The Washington Commanders kicked off their 2025 season with a 21-6 victory over the New York Giants at home. They should have probably had a few more scores, but some sloppy play and too many penalties kept the margin of victory lower than it should have been. Russell Wilson and the Giants showed why they were at the bottom of the NFC East standings last year, and why they’re heading there again this season. Washington’s defense was an issue last season, but was good enough to keep them in the hunt
all the way up to the NFC Championship game.
The Commanders were viewed as a Top-10 team before the first regular season snap, and a lot of that has to do with the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Jayden Daniels. Will an improved defense, and more weapons on offense for Daniels cement them as a Top-5 team in the public’s eyes. It’s looking that way from this week’s power rankings, but there are still a lot of holdouts in the media who still have them in the 6-11 range.
The Washington Commanders’ Super Bowl have the 9th-best Super Bowl odds. They trail the Eagles, Packers, Lions, 49ers, and Rams in the NFC, and are expected to make another playoff run this year. Almost every analyst has them as a Top 10 team heading into Year 2, where will that lead them when the real games start? 8 of 26 power rankings have them in the Top 5 after a win over the lowly Giants, and that will see a big jump if the Commanders can go into Green Bay and defeat a team that a lot of people expect to see in the Super Bowl next February. Big wins equal big jumps in the rankings, and Washington fans have become used to big wins with Jayden Daniels at QB.
- Winning the Super Bowl odds: +2000
- Winning the NFC Odds: +1000
- Winning the NFC East Odds: +200
- To Make the Playoffs: -148
- Washington Commanders Win Total O/U: Over 9.5(-120), Under 9.5(+100)
High: 4
Low: 11
Average: 6.6
#4
Sports Illustrated(Orr)
The Commanders got a little resistance from the Giants early but managed to run away with a divisional win without having to get deep into the bag for Jayden Daniels. It’s incredible to believe that, in just his second year, this kid is making a 100-QB rating passing game with 70-plus yards on the ground feel routine. Last week: 9
Walter Football
My heavy bet on the Redskins to win the Super Bowl per my Super Bowl LX Betting Futures page is looking good so far. The Giants are terrible, but the Redskins were looking ahead to the Thursday night game and made some mistakes, yet they won rather easily. Last week: 5
Cowboys Wire(Drummond)
It looks like Brian Daboll isn’t long for NFL coaching, but the Commanders get a real test with the Packers on TNF in another top-5 matchup to start the year. Last week: 4
#5
The Athletic(Graff/Kendall)
First impression: Is the defense better, or were they just playing the Giants?
The Commanders knew they needed to get better defensively this offseason. Mission accomplished in Week 1, holding New York to just 3.7 yards per play. But was that legit, or just the benefit of playing Russell Wilson and the Giants’ mediocre offense? We’ll find out more about this team on Thursday. Last week: 7
Fox Sports(Brooks)
Jayden Daniels is already making a compelling case for MVP honors. Whether through his individual accomplishment or the team’s success, the second-year pro has the Commanders taking care of business like a perennial contender.
Pro Football Talk(Florio)
The first test comes very quickly, with Green Bay coming to town. Last week: 7
Pressbox Online(Clark)
I have no idea how the Deebo Samuel thing will ultimately play out, but so far he’s proving why it was a no-brainer of a risk for the Commanders to take. Last week: 7
AZ Central(Cluff)
Deebo Samuel is going to fit in with the Commanders just fine. He had seven catches for 77 yards in his Washington debut, giving Jayden Daniels another weapon and making the Commanders a tough out. Last week: 6
#6
ESPN
Best newcomer performance: WR Deebo Samuel
Samuel sparked the offense with seven catches for 77 yards and one run for a 19-yard touchdown. He serves as another diverse playmaker for the offense, forcing the defense to freeze on fake handoffs to him since it knows he’s a threat. Receivers Terry McLaurin (contract) and Noah Brown (knee) did not play in the preseason and missed most of camp. So while those two players shake off any rust (McLaurin had two catches for 27 yards in Week 1), it’s important to have a versatile option like Samuel. — John Keim Last week: 6
CBS Sports(Prisco)
They looked dominant in the blowout of the Giants. But now they get to face the Packers on the road, a big step up in talent. Last week: 8
USA Today(Davis)
It’s obviously early, but rookie RB Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt is currently the NFC’s leading rusher after gaining 82 yards in his NFL debut. No wonder Brian Robinson Jr. is in San Francisco and RB Chris Rodriguez was inactive Sunday. Last week: 7
Bleacher Report
The Washington Commanders offense looks refreshed with the addition of five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, wideout Deebo Samuel and rookie seventh-round running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Though the Commanders didn’t have to do much to outscore the New York Giants, Samuel made a strong first impression, catching seven passes for 77 yards and scoring on a 19-yard run. Croskey-Merritt also looked impressive, logging 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown.
This year, quarterback Jayden Daniels may not have to carry a heavy offensive load on a playoff-caliber roster. Last week: 6
Fansided(Williams)
I’m not going to pretend that beating the Giants led by Russell Wilson is some great feat, nor should anyone else. However, there’s always something to be said for a team, especially early in the season, coming out and handling business in the way that you expect them to, which is exactly what the Commanders did on Sunday.
