ASHBURN, Va. -- On the first play of the NFC Championship Game, the Washington Commanders liked their defensive call against the Philadelphia Eagles. And then defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. spun off the edge, tripping up linebacker Bobby Wagner, and a crease opened up for Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.
He didn't stop running until he crossed the goal line 60 yards away.
The play led to a quick deficit and highlighted what had been a problem all season: stopping the run. The 2024 season featured a combination of limitations and breakdowns, which resulted in a defense that ranked 30th in rushing yards per game and 28th in yards per carry.
"[If] you can't stop the run, you can't win games," Washington defensive end Dorance Armstrong said. "That's why our big focus this year is to be able to stop the run a lot better than we did last year."
Of the top 10 teams against the run last season, nine made the postseason. Of the bottom 10, only Washington reached the playoffs. It's a hard life to sustain as only four teams in the past three years made the postseason while finishing bottom 10.
Also, as one member of the organization said, so much of that issue stemmed from being able to stop Barkley. In three games vs. Washington, he ran for a combined 414 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. The Eagles topped 200 yards rushing each time.
"We didn't play the run well enough, and I thought we would have," Washington defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said. "Some of the things we're doing with the front for the run game we have changed and some we have adjusted."
Those scheme tweaks might be harder to detect than what else they did: added size. Defensive tackle Daron Payne weighs 320 pounds, but the other starting tackles last season -- Jonathan Allen and, when Payne was hurt, Jer'Zhan Newton, were listed around 295 pounds. Allen, though, said he played around 285 pounds to maintain quickness.
Also, because of injuries, Fowler, at 267 pounds, started seven games. He finished with 531 snaps -- more than double his total from the previous season with Dallas. In 2023, he played at least 20 snaps three times; last season, he did so 16 times -- and 11 times topped 30 reps.
The blame can't be placed on one player, but it did lead the Commanders to getting bigger up front. The Commanders signed tackles Javon Kinlaw (6-foot-5, 319 pounds) and Eddie Goldman (6-3, 320) and end Deatrich Wise Jr. (6-5, 280).
"Man, we got some big ol' guys," Payne said. "They're huge and strong and can get active. It's going to be fun."
Whether that size will be enough remains to be seen. Perhaps it could help with an initial surge, if nothing else. Washington allowed 3.18 yards before contact per rush in 2024; only two teams were worse.
But what the Commanders like is their newfound depth and versatility. They can use Goldman as a nose tackle in various sets, giving them a sturdier look than in the past. They plan to use Kinlaw inside, but he can play end when they use their three-defensive tackle sets in certain run situations.
"I love the versatility of the different guys and how we're going to feature them this year in terms of sizes and strength and how we'll use some of the big guys and how we'll play them," Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. "That's the part I'm looking forward to."
Quinn has called Wise a strong edge setter -- something the Commanders' lacked last season. Too often runs weren't funneled back inside enough or forced wider to allow others time to reach the ball carrier. Clelin Ferrell, whom the team re-signed as a run-stopping end this offseason, missed three games because of knee issues and was limited in the final four regular-season games while playing a combined 64 snaps.
Having more depth with Wise, Ferrell and Armstrong, among others, will help.
"I'm a very powerful, strong individual," Wise said. "What makes me a good edge setter is I'm able to use my hands, my strength, how long my arms are to keep guys off me. ... The best thing to do is push the ball carrier back to those guys. My main job is to set the edge. If I can push it back to those guys, who are fast and physical and strong, we'll have a lot of plays being stopped."
Whitt said having linebacker Jordan Magee healthy will help. After an impressive start early in training camp, last year's fifth-round pick was limited to eight games because of injuries to his knee and later his hamstring. Whitt said the Commanders had planned to use Magee in various three-linebacker packages when other teams played two- or three-tight-end sets.
Washington allowed 5.4 yards per carry when facing those looks. However, in their past eight games, including three postseason contests, the Commanders allowed 7.2 yards per rush vs. those formations. And one team dominated them in this area: Philadelphia. The Eagles ran the ball vs. Washington 59 times with either two or three tight ends; they averaged 6.1 yards per carry with eight touchdowns.
If the Commanders want to unseat the Eagles, improving in this area , and against the run in general, is paramount. Whether that means more for Magee or another linebacker in various packages, Whitt said they'll be bigger than in 2024 when they often had to use safety Jeremy Chinn in that role.
"We can get a little bit bigger versus 12 [personnel] and not play as much nickel to shore up on some of the run," Whitt said.
Finally, the Commanders are having the front seven work even more together on the field and in meetings.
"I'm not going to say we didn't trust each other [last year], but we've got a little more time to get on the same page than we did last year," Armstrong said. "That was the main thing, the more time to learn the system we're playing, the better we can be."