Hogs Haven
The Athletic (paywall)
The Commanders’ fan base is passionate and loyal beyond all comprehension to a franchise that, for three decades, did nothing but bring shame and embarrassment to the team, and to the region. A magical 2024 alleviated a lot of that pain and suffering. But, 2025 has been a dreadful sequel. “Jaws: The Revenge”- level awful.* If you rock the burgundy and gold, you have a right to be profoundly disappointed.
But. Some of y’all — not all, but some — need to calm down.
Yes, Daniels should play as much as possible down the stretch, as long as he’s healthy. Including last year’s playoff run, he’s played in 27 career NFL games. He’s not a finished product. Even in a season as bleak as this one, he can take lessons from the last month of games against NFC East foes. You can only learn how to be an NFL quarterback by playing the position, in real games.
For example: Daniels’ counting stats in Minnesota Sunday — 9-of-20 for 78 yards and an interception, after which he was sent flying while trying to tackle Minnesota’s Andrew Van Ginkel, landing right on his injured left elbow — were horrible. But, Daniels also turfed or threw away multiple passes against the Vikings’ wildly effective blitzes when receivers weren’t open, rather than trying to play hero ball by scrambling and exposing himself to hits downfield, or forcing the ball into coverages. He lived to play another down.
No, Josh Harris should not fire Peters or Quinn. Last season disguised some of the team’s flaws; this season exposed them all. Peters and Quinn were responsible for the former. They have to own the latter as well. It’s obvious the 2026 depth chart has to look a whole lot different and be a whole lot younger. Going 14-6 last year, including the postseason, buys the GM and coach another crack at it. But their drafts and free agent signings have to be more impactful. Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, individually, has been pretty good at times. But the D-line has rarely dominated as a unit.
Most Sunday and Monday nights, you see defenses flying around the field, with young, fast, hard-hitting linebackers and defensive backs. They look cohesive. Their defenses swarm to the ball. If there’s a blitz to one side, guess what? Someone comes up to fill that vacant hole, and then tackles the receiver the opposing QB found on his hot read. Young defensive linemen consistently win up front and get into the backfield, or up in the quarterback’s grill.
That isn’t happening here. Last year’s defense was far from great, but it created turnovers and got to the quarterback at important moments. A significant defensive makeover for Washington is job one.
To be sure, the bloom’s off the rose for both the GM and head coach — and, to a lesser extent,...
