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Washington Post (paywall)
Commanders’ pain remains with an OT loss in Spain to the Dolphins
Washington’s losing streak is six following Miami’s 16-13 victory in Madrid set up by several Commanders mistakes.
The Washington Commanders touched down in Madrid with hopes this time would be different — that a new environment and some team bonding over dinner would help start to turn their terrible season around. Instead, the misery simply followed them to a new continent, just as it had followed them from Landover; to Arlington, Texas; to Kansas City, Missouri; and back
again over the past six weeks. In the first NFL regular season game played in Spain, Washington suffered a devastating 16-13 loss in overtime against the Miami Dolphins. Along the way, they introduced the soccer-first fans at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium to some of the woeful lapses that have defined their ongoing skid: missed field goals by Matt Gay, including one that would have won the game in regulation. A muffed punt by Mike Sainristil beforehand. And, ultimately, a wayward throw by Marcus Mariota on the first play of scrimmage in overtime.
The Athletic (paywall)
Commanders’ season unofficially ends in Madrid: ‘A long way to go to come up short’
Now 3-8 and headed into their bye week, Washington’s chances of making the playoffs remain at less than 1 percent while its odds of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2026 Draft are up to 2 percent, according to The Athletic’s NFL Playoff Simulator. Even if it wins all six of its remaining games, Washington’s chances of a playoff berth increase to only 16 percent.
Six consecutive losses will do that. The Commanders didn’t get it done.
But this time, it wasn’t because of the defense.
Complementary football has eluded the Commanders for much of the season, including Sunday. When one unit scores or comes up with a stop, the others can never seem to match and carry on the momentum. Rarely have all three phases — offense, defense and special teams — played well in one game for Washington. Instead, the mistakes of one usually bring down the collective.
This loss was squarely on the special teams and offense, whose mistakes proved insurmountable.
The Athletic (paywall)
The Miami Dolphins’ end-of-season outcomes
Before Sunday, NFL teams were 1-65 this season in games when they finished with negative EPA on both offense and defense. Minnesota’s Week 9 victory over Detroit had been the only exception.
The Dolphins joined those exclusive (?) ranks with their 16-13 victory over Washington. They had been 0-11 in those games under McDaniel previously and 6-89 (.063) in them overall since 2000, per TruMedia.
Jack Jones’ interception of backup Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota to open overtime was the pivotal play in the end, but Washington might have lost this game on special teams. Commanders returner Mike Sainristil muffed a punt in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, and kicker Matt Gay missed from 56 yards with 15 seconds left in regulation (Gay also missed from 51 in the second quarter).
The Athletic (paywall)
Dolphins-Commanders takeaways: Miami wins overtime defensive slugfest in Madrid
Dolphins red zone offense struggled mightily
Penalties, bizarre play-calling and a stifling Commanders defense kept Miami from punching it in the end zone on three of its four trips to the red zone. The Commanders held up for two goal-line stands, the last of which left Achane with a back injury late in the fourth quarter (he returned in overtime). When he went out after two failed attempts to punch it in, Ollie Gordon was stopped in his tracks on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
Washington’s defense came alive for the first time in nearly a month, recording a pair of first-half sacks (one by Jacob Martin in the red zone and the other by Jonathan Jones on a cornerback blitz), a third sack by Von Miller late in the fourth quarter and then two second-half goal-line stands, the last of which gave the Commanders a chance to win it with a minute and 41 seconds remaining. Having coach Dan Quinn make the calls seemed to make a significant difference, especially in the red zone.
NFL.com
NFL Week 11 takeaways: What We Learned from Sunday’s 13 games
- Washington D stands up in Quinn’s first game as play-caller. After a run of defensive no-shows amid a five-game losing streak, Dan Quinn took over play-calling duties from coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. this week. The result? Washington allowed just 16 points and 311 yards, its fewest since a season-opening win over the lowly Giants. The Commanders bent but rarely broke, stopping four of five Dolphins drives inside the 30-yard line before overtime, including two goal-line stands at the 1-yard line. Down the suspended Daron Payne, Washington found inspired inside pressure from Eddie Goldman and Javon Kinlaw and kept the chance at a win alive. A disciplined pass rush resulted in three sacks from Jonathan Jones, Jacob Martin and Von Miller, and Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu were sturdy in the middle of the field. The marked one-game improvement was still too little, too late, as the offense didn’t hold its own and Matt Gay missed two field goals. With the loss, Washington dropped to 3-8, far closer to the top pick in the draft than a wild-card berth.
