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Washington Post (paywall)
The mystery of Terry McLaurin’s status continues
The Commanders’ top receiver was a limited participant at practice Wednesday, but he’s no sure bet to play Sunday at Dallas.
[A]s the Commanders prepare to visit the Dallas Cowboys
on Sunday, McLaurin’s status remains a question — if not a bit of a mystery — for the fourth straight week as he continues to work his way back from a quadriceps injury of undisclosed severity.
McLaurin practiced Wednesday for the first time since suffering the injury Sept. 21, albeit in a limited capacity. Coach Dan Quinn noted it was a light practice at a “jog-through” pace.
“I’ll have a better assessment after we go through some full-speed routes and movements to see where he’s at,” Quinn said. “But I’m excited where he’s trending.”
Quinn has remained coy about McLaurin’s status.
“[He’s] working as hard as he can to come back from it, and he’s putting all the work in,” Quinn said Sept. 26. “So I would say he’s week-to-week as we’re hitting it.”
The following week, ahead of the trip to Los Angeles, Quinn said McLaurin was “trending up.” Last week, Quinn said “we’re optimistic” about McLaurin ahead of Monday night’s game against the Chicago Bears. In the meantime, McLaurin was spotted working on a side field with trainers and strength coaches but not catching passes or participating in practice.
Roster updates
The Commanders opened the 21-day practice window for cornerback Jonathan Jones (hamstring). He was placed on injured reserve following the Week 2 loss at Green Bay. Washington has until Week 10 to add him to the active roster.
The Commanders signed guard Julian Good-Jones to the practice squad Wednesday after releasing guard Tyler Cooper from the practice squad the day before. They also announced the signing of defensive end Drake Jackson, who is returning from a knee injury and may not be able to play for a while.
The Athletic (paywall)
The Commanders’ defense has some glaring problems, and they need to be fixed
Takeaways
A hallmark of Quinn’s and Whitt’s defenses in Dallas was their ability to force turnovers. The Cowboys led the league in takeaways in 2021 and 2022, finding production from both starters and reserves.
Washington’s defense has yet to find similar success. The team had only four takeaways in the first six weeks of last season, but by Week 7 it found its rhythm, forcing at least one turnover in nine of its last 11 regular-season games.
This season is off to an even slower start, with three takeaways — two interceptions and a recovered fumble. Washington has had opportunities for others, but didn’t fully capitalize because of a drop or a penalty.
“I’ve had a history of getting a bunch of them in my past, and they don’t come on good thrown balls,” Whitt said earlier this month. “They come on poorly thrown balls. They come on running tips and overthrows, and things such as that. … But if we try to force them and we try to go get them and we’re not doing it the right way, we’re going to give up an explosive and we can’t do it that way.”
Commanders.com
Practice notes | Commanders looking for better execution to fix slow starts
If last year’s version of the Commanders’ offense was a sprinter — they finished with top 10 rankings in yards per game, plays per game and yards per play — the 2025 iteration is more like a freight train. It can move at speed when the engine is hot, but it takes some time to get things going. There are several reasons for the change in pace; injuries to key players like Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown are partially to blame, but teams have also found new ways to keep the unit from gaining traction.
Regardless of the reason, the Commanders’ slow offensive starts have played a role in their 3-3 record through the first third of the season. They have started games in at least a 10-point hole four times and are 1-3 in those contests. Obviously, the Commanders want to smooth out that pain point, and they have the answer for how to do it: they simply need to execute.
“When the play call comes in, we gotta execute,” Jayden Daniels said after the Commanders’ 25-24 loss to the Chicago Bears. “It starts with me. It starts with all 11 of us on the field at the time. We gotta execute better.”
ESPN
Commanders place WR Noah Brown on IR with groin injury
The Washington Commanders placed receiver Noah Brown on injured reserve, four games after he initially injured his groin and robbing the offense of getting back another potential playmaker.
Brown suffered a groin injury in a Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers and appeared headed to a return last week when he practiced two days. But he did not practice Saturday ahead of Monday’s game vs. the Chicago Bears.
Brown caught three passes for 36 yards in the first two games. In 11 games last season Brown caught 35 passes for 453 yards and one touchdown. He also drew six defensive pass interference penalties in 2024, ranking second in the NFL.
Riggo’s Rag
Luke McCaffrey is open more than anyone realizes (and it’s raising questions)
With Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown sidelined, and Deebo Samuel Sr. not at 100 percent due to a heel issue, most experts and fans anticipated McCaffrey’s role to be enhanced. Aside from a 33-yard touchdown on busted coverage, he was an innocent bystander in the passing game.
