Hogs Haven
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Each and every game is important in the NFL, but there are certain ones that probably carry more weight than others for the Washington Commanders. With one of the toughest schedules in the league — ranked 8th most difficult by Sharp Football Analysis; 9th by Sports Illustrated — the Commanders will face many challenging opponents this year. Assuming that the team doesn’t repeat the 2025 meltdown, any given game could be the difference between making the playoffs or not.
With that in mind, I decided to identify what I see as the four most intriguing games on Washington’s schedule this year, excluding NFC East division rivals. Each one of these teams could be playoff contenders, and as such, should be tough matchups for the Commanders with playoff hopes hanging in the balance. That makes each game important; to make the intriguing list, however, I looked for something a little “extra” in the particular game or matchup.
The obvious factor here is that the Seahawks are the reigning Super Bowl champs, and they return their roster and coaching staff largely intact, but not entirely so. The Super Bowl MVP, RB Kenneth Walker, left in free agency, as did CB Riq Woolen (to Philadelphia), among at least a couple of others. The Seahawks used their first-round pick on a RB to replace Walker, selecting Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price. Last season’s offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was hired as head coach of the Raiders and is replaced by former 49ers coach Brian Fleury.
Despite these changes, head coach Mike Macdonald remains in place. The Commanders front office reportedly tried unsuccessfully to convince Macdonald to take the head coaching job in Washington rather than Seattle — meaning that he may have been the top choice of the front office, and it seems as if he was at least ahead of Dan Quinn on the head coach shortlist in 2024.
With Washington’s first two games of the season being played on the road against division opponents, this Week 3 game is the first home game of the season, and it comes against the defending champs, making it a crucial early test of Washington’s new offensive and defensive schemes, and a chance for Dan Quinn to prove that he’s more than just ‘the guy who was still available back in ‘24’.
The Colts, being in the AFC, are not as critical to playoff tie-breakers as are NFC opponents, but there are a few factors at play that make this an intriguing game. First is...
