Johnny Newton had one thought when asked in the Washington Commanders' locker room about how the NFL corrected his first-quarter play on Caleb Williams, which resulted in a six-yard loss, from a tackle to a sack: "Finally!"
The sack, which occurred on the second play of the Chicago Bears' opening drive, featured Newton getting into the backfield, forcing Williams to tuck the ball rather than throw a screen pass and wrapping up the No. 1 overall pick. It was originally ruled as a tackle on the stat sheet, because regardless of what it's called, the play helped force the Bears into an early three-and-out.
"I just felt like my old self," Newton said.
The Commanders needed Newton to step up once it was announced that Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen would miss the rest of the season with a pectoral injury, and so far, the rookie has risen to the challenge. He had one of his best statistical games in Washington's 18-15 win over the Bears with three tackles, four quarterback hits and a fumble recovery.
It's exactly what the Commanders were hoping for when they drafted Newton.
"You guys have heard me say this is coming, and I felt that for him," coach Dan Quinn said Monday.
The Commanders have tried to ease Newton into a larger role because of various injuries that sidelined him in training camp. Plus, the team could afford to take a more methodical approach with Newton because Allen and Daron Payne sat comfortably at the top of the depth chart.
That approach sped up some partly because of Allen's injury, Quinn said. Newton got his first career start against the Carolina Panthers but did not record a stat in the 40-7 win after recording 12 tackles in Weeks 3-6. Quinn knew what kind of player Newton could be, though, because of how he was able to crash the pocket in college, as his 103 quarterback pressures over his last two seasons were the most in the country for a defensive tackle.
And Quinn knew games where Newton would take over were coming soon. On Sunday, Newton arrived in a big way.
"It was good to see the pressure that he was able to generate from the inside, both over the guard and over the center," Quinn said. "So, between him and Daron, I really was pleased to see that evolution take place with Johnny."
Although Newton's speed, quickness and playmaking ability have shown up in flashes at times this season, they were far more consistent against the Bears. In the second quarter, he fought through a double team to tackle D'Andre Swift for a two-yard gain. On the same drive, he tracked down wide receiver Rome Odunze on a jet sweep, spinning to get out of a block before sprinting to tackle Odunze for an eight-yard gain.
And Newton's abilities as an interior pass-rusher helped rattle Williams on several plays. In the third quarter, Newton, now lined up as a nose guard, worked around center Coleman Shelton and flushed Williams from the pocket. Williams ended up throwing the pass but did so with Newton draped around his legs.
Newton said in the Commanders' locker room on Wednesday that he felt "more explosive, more violent with my hands" against the Bears.
"It feels good. I've been through a long journey...since January just trying to recover, get both of my feet back right," Newton said. "Now that I'm playing at a high level like I played this past week, it feels really good."
It also means a lot to him that he got his first career sack, even if it took a little longer to count.
"You want that first sack," Newton said. "It's just like a big stress reliever, and once you get that out of the way, you start rolling."
Newton also came up with the fumble recovery that helped keep the Commanders' lead intact in the fourth quarter. Williams' snap to backup center Doug Kramer Jr., who reported as eligible on the play, bounced forward and fell into Newton's hands, where he was downed at the 3-yard line.
By the end of the game, Newton had earned an 89.8 defensive grade and a 90.9 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked third and second for his position, respectively, in Week 8.
Both grades were the best for any Commanders interior defender this season.
"He had constant pressure on the quarterback and played the run game well," defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said of Newton.
Quinn knew Newton was "knocking on the door" to have an impactful game like he had against the Bears. After weeks of quietly doing his job, Newton smashed that door down with one of the best games from a Commanders defender all season. And Quinn believes more are coming for the rookie.
"He's the one that that really jumped out to me that it was really cool to see," Quinn said.