A damning statistic surrounding Kliff Kingsbury’s strategy only made things worse.
According to Next Gen Stats, McCaffrey’s separation rate was three times the league average on Monday Night Football at 10.75 yards. That number is clearly inflated due to the blown assignment on his score, but it’s still a telling sign of how much the wideout is getting open without the targets to show for it.
This speaks to a lack of trust in McCaffrey. Perhaps he’s not been seen quickly enough by superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels when he goes through his progressions. Still, it’s not the first time that the former Rice standout has put up outstanding separation numbers with little to no involvement.
McCaffrey is still growing as a player. The development is encouraging, but the Commanders’ coaching staff clearly feels like he has more room to grow before ramping up his on-field influence on offense. At the same time, his explosiveness and elusiveness could potentially help Washington overcome some sluggish starts that have blighted their campaign.
Heavy.com
Jonathan Jones : Logs full practice in return
Jones (hamstring) was listed as a full participant in Wednesday’s estimated practice report. Jones’ 21-day window to return to injured reserve Wednesday, and he participated in the walkthrough session without limitations. He’ll have to log full practices over the next two days to have a realistic chance of being reinstated from IR ahead of Sunday’s NFC East clash against the Cowboys.
Commanders Wire
Commanders’ rookie Trey Amos is playing at an elite level
Amos has been on the field for 80% of Washington’s defensive snaps. And while the Commanders‘ pass defense is among the NFL’s worst, don’t blame Amos, who is playing at an elite level early in his professional career.
Consider this chart from Seth Walder of ESPN.
Amos is firmly entrenched in the “up is right and good” category.
Rookie cornerbacks are often the target of opposing quarterbacks. That hasn’t been the case with Amos. Opponents have targeted second-year cornerback Mike Sainristil the most and veteran Marshon Lattimore the next most. Teams also find ways to take advantage of Washington’s linebackers in coverage. No quarterback makes it a point to go after Amos.
Pro Football Focus
NFL Week 7 Preview: Schedule, storylines, matchups to watch and betting spreads
WashingtonCommanders (-2.5) vs. Dallas Cowboys
Storyline of the game: Can the Cowboys’ offense continue to cover their defense?
The difference in impact between the Cowboys’ offense and defense in 2025 has been vast. The offense is currently second in EPA per play, while the defense is dead last in EPA per play allowed. Dak Prescott (91.3 grade; 3rd) and the Dallas offense are holding up their end of the bargain, but have been consistently let down by the worst defense in the NFL. At some point, something will change. Will it be the defense starting to break through, or the offense losing some steam against a tough Commanders team?
Matchup to watch: Cowboys RB Javonte Williams vs. Commanders’ run defense
The Cowboys’ run game has excelled in 2025, in part due to the play of RB Javonte Williams and the offensive line. Williams’ 72.1 overall PFF grade is 16th among running backs, and he’s rushed for 476 yards (4th) and five touchdowns (3rd) while averaging 5.2 yards per carry (7th). The Cowboys’ offensive line places seventh in PFF run-blocking grade (68.8), and the unit opposes a Commanders defense that is third in PFF run-defense grade (78.1).
Additional News
- Commanders placed WR Noah Brown (groin) on IR, sidelining him for at least four games.
- However, Commanders WR Terry McLaurin (quad) is expected to practice this week.
- The Cowboys could have WR CeeDee Lamb (ankle) back in time for Sunday.
Pro Football Focus
Grades and Data: Key insights for every NFL Week 7 game
Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys
With CeeDee Lamb sidelined, George Pickens is making a strong case to be paid like a No. 1 wide receiver, especially with his dominance against single coverage. Pickens leads the NFL with 369 receiving yards and four touchdowns versus single coverage, including 135 yards after the catch — nearly double the next closest player.
Among 67 qualifying cornerbacks, Commanders rookie Trey Amos ranks 13th with a 64.3 grade in single coverage, while Marshon Lattimore ranks 38th at 40.3. Amos has allowed 71 yards on six receptions; Lattimore has given up 159 yards on nine.
Though Jayden Daniels has seen a reduced rushing workload while managing a knee sprain, he remains a threat on scrambles. He leads the league with a 13% scramble rate on dropbacks and, since returning in Week 5, has rushed for a league-high 94 yards and forced five missed tackles on scrambles. That could be a concern for Dallas, as the Cowboys allowed 334 rushing yards on scrambles last season (sixth-most) and are on pace to exceed that total, having already given up 141 yards through six games (eighth-most).
