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.

The Washington Commanders traveled to Wisconsin to face the Green Bay Packers in an early-season showdown. So how did Washington fare in such a marquee matchup between two of the league’s most exciting teams?

Welp. It’s probably not your day when the injury cart has more consistent drives than your team’s offense.

Unfortunately for the visitors, defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. (right quad) and running back Austin Ekeler (Achilles) each required the cart after suffering potential long-term injuries. Compounding matters, receiver Noah Brown and tight end John Bates both exited the game early with groin injuries. And, most concerning, franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels was clearly hobbling on the field during the fourth quarter after taking a hit to the knee. Safe to say the training room will be a popular destination between now and Week 3.

The coaching staff will be equally busy over the next 10 days, desperately dissecting how things went so severely sideways on both sides of the ball during Thursday Night Football. The Packers cruised to a thorough 27-18 victory that wasn’t as close as the final score suggests. The cheeseheads were the aggressors from the jump, playing faster and more physical while dominating the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense.

Receiver Deebo Samuel had a solid showing in the loss, as did rookie cornerback Trey Amos. But too many of their teammates were overmatched passengers. The offense, as a whole, did not appear ready for prime time — amassing just 230 total yards. That represents the lowest output since Jayden Daniels became the franchise’s starting quarterback. Clearly the Micah Parsons-led defense neutralized whatever game plan offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury planned to implement.

Daniels was pressured on an alarming 25 of 51 dropbacks (49 percent), the most of his career. And it wasn’t as if the Packers were sending exotic blitzes all night long. Commanders rookie right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. allowed two sacks and nine pressures. Right guard Nick Allegretti wasn’t much better, allowing five pressures. When the entire right side of your offensive line appears overmatched, it’s obviously difficult to dictate play to your opponent.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love connected with his pass catchers seemingly at will. There were way too many missed assignments and blown coverages. Green Bay’s tight ends were so wide open, it’s fair to wonder if the defense knew they were allowed to cover Tucker Kraft (six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown).

No fourth quarter heroics or miracle finishes. Just a slew of wounded athletes and questions for the coaching staff.

More than a few fans were nervous heading into the Washington Commanders’ season opener, thanks to contract drama and injuries that prevented receivers Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown from getting valuable practice reps with the offense. Add in several moving parts along a retooled offensive line, the exile of running back Brian Robinson Jr., and franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels playing just four total snaps during the preseason and it was foolish to believe the offense would be a well-oiled machine during Week 1.

Fortunately, the New York Giants appear ready and willing to stink once again, so none of that mattered too much. The Commanders dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in a convincing 21-6 victory over the Giants in front of a vocal sellout crowd at Northwest Stadium.

The offense wasn’t as sharp as usual, but Daniels connected with one of his favorite red zone targets, veteran tight end Zach Ertz, to open the scoring for Washington. Later in the first half, Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt became the franchise’s first rookie to rush for a touchdown in his debut since Alfred Morris in 2012. The fan favorite known simply as “Bill,” led the team with 10 carries for 82 rushing yards.

During the second half, Commanders receiver Deebo Samuel impressively dove to the pylon on a 19-yard jet sweep to earn his first touchdown in the burgundy and gold. Samuel capped his debut with a team-high 77 receiving yards on seven receptions. While McLaurin and Brown seem to be working back into their normal rhythm within the offense, Samuel appears to have capitalized on the extra reps he received throughout the summer.

Daniels kicked off his sophomore campaign by completing 19-of-30 passes for 233 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. The 24-year-old also had eight carries for 71 yards. Led by seventh-round pick Croskey-Merritt, Washington’s ground game finished the day with 32 carries for 220 yards. On a more efficient day, Washington’s offense could have easily scored 30 points or more, but a few errant passes, drops and untimely penalties kept the game closer than it should have been.

For the visitors, Giants quarterback Russell Wilson had a forgettable debut, completing just 17 of 37 attempts for 168 yards. Facing pressure on nearly 50 percent of his passes, Wilson never looked comfortable or confident behind a shaky New York offensive line.

Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne was an absolute nuisance, with one sack, two batted passes and seven quarterback hits. As a unit, the front seven — led by Payne and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw — flustered the Giants passing game, limited the ground game and registered seven tackles for loss. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong led Washington’s aggressive front with nine pressures.

After finishing last season 30th in rushing yards allowed, Washington’s defense held Giants running backs to 30 yards on 15 carries. How much credit goes to the Commanders versus how much blame should be assigned to New York is up for debate. New York had seven plays from the 3-yard line or closer and could only muster a field goal. The Giants also converted just four of 16 third downs on the day.

The Giants have now lost their last three opening games under head coach Brian Daboll by a combined score of 89-12. Coupled with the toughest schedule in football and a coaching staff and front office on the hottest of seats, this was clearly not the sort of a performance the Giants were hoping for. Washington, meanwhile, will hope to build on the win as they travel to Green Bay for Thursday Night Football.