NFL Power Rankings Week 9: This Washington Commanders team “doesn’t look anything like a playoff team”

SB Nation

The Washington Commanders entered Week 8 with a 3-4 record, and they were double digit underdogs going into Kansas City to face a Chiefs team that was getting their groove back, along with some weapons

on offense. Washington kept it close early, going into halftime tied 7-7, but they were haunted by missed opportunities after failing to capitalize on two Patrick Mahomes’ interceptions. The Commanders didn’t score again, while the Chiefs added three touchdowns to seal the victory.

The Commanders will be back in primetime on a short week as they prepare to host the Seattle Seahawks. They opened up as 3.5-point home underdogs, and we’re still waiting on some key injury updates. Jayden Daniels missed his third game of the season after suffering a new hamstring injury the week before, but Dan Quinn said he expects his QB1 to practice today. WRs Terry McLaurin(quad) and Deebo Samuel(heel) returned after missing four games and a game respectively. McLaurin laid out for another amazing catch, but had his quad checked out afterwards, while Samuel appeared limited again due to the injury he’s been dealing with for a month. LT Laremy Tunsil also left the game twice due to a hamstring injury he tried to play through. Injuries have been adding up since the preseason, and continue to pile up as the season wears on.

As Jeremy Reaves said after the game, nobody’s going to send a sympathy card for the issues another team is having, and they need to keep it moving as players leave the lineup and return. Injuries have given young players like Jordan Magee and Tyler Owens more opportunities to play, but the reality is, this team is on a three-game losing streak, and they have issues on both sides of the ball. The Commanders are desperate for a win, and another loss to an NFC team will sink their playoff chances even lower. Can they overcome the injuries and other issues and play a complete game, or will a sixth loss have them looking towards the trade deadline and the future?

Winning the Super Bowl odds: +6000 —-> +6500
Winning the NFC Odds: +3000 —-> +3300
Winning the NFC East Odds: +550 —-> +700
To Make the Playoffs: +360 —-> +410
Washington Commanders Win Total O/U: Over 9.5(+400 —-> +500), Under 9.5(-550 —-> -700)

High: 13

Low: 26

Average: 19.3 —-> 20.3

#13

Sharp Football Analysis(Mauro)

Marcus Mariota’s third start of the season was certainly his most difficult one as he was thrown into the fire against a red-hot Chiefs team in front of a hostile crowd at Arrowhead Field. Monday night’s game was Mariota’s third-straight outing in which he was sacked twice and intercepted at least once, and he would have been kept out of the end zone entirely were it not for a circus catch by Terry McLaurin to end the first half. Washington has fallen to 27th in passing efficiency after eight weeks, and that is unlikely to change without Jayden Daniels. Whoever is under center for this Commanders’ squad moving forward will have to deal with the fourth-hardest schedule for the remainder of the season, down from 12th-easiest to start the season. Last week: 13

#15

For the Numbers(Kelley)

Remember the Jacory Croskey-Merritt hype? He has 119 yards on the ground with no touchdowns the last three weeks. And he’s not doing anything as a receiver to make up for it — 7 receptions on the season. Last week: 15

#16

Team Rankings

Last week: 14

#17

The Ringer(Lee)

Washington’s defense may have forced Patrick Mahomes into a couple of interceptions on Monday, but this was largely a hapless unit against Kansas City. Linebackers Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu, and Jordan Magee aren’t able to offer much in pass coverage, and good quarterbacks like Mahomes can manipulate all three players in coverage with ease.

The Commanders opted not to blitz Mahomes much—and that turned out to be a mistake. With the way this defense is giving up big plays, blitzing might be that unit’s best chance in the weeks to come. Last week: 17

Clutch Points(Finnegan)

It was the Marcus Mariota show for the Commanders on Monday night, as he made another start in place of the injured Jayden Daniels. Mariota threw for 213 yards in WAS’s loss to KC, finding Terry McLaurin on a beautiful rainbow throw in the second quarter.

That was the only points the Commanders managed, as their drives either stalled out on fourth down or were ended by two costly INTs. Struggling to stay afloat at 3-5, Washington has a tough upcoming stretch of their schedule, as they host Seattle and Detroit in back-to-back weeks. Last week: 17

#18

NFL.com(Edholm)

The compromised Commanders battled early and had their chances against the Chiefs but couldn’t stop the second-half avalanche defensively. Johnny Newton and Javon Kinlaw both left the game with injuries, too, but the offense appeared to take the biggest health hits. Washington was already without Jayden Daniels, and then the team lost Laremy Tunsil to a hamstring injury. Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin returned to action Monday, but while McLaurin made a pair of spectacular grabs, he only played a handful of snaps in the second half. Marcus Mariota did fairly well, with Samuel to blame for his interception, but the QB couldn’t get much going after halftime. The Commanders have to hope Daniels can return for a big one against the Seahawks, as Washington’s grip on this season is starting to slip. Last week: 16

Bleacher Report

At 3-5, the Commanders need quarterback Jayden Daniels back in the lineup sooner rather than later. Granted, the organization doesn’t want to rush a soft-tissue injury, being that Daniels is dealing with a tweaked hamstring. However, the hope is he can return to the field in Week 9 after not being ready for Monday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs.

