Hogs Haven
A mistake-filled performance drops Washington from the division lead
The last week has been kind of strange. Despite the team hitting on a QB and performing far better than anyone could have expected in the first year of a rebuild, there was more negativity in the in-game comment threads during a 1-point loss to a strong team than there had been at many times during the past four seasons, as a motley crew of replacement level QBs inspired the hopes of a desperate fanbase.
The results of the weekly fan opinion polls have been showing over 95% confidence in the direction the team is heading. So it’s clear that the negativity is coming from a small number of disaffected commenters.
Perhaps it would help those who still haven’t embraced the miracle that is unfolding in Washington to put the Week 10 loss to the Steelers into perspective. After the Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers, I published an article examining the timelines of teams that had successfully rebuilt as championship contenders following total franchise resets in the last decade. I identified five teams that won playoff games following similar “recalibrations” to the Commanders’ 2024 offseason: new front office, new coaching staff, roster overhaul.
The normative time to the first playoff win was 3 years, achieved by the 2023 Texans, 2023 Lions, 2020 Browns and 2019 49ers. The 2020 Bills were the only team to record a winning record in the first year of their rebuild, finishing 9-7, with a Wild Card playoff loss. Let’s see how the Commanders’ record compares to the other teams at Week 10 of rebuild year 1:
Only one team had a better record at this point in their rebuild. The Commanders are well ahead of the pace of all the others. And unlike the 2017 Bills, they have already got their QB.
Sunday’s game was a tough loss to a strong opponent. The Commanders and the Steelers each failed to capitalize on opportunities to make the score far more one-sided than it was. Both teams committed errors to keep it close, and the refs did their part as well. That’s football.
While the Commanders have only beat one team that currently has a winning record, fans who suffered through any part of the last 23 years should take heart at how close their team is playing teams like the Steelers and the Ravens so soon after the franchise reset. One game when the team was not playing its best football shouldn’t take the shine off of the incredible progress that has been made.
Now, let’s see who got playing time at what positions, who made the most mistakes, and who played well despite their teammates dropping balls, missing tackles and committing stupid penalties.
The seven-time Pesi Zero NFL Rookie of the Week winner probably won’t make it to eight this week. Daniels had his worst game since the opening day loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That is not to say it...
