Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders finished 2025 at 5 and 12, missed the playoffs, and got mathematically eliminated in a Week 14 shutout at Minnesota. Twelve months after a magical run to the NFC Championship, this was a full-scale collapse — an August Super Bowl contender turned into one of the league's worst teams by November. Injuries gutted the roster, the defense couldn't get off the field, and Jayden Daniels — the reigning breakout star — played just seven games before a dislocated elbow in the Week 9 blowout against Seattle flipped the season. There were bright spots, but the body of the year was an eight-game losing streak with four separate 21-plus-point blowouts. The vibes stayed high in the locker room, but the scoreboard got muffed almost every Sunday. By January, Dan Quinn had parted ways with both coordinators and the franchise was back in deep introspection.

Let's put numbers on it. Washington got outscored by roughly five points a game, and the gap tells the story — the offense was league-average in points while the defense surrendered 26 and a half a game, 27th in the NFL. The passing game finished at minus zero point zero one in expected points added per dropback — dead flat. The defense gave up plus zero point two per dropback — and on defense you want that number deeply negative, so plus zero point two is bottom-tier. Third down was the through line: Washington converted 38 percent of their own while letting opponents convert 42 percent, and the turnover math was ugly — 21 giveaways against 9 takeaways, minus-12. This was boom-or-bust football: four wins came by double digits, but six losses came by 18 or more, including a 31 to nothing shutout in Minnesota and two 44-point outings allowed to Dallas and Detroit.

Now let's talk about the passing offense. Washington threw for 195.8 yards per game, 19 touchdowns behind 37 sacks allowed, and finished at minus 3.8 in total passing expected points added — neutral on paper, boom-or-bust in practice. With Daniels healthy, the unit flashed championship ceiling; with Marcus Mariota starting 10 games, it lived in survival mode. The through line was the McLaurin contract holdout that wiped out his training camp — he signed 13 days before the opener and never rebuilt his 2024 chemistry with Daniels. Terry McLaurin, the alpha of the room, finished with just 38 catches for 582 yards and 3 touchdowns across 10 games — a shadow of his Pro Bowl self. The signature moment came in Week 4 at Atlanta — fourth and 3, down 15 in the fourth, Mariota hit Deebo Samuel deep left for a 24-yard touchdown worth plus 4.5 expected points. Real juice in bursts; never strung together.

Now let's dig into the rushing offense. This was the one genuinely positive story — 135.5 yards per game, 20 rushing touchdowns, and plus 9.1 in total rushing expected points added, with the run game actively adding scoring value snap after snap. Rare for a 5-and-12 team, and it was mostly a rookie-led effort that trended up and stayed up all year. Jacory Croskey-Merritt carried it — 805 yards on 175 carries with 8 touchdowns across all 17 games, including a 72-yard touchdown run against Dallas in Week 7 that was the most explosive offensive play of the season. The ground game showed up week to week, even in blowout losses, stacking 51 explosive plays and 20 rushing scores on a team that lost 12. When the rest of the operation cratered, the run game did not get muffed.

Next up, the pass defense. This was the unit that sank the season — 257 passing yards per game, 33 passing touchdowns allowed, and plus 117.1 in passing expected points added allowed on the year. On defense you want that number deeply negative; plus 117 is catastrophic, one of the worst marks in football. The secondary managed just 9 takeaways and let opponents hit 63 explosive plays through the air. Even a pass rush that got home 42 times couldn't cover for coverage breakdowns that turned routine third downs into chunk gains. The bright spot was corner Mike Sainristil, who picked off four passes in the games we have logged — including a 55-yard return against the Giants in Week 1 and a red-zone pick of Justin Herbert in the Week 5 win over the Chargers. One standout is not a unit, and this unit got muffed from September through January.

And the run defense. Washington surrendered 142.6 rushing yards per game, 18 rushing touchdowns, and plus 35.6 in rushing expected points added allowed — again, that positive number on defense is the problem. The per-carry mark was plus zero point zero seven allowed, meaning opposing backs gained value on nearly every handoff — a steady floor of bad, week after week. The beat writers flagged it all year: missed tackles, blown gap fits, a front that couldn't anchor even after adding Javon Kinlaw and Eddie Goldman. This was the phase that turned close games into 44-point losses, and it's the phase that has to get fixed first.