With Marcus Mariota in Daniels’ stead, Washington holds a 1-2 record. The team currently finds itself in a three-game losing streak and three full games behind the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles. Eight different teams in the conference currently have more wins. Daniels may be exactly what Washington needs for a jolt to make a postseason push during the second half of the 2025 campaign. Last week: 16

#19

Sportsnaut(Johnson)

While regression was always going to come for the Washington Commanders after what happened last season, much of this has been bad luck. What few pass rushers Dan Quinn’s defense had went down with season-ending injuries. Jayden Daniels also lost his top wideouts for multiple weeks and just as they’re about to return, he goes down with an injury that will sideline him for the MNF matchup. Washington desperately needs the bye week but that isn’t coming until late November. By then, there’s a strong chance that Washington is 4-7. Last week: 19

For the Win(D’Andrea/Zeglinski)

Last week: 21

#20

ESPN

Best offseason addition: LT Laremy Tunsil

Washington traded away four picks, including a 2025 third-rounder and a second-rounder in 2026, to Houston for Tunsil and a fourth-round pick. He has provided the Commanders with their best tackle play since Trent Williams in 2018. Tunsil is credited with allowing three sacks, though one of those came on a play that took 3.7 seconds. Regardless, he came at a premium cost, and he is worthy of an extension with one year left on his deal, even at age 31. “I would definitely want Laremy to be my bodyguard,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said after Week 1. That remains true two months later, though a hamstring injury suffered Monday will need to be monitored. — John Keim Last week: 19

Yahoo Sports(Schwab)

We’re seeing how much a healthy Jayden Daniels means to the Commanders. He covers up a lot of flaws. The Commanders aren’t doing anything particularly well, and they struggled across the board against the Chiefs. Even when Daniels returns, this doesn’t look anything like a playoff team. Last week: 20

CBS Sports(Prisco)

They hung around against the Chiefs, but you can’t blow early scoring chances and expect to beat that team on the road. They need Jayden Daniels back. Last week: 19

#21

Sports Illustrated(Orr)

The Commanders came into Monday night’s game second in missed tackles, which may say just as much about the team’s current predicament as how long they’ll be without Jayden Daniels. Last week: 18

USA Today(Davis)

Monday night’s loss dropped them to 13th place in the NFC − if only two games behind the Niners, who currently hold the conference’s final wild-card spot. The return of QB Jayden Daniels will obviously help, but this offense also has a lot of other issues to address. Last week: 19

Fox Sports(Vacchiano)

They are heading in the wrong direction with their third straight loss. And they’ll need Jayden Daniels back for their next two — home games against the Seahawks and the Lions. Last week: 21

Windy City Gridiron(Leming)

2024 was a magical season for many reasons, including the number of close games they won. In reality, the Commanders were always one of the league’s top regression candidates, especially when combined with Jayden Daniels’ lack of health in 2025, and their overall roster age. I’m not going to call it a wrap on the Washington’s season quite yet, but if they are going to get back in the race, they are going to have to earn it. They’ll face a gauntlet of a schedule with the Seahawks, Lions, and Broncos upcoming over the next four games. Good luck. Last week: 18

DraftKings Network(Tucker)

Last week: 21

#22

The Athletic(Graff/Kendall)

Something scary: Jayden Daniels’ health

The Commanders aren’t giving up on the 2025 season, but on Monday, Adam Schefter floated on “The Pat McAfee Show” the possibility that their star second-year quarterback won’t play again next week due to injury. With this season heading in the wrong direction — Monday night was the team’s fourth loss in five games — Washington would be wise to be careful with Daniels’ hamstring. Last week: 21

AZ Central(Cluff)

The Commanders are now 3-5 and have lost three straight, making their game against the Seahawks in Week 9 a pivotal one. They are in third place in the NFC East. Last week: 22

AtlantaFalcons.com(McElhaney)

The Commanders made for interesting conversations at halftime. But that’s as long as the Chiefs let them hang around. Last week: 22

Walter Football

This has been the season from hell for the Redskins. Just when they get their receivers back from injury, their quarterback goes down. They fought hard for 30 minutes against the Chiefs, but they just didn’t have the firepower.

Washington is a Group C team with Jayden Daniels, who is due back this upcoming week. Last week: 23

Washington Post(Greenberg)

Last week: 15

New York Post(Dunleavy)

Last week: 21

The Score(Wilkins)

Last week: 21

#23

Sporting News(Iyer)

The Commanders got the expected losing result in Kansas City with Marcus Mariota playing for an injured Jayden Daniels with the offense struggling to create anything. The defense cannot hold up against better passing offenses, either. Last week: 22