt speed, length, all of those things. It’s a tough matchup. And, if he got beat on that, [other teams would] try it again.”

Jones is not surprised by the way Styles has adapted to the NFL.

“You got to know him in the offseason in the draft process, and you kind of see how cerebral he is and how serious he is,” he said. “How mature he is in terms of how he takes the craft. A lot of young guys, they don’t hone their craft until three years in.”

Here are two other things to watch as Washington plays the Colts.

A decision for this week

Washington will give quarterback Jayden Daniels more time to adjust to the arm brace he’s wearing to support his injured elbow.

Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota will start Sunday against the Colts. Quinn said Daniels is out, even as an emergency option.

“As far as Jayden, he had a great week,” Quinn said. “It was awesome to have him back on the field in a limited fashion.”

Mariota got first-team reps and spent time trying to limit presnap penalties. An illegal formation penalty against Seattle wiped away a 48-yard touchdown run in the first half.

“I think, when we were on task and we were able to move the ball, we were able to score points,” he said. “And so the more that we can eliminate those types of things, eliminate the negative plays, we’ll find some success.”

Offensive coordinator David Blough doesn’t think the game plan will change much with Mariota filling in for Daniels.

“Luckily, both are great passers and also great runners. So we’re very fortunate to have a backup who kind of mirrors the skill set of the starter,” he said. “And when you build it, you would, you would love for it to be that way. So, I’ll just say it’s fairly similar.”

A change in the defense

During Washington’s 1-2 start, nobody has been under more scrutiny than third-year cornerback Mike Sainristil.

The former second-round pick was benched last week, and Pro Football Focus ranks him as the worst cornerback in football among qualified players. He ranks 99th of 99 and has allowed 19.4 yards per reception, according to the site. PFF also credits him with four missed tackles.

Jones put Rasul Douglas in as an outside corner and moved Sainristil to a diminished role in the slot, playing just 39% of snaps.

Jones said he is tinkering with that plan but thinks it might fit Sainristil’s skill set more.

“We can try to have Mike play more on the inside [rather than outside corner], where he can utilize his formation awareness and skill set in the short to intermediate passing game,” Jones said.

With the move inside, Sainristil will likely get fewer snaps. Jones does not use nickel (five defensive backs) or dime (six defensive backs) as often as other coordinators, electing for the nickel package just 39% of the time. That is 20% less than league average.