- Teams with little to lose play to win — and almost draw. With both Washington and Miami’s seasons close to lost, after injuries to stars and underwhelming stretches, both clubs came into Sunday’s historic tie in Madrid looking to take chances. They delivered on the efforts, at least. As both teams struggled on third down (9 of 22 combined for the game), the Commanders and Dolphins weren’t afraid to go for it on fourth. In the second half, Miami and Washington traded turnovers on downs from inside their opponent’s 2-yard lines. Despite being down no more than one score at any time, Miami went for a tie in the third quarter and then the kill in the fourth on fourth-and-goal attempts. Both were stuffed, one by Bobby Wagner on a pass attempt to Jaylen Waddle and the other a gang tackle on Ollie Gordon. Washington was guilty of trying to go ahead with a TD instead of a field goal in between Miami’s two attempts, but Marcus Mariota missed Zach Ertz, who slipped on the Bernabeu turf. The Commanders’ No. 2 red zone percentage failed them with their season on the line, but with little to lose for both sides, the attempts were worth the risk.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Commander-Dolphins (via NFL Pro): Dolphins RB De’Von Achane ran outside the tackles on 17 of his 21 carries against the Commanders, gaining 109 yards (47.1% success rate) on outside runs compared to just 11 yards on four inside carries (25.0% success rate). Achane recorded a career-high six explosive runs on outside carries, along with 76 yards after contact, the most allowed to a running back by the Commanders this season.
Washington Post (paywall)
Five thoughts on the struggling Commanders entering their bye week
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s approach has been predictable. Coming into Week 11, the Commanders used shotgun on 95.2 percent of their snaps (most in the NFL), according to TruMedia. They use pistol — a variation of shotgun — on 20.2 percent of their snaps (second most). When they’re in pistol, they’ve run the ball 75.2 percent of the time. When they’re not in pistol, they run the ball 32.5 percent of the time.
Through their first 10 games, the Commanders also essentially used only two personnel groupings. They used 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers) on 56.8 percent of their snaps and 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends, two wide receivers) on 22.8 percent of their snaps. No other personnel grouping accounts for more than 4.3 percent of their snaps.
The Commanders make it easier for opposing defenses to get a pre-snap read on what they’re going to do. A more diverse approach could be beneficial.
Commanders.com
Instant analysis | Commanders suffer OT loss in Madrid, 16-13
But like other times this season, “winning time moments” — the phrase head coach Dan Quinn has emphasized since he arrived in Washington — continued to be a sticking point for the team as their losing streak grew to six straight.
Sunday’s 16-13 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins came some sweet mixed in with the bitter of dropping to 3-8 before the bye week. In many respects, it was the best the Commanders had looked in weeks. The defense, while not perfect, was better in Quinn’s first crack at calling plays this year, coming up with two goal line stops on fourth down. Although De’Von Achane finished with 120 rushing yards, he was kept out of the end zone for just the fourth time all season. They forced two punts — one more than in the previous two games combined.
The offense didn’t start slowly, albeit with just a field goal to open the game, and at times was efficient with Marcus Mariota under center. They actually outgained the Dolphins in total yardage and rushed for 172 yards on 33 attempts. Mariota, aside from his overtime interception that essentially sealed the game for the Dolphins, had a solid day with 213 passing yards and a 44-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Heavy.com
Jeremy McNichols : Six touches in Week 11 loss
McNichols turned four carries into 13 yards and added two catches on as many targets for 16 yards during the Commanders’ 16-13 overtime loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. Three of McNichols’ six touches came in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, though he was firmly entrenched as the Commanders’ RB3 behind Chris Rodriguez and Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Through 11 regular-season games, McNichols has turned 26 carries into 181 yards and one touchdown while catching 15 passes (on 20 targets) for 139 yards.
Riggo’s Rag
3 winners (and 4 losers) from Commanders’ calamity against the Dolphins
Loser No. 1
Johnny Newton – Commanders DL
With Pro Bowl defensive tackle Daron Payne suspended for punching Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Washington Commanders provided Johnny Newton with a chance to start. The former Illinois standout had been waiting a long time for this moment, but it ended up being an underwhelming day at the office.
Newton doesn’t have the size or strength to be impactful against the run. He flashes as a pass-rusher, but the consistency just isn’t where it needs to be. The Commanders could see what was unfolding and reacted accordingly, giving veteran Eddie Goldman most of the work on early downs.
Goldman was much more effective. Newton finished with one tackle and far more questions than answers about his long-term outlook.
Winner No. 1
Chris Rodriguez Jr. – Commanders RB
The Washington Commanders made it a priority to get the run game going early. And they relied heavily on Chris Rodriguez Jr. to set the tone.
Rodriguez was up to the task. He ran aggressively, with physicality and explosiveness. His contact balance is showing genuine improvement, and the former Kentucky star set the tempo that made things easier for veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota.
The 2023 sixth-round pick is clearly the most productive running back on Washington’s roster right now, and it’s not particularly close. And yet, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury opted almost entirely to ignore his influence over the second half. That is inexcusable.
Kingsbury stated earlier this season that Washington’s backfield committee would ride the hot hand from game to game. That was Rodriguez in this one, and he should have continued to be the bell-cow.
