Hogs Haven
Washington Post (paywall)
When the Commanders, who are officially eliminated from playoff contention at 3-10, look ahead to 2026, they probably will need to field a roster that can lighten Daniels’s burden. The quarterback certainly has work to do to improve at protecting himself — this was his third straight game that he was knocked out of — but the Commanders seem to be asking him to do too much. Otherwise, it would be easier for him to be more risk averse.
The defense — which has questions at all three levels — has been part of the problem, quickly putting the Commanders in a hole most weeks.
General Manager Adam Peters probably will need to reassess his offensive weapons. Wide receivers Noah Brown and Deebo Samuel Sr. will be free agents, as will tight end Zach Ertz, who suffered a knee injury and was carted off late in the third quarter. Quinn said Monday that Ertz suffered a season-ending torn ACL, which could put the 35-year-old’s career in jeopardy.
Even if the Commanders put the right pieces around Daniels next year, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury may need to rediscover his touch from last season — and his willingness to showcase the ground game. Washington came into Sunday averaging 4.9 yards per carry (ninth), but Kingsbury has seemed hesitant to commit to the run. At times, the offense’s static formational tendencies have made it predictable. That continued against the Vikings.
[T]his season clearly has become a loss for Washington, which is in a familiar place: among the worst teams in the NFL. Avoiding a repeat next year — and getting anywhere close to the success of 2024 — probably will require more than a healthy quarterback. It may require significant changes around Daniels, too.
The Athletic (paywall)
An MRI confirmed the Washington Commanders’ fears: Veteran tight end Zach Ertz suffered an ACL injury in the team’s 31-0 loss to the Vikings Sunday, ending his season and jeopardizing his career.
Ertz, 35, was injured on a pass play in the third quarter when safety Jay Ward attempted to hit him low and slammed his helmet into Ertz’s right knee.
Losing Ertz deals a major blow to Washington’s offense, which has struggled to find any consistency amid injuries and player turnover this season. Through Week 13, a total of 22 Washington players had missed a combined 99 games because of injuries, with the receiving corps hit especially hard.
In Washington’s Week 13 loss to the Denver Broncos, Ertz moved up to fifth all time in catches by a tight end, and eighth all time in receiving yards by a tight end. He ended Sunday’s game with 825 career receptions and 8,592 receiving yards.
Whether he’ll be able to pad those numbers remains to be seen; Ertz is set to be a free agent in...
