On the very first play of the Commanders' Week 5 game against the Titans, Montez Sweat made a play he has been waiting to execute for a while now: a sack. It was his first one of the season. 

"It was a relief," the defensive end said. "As you know, I've been a little close, but just to finally get him down, finally get that sack on the board, it feels good." 

The first sack on Ryan Tannehill set the tone for the rest of the afternoon for Sweat, who notched a second in the first play of the second quarter.   

"That allows you to play looser and do what you want to do," Sweat explained.  

Washington's front had a solid day against the Titans as they brought down Tannehill five times, the most in a single game since 2020. In addition to Sweat, Efe Obada, Daron Payne and Jon Allen all got in on the action, a fact that points to the depth in the unit.   

"It's very deep," Sweat said. "Really deeper than I thought it was going to be in training camp…all these guys are playing a huge part." 

The strong performance, Sweat indicated, is largely because the unit followed through with the game plan focusing on stopping the run. In stopping the run, Sweat & Co. had the opportunity to break through for the big plays.  

"If we get the chance to actually rush the passer and actually tilt our heads back, we can actually do it," Sweat said.   

The defense will be looking to build on its Week 5 outing when it faces the Chicago Bears today. To stop a good running quarterback like Justin Fields, Sweat said he and his teammates will work to do everything in their power to keep him in the pocket.

Here's a morning roundup of what the local and national media have to say about the Washington Commanders on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. All reports, rumors and conjecture are a reflection of the media conversation and are not endorsed or confirmed by the Washington Commanders.

The reports and deals expressed in this article have not been confirmed by Washington, nor do they reflect any insider information from anyone in the front office.

• The Richmond-Times Dispatch's Michael Phillips writes about Thursday night's 'must-win' game.
• The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala writes about Ron Rivera apologizing to Commanders players for "misconstrued" comments.
• The Washington Times' Matthew Paras reports on Carson Wentz's status ahead of Thursday's game.
• The Athletic's Ben Standig gives his opinion on Thursday's game against the Bears.
• ESPN's John Keim writes about the state of the Commanders heading into Week 6.
• NBC Sports Washington's Ethan Cadeaux writes about the Commanders remaining confident entering a "must-win" game against the Bears.
• NBC Sports Washington's Ethan Cadeaux writes about Dotson's hamstring recovery.
• The Washington Post's Tramel Raggs writes about Dyami Brown getting his first two career touchdowns.
• The Washington Post's Candace Buckner gives her opinions on the Commanders' performance through five weeks.
• The Washington Post's Sam Fortier writes about the Commanders making a change at defense.
• The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala reports on the Commanders' loss to the Titans.
• The Washington Post's Scott Allen gives four takeaways from the Commanders' 21-17 loss to the Titans.
• The Washington Time's Jacob Calvin Meyer writes that Dyami brown's two-touchdown performance was a bright spot for the Commanders.
• The Washington Time's Matthew Paras reports on the Commanders' loss to the Titans.
• NBC Sports Washington's Peter Hailey writes about the Commanders falling short to the Titans.

Check Out What's On Commanders.com:

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• Rivera reflects on battle with cancer, being an advocate for proton therapy
• 'Pull as we climb': Mentorship making the difference for Latino members of Commanders football staff
• Dyami Brown calls 2 TD performance vs. Titans "a blessing"
• 3 numbers to know from Washington's Week 5 loss
• Commanders-Titans Stats & Snaps
• Instant Analysis | Commanders fall short to Titans after game-sealing INT
• 5 takeaways from Washington's Week 5 loss to Tennessee
• Media roundup | Rivera, Commanders players reflect on Week 5