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For nearly an entire year, the Washington Commanders could do no wrong. Last-second wins became the norm as the Cinderella Commanders, led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, came one game away from the Super Bowl. If last season’s showing was made for Hollywood, this season has been defined by Murphy’s Law — anything that can go wrong, will gone wrong.

Injuries and inconsistencies have doomed Washington all season long, crushing the feel-good vibes that once surrounded the franchise. Franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels has struggled to remain healthy while the defense has struggled to … well … defend. While Washington looked good, at times, against one of the AFC’s top teams, the results remain frustratingly the same.

On the game’s deciding play, Denver star linebacker Nik Bonitto batted away Marcus Mariota’s pass attempt on a two-point conversion to escape with a 27-26 victory.

Quarterback Bo Nix threw for 321 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the win, as the 10-2 Broncos won their eighth one-score game of the season. The Commanders, meanwhile, are mired in a seven-game losing streak.

Mariota threw for 294 yards, with two touchdowns, one interception and the failed two-point conversion attempt. Tight end Zach Ertz had 10 receptions for 106 yards and receiver Terry McLaurin added seven catches for 96 yards.

Washington’s defense showed signs of competence after head coach Dan Quinn took over play-calling duties from defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., but that’s admittedly a low bar. While the Hogs represented one of the best offensive lines in NFL history, this could very well be “lipstick on a pig” territory until an offseason overhaul can be achieved.

Many fans of the Washington Commanders had been waiting for this game since the 2025 schedule was released. With the franchise honoring an all-time great and the debut of their Super Bowl era throwback uniforms, the excitement was palpable at Northwest Stadium before kickoff.

Hall of Famer Art Monk had his No. 81 jersey number officially retired during a touching halftime ceremony. Unfortunately, everything else that transpired during Washington’s matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football was a complete and utter disaster.

Seattle, led quarterback Sam Darnold (who threw four first-half touchdown passes), receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (who caught eight passes on nine targets for 129 yards) and an aggressive defense humbled the Commanders in all three phases of the game while cruising to a resounding 38-14 victory.

Darnold didn’t have a single incompletion during the first half, completing all 13 attempts for 229 yards and four touchdowns. With the win already secured by halftime, Darnold took it easy on Washington’s pitiful defense in the second half — but still finished the game 21 of 24 for 330 yards, with more touchdown passes (four) than incompletions (three) and a 141.0 rating. Additionally, five Seahawks pass catchers averaged at least 12 yards per reception on a night where Washington’s defense was overmatched from the jump.

The Seahawks defense was equally as impressive, pressuring Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels on 51 percent of his dropbacks (the most of his young career). Seattle harassed the Heisman Trophy winner all game long, collecting 14 hits, four sacks and an interception. Because the Commanders’ offensive weapons are unable to create any separation, defenses continue to stack the box with no fear of getting beat deep by Washington’s receivers. This translated into Daniels scrambling for his life early and often during the blowout. And then, an ugly outing turned into the worst-case scenario for the home team.

Trailing 38-7 with less than eight minutes to play, Daniels dislocated his left elbow when he landed awkwardly after being tackled by Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas. The 2024 Rookie of the Year has already missed three starts this season due to knee and hamstring injuries, and it wouldn’t be shocking if the next time Daniels suits up for Washington is Week 1 of the ’26 season.

The Commanders have been decimated by injuries and inconsistent play this season. In addition to Daniels’ gruesome injury, cornerback Marshon Lattimore (torn ACL) and receiver Luke McCaffrey (broken collarbone) appear to have suffered season-ending injuries against Seattle.

After committing his third hip-drop tackle of the season, linebacker Frankie Luvu has been suspended by the NFL for one game and will sit out the Detroit Lions game as the 3-6 Commanders look to salvage a once-promising campaign.

Last season was a magical ride for the Washington Commanders. An overhauled front office paired with an aggressive-minded coaching staff and a generational talent at the game’s most important position created the perfect storm of good vibes and excitement.

Franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels turned in one of the greatest rookie campaigns ever and the downtrodden Commanders were an overnight sensation — going 12-5 while winning winning on the final play of the game on a seemingly weekly basis. Playing in the conference championship game in the first year of a franchise overhaul was an incredible overachievement and a lasting memory for the fanbase.

Fast forward to this season and it’s been a very different story. Injuries and inconsistencies have decimated the Commanders during the first half of the 2025 season. Daniels and several other key contributors — Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Noah Brown, Austin Ekeler, etc. — have struggled to stay health. Additionally, the schedule is significantly more difficult this season and the defense has been brutal, at times. If last season was a dream, then the sequel has been a nightmare.

“The only thing consistent right now has been our inconsistency,” said head coach Dan Quinn.

All of this further proves how remarkably consistent the Kansas City Chiefs have been under head coach Andy Reid. It seems like only yesterday the Chiefs were 0-2 and folks were eager to write them off. But Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are first ballot Hall of Famers still capable of taking over a game whenever needed, and suddenly the Chiefs once again look like a juggernaut. As always, any hope of becoming the NFL’s next dynasty has to go through Kansas City. In the immortal words of Ric Flair, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man.”

After playing with their food for the majority of the first half, the Chiefs got serious after halftime and made short work of their overmatched opponent. Mahomes put together three consecutive touchdown drives to start the second half in a relatively straightforward 28-7 victory over the Commanders. Those three scoring drives went for 80, 75 and 94 yards as Mahomes was able to extend plays and consistently deliver off script against a fatally-flawed Commanders defense.