Podcasts & videos
NFL Passing Concepts + Dak Prescott and the Cowboys | Film Breakdown | Washington Commanders | NFL
Dallas and the Betrayal Index
The Athletic (paywall)
The Cowboys have let Dak Prescott down at rare levels — Watch the Betrayal Index
The Betrayal Index was conceived precisely for the type of season Dak Prescott is enjoying — make that experiencing — through the first six weeks of the 2025 NFL season.
Prescott has been sensational for the Dallas Cowboys, but his team has only a 2-3-1 record to show for it. The Cowboys’ defense has been so bad, not even elite quarterback play has been able to overcome it consistently.
Prescott is not alone in this regard, but he’s at the extreme end. His production, measured by EPA per start on pass plays and QB rushes, ranks second among 33 qualifying quarterbacks (minimum three starts) this season, per TruMedia. The corresponding EPA generated by the part Prescott cannot control — Dallas’ defense and special teams — ranks last among those for the 33 QBs. The difference between those rankings (-31) makes Prescott the quarterback most betrayed by his defense and/or special teams through six weeks of this season.
Dak is the NFL’s most betrayed QB so far
Betrayal Index, or the difference between a quarterback’s and defense/special teams’ per-game EPA rank, for all NFL QBs with at least 3 starts this season
NFC East links
The Athletic (paywall)
Eagles mailbag: Howie Roseman’s trade targets, Kevin Patullo’s future, playoff possibilities
Looking at the full 2025 schedule, is it possible the Eagles miss the playoffs?
For as ugly as the past two weeks have been, the Eagles are still a legitimate Super Bowl contender. We’re hyper-focused on Philadelphia, but the Bills have lost two in a row. The Bucs are No. 1 in The Athletic’s power rankings. Who beat them? The Eagles — in Tampa. Who’s No. 2? The Rams, who also lost to the Eagles. No. 5 is Kansas City, which also lost ot the Eagles at home. That’s three of the top five teams in the NFL. It shows the Eagles can beat anyone. You pointed out the 2025 schedule in your question, which is why the strength of their victories is worth noting.
Further, look at the NFC East. The loss to the Giants was ugly, but it would be a surprise if the Eagles don’t win the division and clinch a postseason spot. They’re the only team in the top half of the league in those power rankings.
How long of a leash do you think (Kevin) Patullo has?
Entering the season, I thought there was a reasonable chance that Patullo was a one-year coordinator. My thinking was that if the Eagles were outstanding on offense, Patullo would be a candidate to become a head coach, given his background and personality. A successful year calling plays could put him on the path of the Eagles’ last three offensive coordinators during Super Bowl seasons. But if the Eagles underachieved as an offense, a Brian Johnson-like situation in which the Eagles seek experience in that role (potentially from a dismissed head coach) could be a pathway.
Six games are too soon to say what will happen. Let’s see how Patullo and the Eagles respond. So, to answer your question, I don’t anticipate an in-season change at this point.
Blogging the Boys
Rookie battleground: Cowboys vs. Commanders breakdown for draft picks
Donovan Ezeiraku (DE)
Second Round
Washington’s offense is a moving target because Jayden Daniels turns dropbacks into field trips. He’s been sacked 14 times, which is middle of the pack and the Commanders just coughed up three turnovers on Monday night after juggling injuries up front. That’s the kind of environment where a high-motor edge like Ezeiruaku can really shine.
The issue holding Ezeiruaku from having free reign here is Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The Commanders running back gives them a real downhill threat and he’s at 344 yards on 60 carries this year, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Add Daniels’ 176 rushing yards and that’s a recipe that keep’s Ezeiruaku having to hold his rush lines and set the edge.
If the Cowboys can bottle first down and then produce on second and third down, Ezeiruaku’s high-effort style comes into play. On a defense searching for rhythm, he’s one of the few who consistently tilts reps in the right direction.
Grade: 72.0
Trey Amos (CB)
Second Round
Dropped into the league with press-corner length and SEC experience, Amos has settled into the rotation the way you want a rookie to with steady special-teams work, spot duty outside, and a handful of snaps in the nickel when the matchup fits. The first thing that pops on film is the frame with rangy arms, patient feet, and how calmly he gets from line up to in phase with his long strides. When offenses try to bully him with slants and quick outs, he’ll crowd the release and make the receiver finish a contested catch instead of an easy layup.
The rookie problems are there because they’re there for almost every young corner. Double-moves will catch him off-balance, tempo routes can steal half a step and he can get grabby. That’s all coachable and how quickly he corrects within the game will determine what happens in his sophomore season.
