It is always good to learn lessons after a win instead of after a loss, but there are "a lot of things" that the Commanders know they "need to clean up," after beating the Giants 21-18 in Week 2, Washington defensive tackle Jon Allen said during his weekly appearance Tuesday with 106.7 The Fan's The Sports Junkies, which is presented exclusively by our partners at MainStreet Bank — Cheer Local. Bank Local. Put Our Team in Your Office. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
"The fact that we won a divisional game, that's gonna be huge later in the season," he told the Junkies. "From that aspect, we're happy."
Allen said he wouldn't classify the issues as "game-breaking cleanups, but just a little tweak here and there."
"Defensively, obviously, we just gotta play better in our gaps," he said. "Too many times one guy would jump out of a gap, and, we're playing good defense but then we would just give up one play here or one play there and it's just not consistent.
"Offensively you gotta put the ball in the end zone. You get the ball in the red zone [six] times, that's phenomenal, so we were able to move the ball. Just little things here and there hold us back. Luckily we were able to still get out and get the win and didn't have to learn a very tough lesson."
Allen said on Sunday he felt the defensive line could have done better at getting pressure on New York quarterback Daniel Jones, but noted that. the Giants made it part of their game plan to go max protection, get the ball out quick and run the ball to keep the ball out of Jones' hands.
Allen said that the "pill" in Week 2 was on the defensive tackles taking on double teams. (The 'pill' was on Benjamin St-Juste in Week 1 dealing with Mike Evans, for example).
"Every game is not gonna be a game where it might not be a big number [of tackles] but my job is to go out there and make sure these double teams aren't getting me knocked back and try to make opportunities for other people," he said. "Obviously there are some plays that I wish I could have back, and I wish I could have made. All in all, in every game somebody is gonna have the pill. It was a little on the d-line this game and it is what it is. Gladly take that pressure."
When asked about what fans should watch for from Joe Whitt Jr.'s defense, Allen said, "We're more aggressive, we're more attacking."
"The thing about our defense that I love is that we preach flying around and physicality," he told the Junkies. "So the way our linebackers just fly around and hit people is so fun to watch and, honestly, is so fun to be a part of."
The conversation began with Allen and the Junks talking about the big announcement he made on Instagram that he and his wife, Hannah, are expecting their first child.
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