With Marcus Mariota starting for an injured Jayden Daniels, Washington struggled to generate offense. Not that veteran quarterback was to blame for the lack of production. The ground game once again struggled. The passing game continued to lack explosive plays. Kliff Kingsbury’s offense is no longer able to stretch the field or keep defenses from stacking the box. Had receiver Terry McLaurin not make two incredibly impressive catches, Washington’s offense would have had no highlights to speak of.

Speaking of McLaurin, the Ohio State product caught three of four targets for 54 yards and a touchdown before aggravating his quad injury once again. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil also exited the game early, thanks to a hamstring injury.

Washington has now lost four of the last five games and, at 3-5, need to steady the ship as quickly as possible if they hope to remain competitive in the crowded NFC playoff hunt. To do so, they will need to overcome a slew of injuries and the second toughest remaining schedule in the league.

With roughly three minutes remaining in regulation, the Washington Commanders held a two-point lead and a nearly 80 percent chance of victory over the Chicago Bears. With the game in the balance, the burgundy and gold were unable to run down the clock and see out the win.

On third and one from the Chicago 40-yard line, a fumbled exchange between quarterback Jayden Daniels and rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt opened the door for a Bears comeback. Quarterback Caleb Williams promptly led Chicago on a nine-play, 36-yard drive before kicker Jake Moody drilled a 38-yard field goal as time expired to complete an improbable 25-24 win over the Commanders.

The Commanders and Bears continue to find exciting new ways to conclude a game. Last season’s thrilling Hail Mary affair was arguably the most shocking ending to an NFL game all season. This time around, Chicago players were the ones celebrating as the clock hit zero.

“I just lost the ball. Completely my fault,” said Daniels, after the loss. “Didn’t give Bill a chance. It’s my fault.”

For the fourth time in just six games, Washington fell behind by double digits — thanks in large part to two first-half turnovers. The Bears jumped out to a 13-0 lead and Commanders fans worried the game would turn into a blowout before the offense ever got going. Daniels completed 19 of 26 attempts for 211 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception in the loss, while Williams completed 17 of 29 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown for Chicago.

Dating back to college, Daniels and Williams have been linked repeatedly. They were easily the two best quarterbacks of their draft class. Daniels won the Heisman Trophy, while Williams was the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Daniels defeated Williams and the Bears via the most dramatic of circumstances in Year 1 and Williams now earned some revenge in Year 2. If every matchup between these two is this epic, it’s safe to assume the NFL script writers are already salivating at what the third installment might produce.

A week ago, the Washington Commanders got knocked down (metaphorically) on primetime television in Green Bay. Ten days later, without the services of franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels (knee sprain), they dusted themselves off and got back into the fight.

Against the Las Vegas Raiders, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn got knocked down (literally) during a play just before halftime. The 55-year-old was flattened by friendly fire during the final seconds of the first half when quarterback Marcus Mariota scrambled to get out of bounds and plowed into him accidentally.

Taking a page from his own players, Quinn popped right back up, bloodied from the collision, and immediately returned his focus to the matter at hand. Only after the Commanders had successfully converted a 56-yard field goal attempt and everyone headed to the locker room, did Quinn finally allow the medical staff to check on him.

“He’s everything that he preaches to us,” said linebacker Bobby Wagner. “We feel like we saw that in the moment. You got knocked down, got hit pretty hard. You got no pads on, nothing.

“It was kind of like a movie,” Wagner added.

Following their head coach’s example, the Commanders aggressively attacked the Raiders in a lopsided 41-24 affair, which Washington led 34-10 before letting off the gas and allowing the visiting Raiders to score a pair of meaningless fourth quarter touchdowns.

In his first start since 2023, Mariota completed 15 of 21 attempts (71.4 percent) for 207 yards with one touchdown, no interceptions and a 118.6 QB rating while leading Washington’s offense to six scoring drives and more than 400 yards of total offense.

But before Mariota even stepped on the field against his former team, wideout Deebo Samuel set the tone with a 69-yard return, the longest of his career, on the opening kickoff that provide excellent field position for Washington’s first drive. Four plays later, the veteran quarterback dove into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Rookie receiver Jaylin Lane became Washington’s first player to return a punt for a touchdown since Jamison Crowder in 2016, and the franchise’s first rookie to do so since Desmond Howard in 1992. In total, Washington’s special teams unit contributed with 245 total return yards.

With Mariota and friends supplying sufficient offense and the special teams unit having a day to remember, the Commanders defense was given the green light to rachet up the pressure on Raiders quarterback Geno Smith, who was pressured on 64.7 percent of his dropbacks, despite Washington blitzing just 11.8 percent of the time, per TruMedia. The Commanders finished the day with five sacks, but could have had several more had Smith not been able to slip through the hands of a would-be tacklers on multiple occasions.

Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty, the sixth pick in the draft, ran 17 times for just 63 yards. Brock Bowers, arguably the best tight end in football today, caught just four passes for 38 yards.

On second and five at the Washington 40-yard line late in the second quarter, unheralded running back Jeremy McNichols was handed the ball and immediately met with multiple defenders. For reasons that remain unclear, none of those four defenders actually did much defending. Four broken tackles later the 29-year-old veteran turned what should have been a three-yard gain into a 60-yard touchdown — the longest run of his career and Washington’s longest touchdown run since Adrian Peterson in 2018.

For the day, Washington rushed 32 times for 201 yards and three touchdowns (an average of 6.3 yards per carry). Seventh-round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who was selected six rounds and 239 picks later than Jeanty, is arguably off to a better start this season than his higher profile contemporary.