Despite playing without Brian Robinson Jr., the Washington Commanders earned a win Sunday over the Giants. They are also gaining respect from players around the league. But the win over the Giants in Week 9 doesn’t prove they will win the NFC East.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders’ standout rookie made plays and got a nice supporting effort from his defense as the Commanders improved to 7-2 by beating the Giants, 27-22. It’s the first time in 28 years the Commanders have this record to start the season. And it gave them a season sweep of a team they’ve struggled against for many years.
But slow the roll. This doesn’t mean they’re destined to win the NFC East. There are two glaring problems to the narrative. We’ll investigate both.
First, the Commanders have not played a tough schedule to date. Second, the Philadelphia Eagles are looking better and stand right on the heels of the Commanders.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has right to be enthusiastic
Washington has accomplished plenty in its first nine games. In the NFL, it doesn’t matter how you look, it only matters that you get the W. Quinn recognized this after beating the Giants, according to espn.com.
“It was like a historic win for us last week at home in the fashion it went,” Quinn said. “How do you recognize it and yet fill the tanks back up knowing you’re heading back into a division game? I thought it showed a lot of maturity from the team and poise to say, ‘That was cool, now we got to get right back into the next process.’ ”
Of course, Quinn referred to the Hail Mary win over the Bears in Week 8, and the way his team didn’t stay in the hype and took care of business against the Giants. This was an important win because the Commanders stand at 2-0 in division play, a key tiebreaker if head-to-head matchups don’t settle the issue. Commanders’ linebacker Bobby Wagner noted the importance of beating the Giants.
“Divisional games have a little more significance,” Wagner said. “But you want to go out there and win every game, especially the games you’re supposed to win. It’s (against) a team that was struggling, so you want to make sure that the game that happened last week doesn’t bleed into this game. I feel like it didn’t, so that’s a positive.”
New players, new coach, different franchise
The Commanders have created a winning atmosphere in a previously victory-starved organization by playing together, Daniels said.
“Everybody just respects the brotherhood, he said. “Nobody’s bigger than the team. No matter what you’re doing out there on the field, you still get treated the same way. Everybody expects you to approach work the same way. And when you’re not, then that’s when we hold people accountable, too.”
But let’s look at the wins: New York Giants (twice, by a combined total of 10 points), Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, and Chicago Bears.
Those teams have a combined record of 21-41 if you count the Giants twice.
Now let’s look at what the Commanders have coming up: Steelers, Eagles (twice), Cowboys (twice), Titans, Saints, Falcons.
Those teams have a combined record of 34-32. That’s a significant difference.
Quinn said he’s trying to focus on the present.
“I try not to think too far down the line,” Quinn said. “But to stay in this pocket of getting better and finding the things to work on. The connection to the team is a really big deal. The best part of our team is this group. They battle hard for one another, and that’s a big deal.”
What about the Eagles?
The Eagles looked a little iffy to start the season. They earned a good win over Green Bay before losing a tough one to the Falcons. They nipped the New Orleans Saints, starting them on a seven-game losing streak. Then the Eagles got blown out by the Buccaneers, 33-16.
But over the past four weeks, admittedly against weak competitions, the Eagles won every time. Jalen Hurts seems to have found a groove. And the news that standout receiver A.J. Brown avoided a serious knee injury gives the Eagles a big personnel boost moving forward.
When the season started, the Commanders held longshot odds to win the NFC East. Dallas and the Eagles held the favorite’s role, according to vegasinsider.com. Now, the Eagles are favored even though they stand one-half game behind the Commanders. So the general consensus is the Commanders must prove they can beat the Eagles before anybody will consider them the top dog in the division.
As for Daniels, he’s not getting too far ahead of himself.
“I’m just happy for the fan base,” he said. “They can be so proud of the product we are putting out on the field.”
What could push the Commanders over the top?
The Commanders need personnel help on the defensive side of the football. They also need another pass rusher. And it wouldn’t hurt to add another receiver to the mix.
It appears Marshon Lattimore could be an object of the Commanders’ interest. The Saints have lost seven games in a row and are done for the 2024 season in terms of playoff hopes. Lattimore hasn’t been a standout this year, but he’s a four-time Pro Bowl performer and would give the Commanders a much-needed cornerback upgrade. He’s an eight-year veteran, but is only 28 years old.
Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins would be tempting to add as a wide receiver, but he’s injured and the Bengals aren’t done yet. Adam Theilen of the Panthers would make a nice addition, but he’s also hurt.
The best bet for a pass rusher might be Za’Darius Smith. He has five sacks this season and might give the Commanders a little more bite in their quarterback pressures.
