Hogs Haven
Washington drops, but is still a playoff team...for now.
The Washington Commanders had two games against tough opponents over a 4-day period, and they lost both of them. Losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers two Sundays ago, and the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night have dropped them to 7-4, and also dropped them from the 2nd seed in the NFC to the 7th seed. Washington was getting placed in the Top 3 by some power rankers, but that seems like a long time ago. They’re comfortably still in the Top 10 on most lists, but there are a lot of questions being asked about Jayden Daniels’ rib injury, Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, and some preseason concerns that comes up when a team is going through a losing streak.
The Washington Commanders had their mini-bye following their Thursday Night Football loss to the Eagles. Next up is a home game against the Dallas Cowboys that should be a reset game to get the team back on track. The rest of their schedule has plenty of other opportunities to rack up some wins, and prepare for their rematch against the Eagles in Week 17. Some of the shine is off the team right now, but a healthy Jayden Daniels leading the Commanders in a convincing win over the Cowboys in front of rowdy home crowd does wonders for public opinion, even if Dallas is finding new ways every week to embarrass themselves.
These losses dropped them in most power rankings, but they are still top 10 for twelve of this week’s twenty five lists. Washington already cashed on FanDuel’s 6 1⁄2 win O/U from before the season. The Commanders odds have all dropped since last week, except for odds to make the playoffs.
Making the playoffs(-750 —-> -600)
Winning the division(+195 —-> +450)
Winnings the conference(+1200 —-> +1500)
Winning the Super Bowl(+2500 —--> -3800)
High: 8
Low: 13
Average: 9.7
The Commanders trailed 12-10 at Philadelphia with eight minutes left when a fourth-down gamble didn’t work. It was a closer loss than we’ll remember. If Washington handles business in its next three games vs. Dallas, Tennessee and New Orleans, the Commanders will be at 10 wins and that’ll be fine. Last week: 7
The team contends nothing is wrong with rookie QB Jayden Daniels … even though he’s played his least efficient (59.1% completion rate, 74.9 passer rating) and impactful (23 rushing yards, 1 TD generated) football during the current two-game losing streak. Last week: 7
In losses to the Steelers and Eagles, the Commanders might be learning they’re still a year away from true contention with the NFL’s elite. First-round QB Jayden Daniels continues to impress, and they aren’t out of the division hunt yet. Last week: 9
The Commanders are looking more like a shaky wild-card team, as the tougher teams on their schedule have given them difficulty. The first-place Eagles...
