There still has to be factored in the largely unprecedented occurrences where, in the spring training after winning a title, things got shut down for over 100 games worth of season. The stretch in question was unquestionably impacted by all of that.
The 2020 Covid year could be seen as the worst season for Martinez and Rizzo, the Nats had the biggest drop in winning percentage in MLB, they treated 2020 like it didn't count and the team hasn't recovered since then.