Grade: 63.6
Mile High Report
Broncos aim to secure fifth win of season against the Giants
While the Giants may just have two wins, they have a little bit more moxie and confidence than they did early on in the season. After replacing Russell Wilson with first-round pick Jaxson Dart, their offense appears to be revitalized. In addition to Dart making plays through the air and on the ground, fourth-round rookie running back Cam Skattebo has been a punishing runner between the tackles.
No game in the NFL is an easy game, and the Broncos can’t afford to underestimate the Giants. In order to come away with a victory on Sunday, Denver’s ferocious defense is going to have to ensure New York’s rookie QB-RB duo is kept in check. After practice Wednesday, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II gave his thoughts on what he has seen from Dart several games into his NFL career.
“The team is rallying behind him. He is very confident. It seems like he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder. You can just see the poise and intangibles. He can make every throw across the field. A very underrated part of his game is his scrambling ability and his ability to create second-chance opportunities for his offense on his feet,” Surtain stated offering praise for the rookie signal caller.
But it’s not just a youthful offense with a spark the Broncos have to be worried about on Sunday. The Giants have a very impressive defensive front headlined by Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter as their potent trio of edge rushers. Additionally, their starting interior defensive lineman grouping of Roy Robertson-Harris, Dexter Lawrence, and Rakeem Nunez-Roches is also quite formidable.
Big Blue View
Giants restructure 2 contracts to create salary cap space
The New York Giants, with less than $500,000 in salary cap space to start the day on Wednesday, have reportedly restructured the contracts of cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland to create more than $4.8 million in much-needed cap relief.
Adebo and Holland were the team’s biggest free-agent signings in the offseason. Adebo signed a three-year, $54 million contract with $34.75 million guaranteed. Holland signed a three-year, $45.3 million deal with $27.4 million guaranteed.
That should put the Giants slightly above $5 million in available cap space.
Speculation in the fan base that the Giants were trading for a wide receiver began immediately
NFL league links
Articles
ESPN
Bears’ Caleb Williams ‘could care less’ about outside criticism
Williams on Wednesday was questioned about how his performance was characterized as being “off” during the “Monday Night Football” broadcast that aired on ABC. Analyst Troy Aikman said Williams needed to do a better job of where he was throwing the ball to his receivers to allow them to gain more yards after the catch.
“People are going to say what they have to say,” Williams said after the Bears extended their win streak to three games after a second straight come-from-behind victory against the Washington Commanders. “We win, we lose; people have stuff to say. It was lucky, it was not lucky; people have stuff to say. Have a bad game, have a good game; people have stuff to say.”
ESPN
Source: Players miffed over surface at Steelers’ Acrisure Stadium
Players from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns expressed “outrage” and concerns to the NFL Players Association about the “embarrassing” playing surface last weekend at Acrisure Stadium, a union source told ESPN.
“The NFLPA has conveyed its concern to the NFL and will work to ensure that players are not put in that position going forward,” the source said Wednesday.
Some players said the field, which was already scheduled to be resodded after the game, was “dry.” Steelers offensive lineman Broderick Jones was one of multiple players who said they “kicked up chunks of grass” when they made explosive movements.
“I thought it was poor [Sunday],” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Monday about the field conditions. “I’m not concerned going forward. It’s my understanding that that turf is going to be swapped out, but I certainly acknowledge it was a concern yesterday.”
Steelers kicker Chris Boswell slipped on the turf as he attempted and missed a fourth-quarter field goal, and special teams captain Miles Killebrew suffered a “significant” noncontact knee injury as he planted on the turf.
“Honestly, it was s—,” Steelers defensive captain and NFLPA team representative Cameron Heyward said Tuesday. “I lost one of my teammates and kind of makes me sad about it.”
The Steelers share a stadium with the University of Pittsburgh, but neither team had played at Acrisure the week before Sunday’s game. Pitt hosted Boston College on Oct. 4, while the Steelers’ lone home game before the Browns game was against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 14.
While the Steelers had just one home game in that stretch, Pitt hosted four of its first five games at Acrisure. Juggling the wear and tear of the field between two teams is nothing new at the field, but typically conditions have worsened much later in the season before a resodding.
“Players deserve to have the safest and highest-quality places of work,” the NFLPA source said. “The NFLPA is advocating to establish better leaguewide standards and pushing the NFL for more surface-specific data in order to ensure that our members are playing on the best possible field surfaces, no matter if it’s grass or turf.”
Pro Football Talk
NFL kickers are 77-for-108 on 50+ yard field goals this season
There was a time when a 50-yard field goal was a rare accomplishment in the NFL. That time has passed.
Now, 50-yard field goals are so commonplace that NFL kickers are 77-for-108 on field goals of 50 yards or longer this season. They’ve made 71.3 percent of all field goal attempts from 50 yards and beyond.