Washington Post (paywall)
Times are tough for the Commanders, whether they play in Madrid or on Mars
This is such a weird spot for a franchise to find itself. Peters and Quinn are in their second season. They spent the first building an almost impenetrable belief that they would be franchise pillars for years to come. This kind of difference between what was expected and what’s playing out would normally bring out calls for heads to roll. But that can’t be true for Commanders owner Josh Harris now. Sure, this season is off the rails. That just can’t offset all the good work from a year ago.
What it does provide is more intense scrutiny — and, indeed, skepticism — about the upcoming offseason. Quinn took over defensive calls from embattled coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. this past week. Does Whitt have a spot on next year’s staff? Peters’s free agent signings in his first year worked out all but perfectly. He now has a spotty draft record to defend, which puts further focus on the draft to come.
Crazy, huh? It’s not even Thanksgiving in 2025, and the eye is already drawn to the moves that will define 2026. That’s the feel of so many Washington seasons gone by. It wasn’t supposed to be the feel of this one.
Podcasts & videos
Red Zone Collapse: Commanders’ #2 Unit Vanishes in Catastrophic OT Loss
Photos
Commanders.com
PHOTOS | Commanders vs. Dolphins, Week 11
Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium for our Week 11 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
NFC East links
dallascowboys.com
Gut Feeling: Cowboys-Raiders staff predictions
Kyle Youmans: I keep hearing the phrase “get right game” tossed around this week when it comes to the Cowboys-Raiders matchup on Monday night. I don’t like that term for multiple reasons, but mostly because Las Vegas could be saying the exact same thing about playing the Cowboys at home despite a 2-7 start. Coming off the bye week, playing with a more talented roster on paper, and with an entirely new look on the defensive side of the ball, this Cowboys team should play a spirited brand of football this week. They’ll control the line of scrimmage against a Raiders team that has struggled in that regard at times, and they’ll win this game in a big way. Cowboys 33-20.
Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles vs. Lions: The good, the bad, and the ugly
Highlights and lowlights from Philadelphia’s Week 11 win.
The Ugly
Right tackle Fred Johnson going offsides with 1:51 to play, making a third-and-three into a third-and-eight at the Eagles’ 37. Fortunately, the Lions’ Rock Ya-Sin was called for a questionable pass interference on the following play, which sealed the game.
Right guard Tyler Steen turning the Eagles’ first drive of the second half from a Tush Push third-and-one gimme into a third-and-six, when Steen was flagged for tapping Lions’ tackle Tyliek Williams on the left hand. Steen clearly reached over to tap Williams. As the Eagles returned to the huddle, Saquon Barkley was tapping his helmet motioning to Steen as if to say, use your head.
Adoree’ Jackson simply getting burned by Jameson Williams on a 40-yard TD from Jared Goff with 5:05 left in the first half. It was as simple as Williams crossing over the middle and out running Jackson, a season-long liability opposite Quinyon Mitchell.
Big Blue View
Giants-Packers ‘Kudos & Wet Willies’: Good still wasn’t good enough
The Giants once again could not seal the deal.
Giants’ run defense — Of course. The run defense was typically atrocious. Green Bay ran for 128 yards on 23 carries, 5.6 yards per carry. They did most of that without star running back Josh Jacobs, who carried seven times for 40 yards before leaving the game with a knee injury.
Shane Bowen — The Giants have now blown five leads this season, four of those late in games. Granted, the first four were leads of double digits, but this was still a blown lead. The Giants had a 20-19 lead with 7:22 to play.
Jalin Hyatt — The third-year wide receiver got a big opportunity on Sunday with Darius Slayton out of the lineup and with Brian Daboll home on his couch. He had two receptions in four targets, but Hyatt might have been at fault on Jameis Winston’s interception in the final minute. Drew Brees thinks he was. I think he was. You decide for yourself:
NFL league links
Articles
ESPN
Source: Initial concern that Steelers’ Rodgers has break in wrist
The initial concern is that Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has “a slight break” in his left, non-throwing wrist, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The quarterback will undergo further testing Monday to determine the full extent of the injury and how long he’ll be sidelined, league sources told Schefter.
Rodgers did not return to Sunday’s 34-12 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals after sustaining the injury late in the second quarter.
International Games
Front Office Sports
Goodell: NFL Close to Adding a ‘Couple More’ International Games
“It’s been spectacular,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Sunday at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium before the Dolphins beat the Commanders 16–13 in overtime in front of a crowd of 78,610 fans that watched the league’s debut game in Spain.
Goodell, speaking during an interview on NFL Network, indicated the league is exploring more new markets to play in next year, in addition to debuting in Australia—the Rams will host a to-be-determined opponent in Melbourne—and Rio de Janeiro (the second city in Brazil to host the NFL after successful showings in São Paulo).
“Australia is going to be our big learning test next year,” Goodell said. “We’re excited about that. I think we’ll be back in a lot of the markets we’ve been [in] this year. But we have a couple more that we’re thinking about right now.” Goodell said the NFL is “close” to finalizing those plans. “We’re getting there,” he said.
There could be up to nine games played outside the U.S. next season, and Goodell and many franchise owners want to expand that number to 16 per season in the near future.
