Despite playing without Brian Robinson Jr., the Washington Commanders picked up a victory Sunday against the Giants. They also earn the respect of players around the league. But the win against the Giants in Week 9 doesn’t prove they’ll win the NFC East.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders’ standout rookie, made plays and got a strong supporting effort from his defense as the Commanders improved to 7-2 by beating the Giants, 27-22. This is the first time in 28 years that the Commanders have obtained this record to start the season. And it gave them a season sweep against a team they’ve been battling for many years.
But slow down the movement. That doesn’t mean they’re destined to win the NFC East. There are two glaring problems with the story. We will investigate both.
First, the Commanders haven’t played a tough schedule so far. Second, the Philadelphia Eagles look better and are right on the heels of the Commanders.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has reason to be excited
Washington has accomplished a lot in its first nine games. In the NFL, it doesn’t matter what you look like, the only thing that matters is that you get the W. Quinn I recognized this after beating the Giants, according to espn.com.
“It felt like a historic win for us last week at home the way it happened,” Quinn said. “How do you recognize it and yet fill the tanks knowing you’re going back into a divisional game? I thought it showed a lot of maturity on the part of the team and composure to say, “That was cool, now we have to get right back to the next process.” »
Of course, Quinn referenced the Hail Mary win over the Bears in Week 8 and how his team didn’t stay in the hype and took care of business against the Giants . This is an important victory as the Commanders are 2-0 in divisional play, a key tiebreaker if head-to-head matchups don’t resolve the issue. Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner noted the importance to beat the Giants.
“The divisional games have a little more importance,” Wagner said. “But you want to go out there and win every game, especially the ones you’re supposed to win. This is (against) a team that was struggling, so you want to make sure last week’s game doesn’t carry over into this one. I feel like no, so that’s positive.
New players, new coach, different franchise
The commanders created a winning atmosphere in an organization previously hungry for victories by playing together, Daniels said.
“Everyone respects the brotherhood,” he said. “No one is bigger than the team. No matter what you do on the field, you are always treated the same. Everyone expects you to approach work the same way. And when it doesn’t, that’s also when we hold people accountable.
But let’s look at the wins: the New York Giants (twice, for a combined total of 10 points), the Cincinnati Bengals, the Arizona Cardinals, the Cleveland Browns, the Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears .
These 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.
These teams have a combined record of 34-32. That’s a significant difference.
Quinn says he tries to focus on the present.
“I try not to think too far ahead,” Quinn said. “But staying in that pocket to improve and find things to work on. The connection with the team is really important. The best part of our team is this group. They fight hard for each other, and that’s a big deal.
And the Eagles?
The Eagles looked a little iffy to start the season. They had a good win against Green Bay before dropping a tough win against the Falcons. They smothered the New Orleans Saints, sending them on a seven-game losing streak. Then the Eagles were eliminated by the Buccaneers, 33-16.
But over the past four weeks, against admittedly weak competition, the Eagles have won every time. Jalen Hurts seems to have found his rhythm. And the news that standout receiver AJ Brown avoided a serious knee injury gives the Eagles a big personnel boost moving forward.
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When the season started, the Commanders had a great chance of winning the NFC East. Dallas and the Eagles were the favorites, according to vegasinsider.com. Now the Eagles are favored even though they are half a game behind the Commanders. So the general consensus is that the Commanders need to prove they can beat the Eagles before anyone considers them the top dog in the division.
As for Daniels, he doesn’t go too far.
“I’m just happy for the fans,” he said. “They can be very proud of the product we are putting out there.”
What could push commanders to the top?
The Commanders need help in terms of personnel on the defensive side of the football. They also need another passer. And it wouldn’t hurt to add another receiver to the mix.
It looks like Marshon Lattimore might be of interest to commanders. The Saints have lost seven straight and finished the 2024 season in terms of playoff hopes. Lattimore hasn’t been stellar this year, but he’s made the Pro Bowl four times and would give the Commanders a much-needed cornerback upgrade. He’s an eight-year veteran, but he’s only 28 years old.
Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins is reportedly tempted to add him at wide receiver, but he’s injured and the Bengals aren’t done yet. Adam Theilen from the Panthers would be a good addition, but he is also injured.
The best bet for a passer might be Za’Darius Smith. He has five sacks this season and could give the Commanders a little more bite in their quarterback pressures.