A 50 yard or longer field goal happens about twice as frequently per game as it did 10 years ago; this year there’s been about 0.4 field goals of 50 yards or longer per team per game, and in 2015 it was about 0.2. Twenty years ago, 50-yard field goals were so rare that there were only 48 of them all season, or less than 0.1 per team per game.
But just looking at field goals of 50 yards or longer doesn’t even tell the whole story, because coaches are letting their kickers attempt field goals from much farther out than they used to. A 60-yard field goal attempt used to be almost unthinkable, but this year NFL kickers are 4-for-8 from beyond 60 yards through six weeks. As recently as 2014, there wasn’t a single 60-yard field goal in the NFL for the entire season.
Discussion topics
The Athletic (paywall)
NFC playoff picture: Why our projection model says 12 teams still have real hopes
The NFC is wide open. Granted, it’s still early, but it looks like a conference without any juggernauts assured a spot in the NFC title game. The reigning champion Eagles are (back) on tilt after losing two straight games, while each of the other division leaders has major flaws. We’ll get into those flaws shortly, but the result of not having any truly dominant teams (so far) is that it helps keep the window wide open for the rest of the conference.
Entering Week 7, a dozen NFC teams still have at least a 10 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to my NFL Projection Model; five of those teams also have at least a 10 percent chance to earn the No. 1 seed and secure the first-round bye, while two others sit at 7 percent. Point is, there are a lot of quality teams in this conference, and a third of the way into the season, it looks like it’s anyone’s for the taking.
NFC East
While the vibes aren’t great in Philadelphia, the Eagles remain the favorites to win the NFC East at 64 percent. Still, they just don’t look right. Start with the offense, where superstar Saquon Barkley ranks 30th in rushing success rate among running backs with at least 50 carries, and Jalen Hurts ranks 20th in dropback success rate among qualified quarterbacks. They’re still in great shape to make the playoffs, but my model has them playing the fifth-hardest remaining schedule, so any hope of securing the top seed will vanish quickly if they don’t get things squared away quickly.
As for the rest of the division, the Commanders are right in the hunt with a 36 percent chance of making the playoffs. However, their last-second loss to the Bears on Monday night was costly to their odds, largely because they still have to play the league’s fourth-toughest remaining schedule. It seems like their season will be decided over the next month with road trips to Dallas and Kansas City before hosting Seattle and Detroit. [BiB note: It seems more likely to be decided in the final four weeks of the season with four consecutive NFC East games to finish the season]
Pro Football Focus (premium)
2025 NFL quarterback rankings ahead of Week 7
Quarterback is the most important position on the field, but we can often get stuck in their most recent blunders or successes, making it difficult to come up with an objective ranking.
In this quarterback rankings breakdown, we’ve evaluated the top performers based on PFF passing grades. Using insights from Premium Stats, we’ll also present a variety of key grades beyond passing grade, including grades under pressure, from a clean pocket, against the blitz and more.
2025 Quarterback rankings
Most Accurate Passer: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
83.9% adjusted completion percentage | 74.2% accuracy percentage
Prescott continues to perform at a high level despite the Cowboys’ record. He ranks as PFF’s third-highest-graded passer after recording his fourth game with an overall grade of 80.0 or higher. His accuracy was a major factor — Prescott was the only quarterback in Week 6 to rank in the top six in both adjusted completion percentage and accuracy percentage.
Pro Football Talk
21.9 million watched the Bills-Falcons, Bears-Commanders overlap
While a pair of partially simultaneous games gives ESPN the opportunity to push a bigger number than either game would have generated if it were the only one televised by ESPN/ABC/ESPN2/ESPN Deportes, how much larger is the 21.9 million two-game audience than the number that one game and one game only would have seen?
Last week, Chiefs-Jaguars did 22.3 million. In Week 3, Lions-Ravens did 22.8 million. How close to 21.9 million would Bills-Falcons or Bears-Commanders have come?
That brings us back to the question of whether having overlapping Monday night games is worth it. Fans accustomed to watching one game on Monday nights have to split their attention between two games. Which audio should be turned on? (I tried to listen to both on Monday night. Until I realized after about 45 seconds that hearing two games makes it impossible to listen to either one.)
But it’s not about the fans. It’s about maximizing the eyeballs, and juicing the eventual numbers.
Fortunately for fans, there will be no more simultaneous doubleheaders in 2025. Next Monday, it’s a back-to-back Buc-Lions/Texans-Seahawks twin bill.
Good news? It’s six hours of standalone football. Bad news? For those for whom the clock will say 10:00 p.m. when the second game starts, it will be a very late night/early morning.