The Washington defense had the suspect New York offense in hell for most of this game, which is something that Dan Quinn can hang his hat on and hopefully build off of. But there actually is reason to be impressed, once again, with Jayden Daniels and the offense. The Giants defense is the clear strength of that team, and they still hung 21 points on them quite comfortably to pick up the season-opening win. Last week: 8
Washington Post(Greenberg)
#7
NFL.com(Edholm)
Jayden Daniels missed some throws — and some points, too, with an intentional grounding at the Giants’ 4-yard line (one of 12 Washington penalties) running out the first-half clock and keeping the Giants in the game. But chalk this stuff up to early-season rust. Daniels also threw for 233 yards and ran for 68, part of a 220-yard rushing game for Washington. Deebo Samuel and Jacory Croskey-Merritt were big hits in their Commanders debuts, even if the new offensive tackles struggled a bit. But the big story was the play of the defense. Even against the Giants, that unit’s effort and execution deserve adulation. It’ll be a quick turnaround to Thursday’s game at Green Bay, but also an excellent chance for the defense to prove it really has taken a step forward. Last week: 8
Fox Sports(Vacchiano)
It wasn’t their best effort, but they didn’t need it against the Giants. Jayden Daniels is still good (233 passing yards, 68 rushing yards) and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury seems to love his new toy, WR Deebo Samuel (7 catches for 77 yards and a 19-yard rushing touchdown). Last week: 8
Sporting News(Iyer)
The Commanders had a rather smooth, efficient day at the office with Jayden Daniels picking up where he left off as a rookie and pushing for the early MVP lead. The defense also looked much better overall for Dan Quinn. Last week: 7
For the Win
Bill Croskey-Merritt eventually got the chance to back up his sleeper running back hype, but we have no idea if the defense is fixed because it was playing the Giants. How seriously should we take shutting down an increasingly cooked Russell Wilson? Last week: 6
Windy City Gridiron(Leming)
Washington came into Week 1 with the league’s oldest roster, and it really wasn’t even that close. The good news for them is that their quarterback and other key players are still young. That, and they’ve got plenty of cap flexibility moving forward. Although it didn’t result in a blowout on Sunday, there was never a doubt who was in control of that game. We’ll see how this group holds up as the season progresses, but so far, so good. A big test awaits in a short week against Green Bay. Last week: 8
Sharp Football Analysis(McCrystal)
Deebo Samuel and Jacory Croskey-Merritt made the biggest impacts on the receiving and running games, respectively. Jayden Daniels picked on New York’s young secondary consistently and efficiently for 288 yards and a score while the defense kept the Giants out of the end zone on 14 plays inside the 20. The Commanders escape regression for at least one week. Last week: 7
Team Rankings
Last week: 8
#8
New York Post(Dunleavy)
Trade acquisition Deebo Samuel looked like the perfect complement to Terry McLaurin with his 77 receiving yards and 19-yard rushing touchdown in a 21-6 win against the Giants.
Jayden Daniels threw for 233 yards and a touchdown and gained 68 on the ground.
The defense allowed just three points out of two Giants possessions inside the 5-yard line.
Sportsnaut(Johnson)
For being a season opener, when offenses are still working out a lot of issues, the Washington Commanders should feel pretty good about their victory over New York in Week 1. We’re not going to overreact too much to the sack totals allowed by the Commanders’ offensive line. That’s for two reasons. First, guard Sam Cosmi (PUP list) remains sidelined as he recovers from an ACL tear. Second, the Giants’ defensive line is going to do that to a lot of teams. What matters is that Jayden Daniels, once again, handled the pressure with poise and kept the chains moving. As for the Commanders’ defense, let’s see it on Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers before overreacting too much to its performance. Last week: 11
The Score(Wilkins)
Bill Croskey-Merritt for OROY. A 10-carry, 82-yard debut was just a taste of what the seventh-round rookie can do as a featured runner in this Kliff Kingsbury offense. Last week: 9
#10
The Ringer(Lee)
As you watch the Commanders offense, keep a tally of the productive sequences that aren’t a direct result of Daniels’s play. There are never more than a handful, and that’s why I expect him to be a major factor in this year’s MVP race. Daniels took a few sacks at the hands of the destructive Giants pass rush on Sunday, but the threat of his legs alone created openings for his receivers and running lanes for his backs. He won’t always put up gaudy numbers as the league continues to adjust to his style of play, but he’s far too dynamic to contain for four quarters. Last week: 10
NFL Trade Rumors(Woodie)
The offense looked sluggish at times, but credit the Giants defense for playing a solid game. I was impressed with the Commanders’ defensive line, as they put New York QB Russell Wilson under constant pressure and all but shut off the water on their rushing attack. On offense, WR Deebo Samuel looks like a good piece, and the ground game was efficient. Last week: 10
#11
Yahoo Sports(Schwab)
Deebo Samuel looked like he did in his prime 49ers years. He had seven catches for 77 yards and also scored on a 19-yard run. The Commanders need playmakers other than Terry McLaurin, and Samuel helps. So might rookie Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt, who had 82 rushing yards and a touchdown. Last week: 11
