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2026 opponent preview series: Wk 1 Eagles | Wk 2 Cowboys | Wk 3 Seahawks | Wk 4 Colts | Wk 5 Giants | Wk 6 49ers | Wk 9 Rams | Wk 11 Bengals | Wk 12 Cardinals
Previewing Washington’s 14 opponents of the ‘26 season — one at a time
In 2026, the Commanders will, like every other team in the NFL, play 17 games against
14 opponents. With the amount of roster change that NFL teams undergo annually along with the unusually large number of head coach and coordinator changes in 2026, it seems useful to spend some time to review each of Washington’s regular season opponents.
With a relatively benign 4th-place schedule and a season of NFC South, NFC East and AFC North opponents — 6 of the 8 teams in those latter two divisions had losing records in 2025 — it’s quite possible that the Titans could be sporting a fairly reasonable W-L record when they enter this Week 13 game.
According to ESPN’s preseason Power Index, the softest part of Washington’s 2026 schedule is Weeks 12 & 13 when the Commanders play the 29th-ranked Cardinals and the 27th-ranked Titans in back-to-back Sunday road games. With the Giants in Week 10, the Bengals on MNF in Week 11, the Cardinals in Week 12 and the Titans in Week 13, one hopes that the Commanders will come into Week 13 looking to extend a winning streak.
Week 13 Preview: Washington Commanders at Tennessee Titans
Date: December 6, 2026, 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee
The Tennessee Titans concluded the 2025 regular season with a 3–14 record, finishing last in the AFC South for the third consecutive year. The franchise began the season under head coach Brian Callahan, who was dismissed after a 1–5 start. Interim head coach Mike McCoy managed the remaining 11 games, guiding the team to a 2–9 finish. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward, selected with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, started all 17 games, throwing for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. The team struggled collectively on both sides of the ball, ranking 30th in scoring offense and 28th in scoring defense.
Expectations for 2026 focus on hoped-for roster and staff upgrades following an active offseason. The front office hired Robert Saleh as head coach and Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator to reset the team identity. The front office spent over $310 million in free agency to remodel the roster, focusing heavily on the defensive secondary and defensive line additions. National publications are generally projecting a moderate win increase, with oddsmakers setting the over/under win total at 6.5 games. Most observers believe that progress will depend heavily on the development of Ward and improved production from the revamped defensive unit.
The Commanders will show up for a late-season matchup hopefully having worked out any early-season hiccups from the offseason hiring of first-time NFL coordinators and playcallers on both sides of the ball in David Blough and Daronte Jones. Washington is looking to bounce back from a 5-win campaign in 2025 after reaching the NFC Championship game at the end of the 2024 season.
The All-Time Series Numbers
Washington and Tennessee have played one another just 15 times, all regular season games, dating back to the first meeting in 1971 between the Houston Oilers and the Washington Redskins (which the Redskins won at home by a score of 22-13).
From that first game until the latest meeting between the Titans and Commanders in December 2024, neither team has ever beaten the other in 3 consecutive games, and neither team has ever had an all-time winning margin of more than two games over the other.
Currently, the Titans lead the all-time series 8-7, with the Commanders having won the most recent game (in ’24) and 3 of the last 5.
Dating back to 1997 (the first game after the move to Tennessee), the Titans have a 5-4 advantage over Washington.
Titans Coaching Changes
The Tennessee Titans fundamentally restructured their coaching staff during the 2026 offseason, bringing in Robert Saleh as head coach and hiring new offensive and defensive coordinators:
Head Coaching Change
- Robert Saleh: Hired to replace Brian Callahan (fired mid-season 2025) and interim HC Mike McCoy. Saleh was the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator in 2025 and Jets head coach previously.
Coordinators
- OC Brian Daboll: Hired to reconstruct the offense around second-year quarterback Cam Ward. Daboll spent the prior 4 seasons as the head coach of the New York Giants. Before that, he was OC in Buffalo for 4 years.
- DC Gus Bradley: Bradley was with Saleh in San Francisco in 2025. He was once head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but has worked as a DC or position coach since 2017.
- AHC/STC John Fassel: Retained as part of the staff with an added Assistant Head Coach title.
Also, Randy Jordan, who coached in Washington from 2014 to 2023, is the Titans RB coach.
Offense
The Titans enter the 2026 season with a new offensive identity after the hiring of OC Brian Daboll. Tasked with reconstructing a unit that ranked 30th in scoring offense last season, Daboll brings a slightly tarnished reputation for quarterback development and schematic adaptability based on success as an OC in Buffalo but more recent struggles as HC of the Giants. His primary objective is to develop 2nd year quarterback Cam Ward by implementing a system that borrows heavily from his recent failed tenure as the head coach of the New York Giants.
Schematic Philosophy: Adaptability and 11 peronnel
Daboll’s offensive philosophy rejects rigid compliance to a single scheme, aiming instead to adjust weekly game plans to exploit specific opponent weaknesses. Fans can expect a system built heavily on 11-personnel groupings and spread concepts, reminiscent of his schemes with Daniel Jones and Josh Allen. The system prioritizes pre-snap motion to diagnose coverage and clear out the box, creating numbers advantages in both running and passing attacks. All of this could prove daunting for a young quarterback like Ward.
Daboll relies on a varied passing tree that stretches defenses horizontally through quick-game screens, and vertically via play-action shot plays. A signature component is likely to be the integration of designed quarterback runs and RPOs, which can force defenders to respect Ward’s athleticism.
New and Featured Personnel
The success of Daboll’s installation rests on a blend of young players and key veteran acquisitions:
- Cam Ward: The second-year signal-caller is the undisputed centerpiece. Daboll’s scheme aims to accelerate Ward’s processing time by offering clear, half-field reads on early downs, mirroring the early development techniques used to stabilize Daniel Jones.
- Wide Receivers: The offense features perimeter options designed to win quickly against man coverage. Veteran wideouts are expected to command target share on intermediate routes, acting as the primary chain-movers, while vertical threats stretch the boundaries to create space underneath. Rookie Carnell Tate will need to get up to speed quickly.
- The Offensive Line Overhaul: To execute a timing-based passing game, the front office prioritized protection. The signing of offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo from the Giants ensures immediate familiarity with Daboll’s protection schemes and blocking rules, which will be important for an OL that gave up high pressure rates in 2025. The fact that Austin Schlottmann, who is a 7th-year journeyman NFL player, and who was the backup center for the Giants in ’25, is the projected starter may speak to how far the Tennessee roster still has to go to be truly competitive.
Outlook for Success
External expectations seem to be for a moderate step forward for the Titans’ offense. Because Daboll’s system relies on intricate timing and heavy communication, a learning curve is expected during the season. However, if Ward can reduce errors and master the pre-snap adjustments mandated by Daboll, Tennessee should have adequate talent at offensive skill positions to upgrade from a bottom-tier offense to a competent league-average unit. The ultimate ceiling depends on the offensive line’s ability to maintain pocket integrity, allowing the sophomore quarterback to execute downfield.
Defense
The Titans are also undergoing a complete defensive transformation under head coach Robert Saleh and DC Gus Bradley heading into the 2026 season, attempting to fix a unit that ranked 28th in scoring defense last year. Both coaches share deep historical roots in the Seattle “Legion of Boom” coaching tree, which means that Washington fans who have been paying attention for the past two years should have a good understanding of what to expect from the Tennessee defense.
Schematic Philosophy: The Seattle-Style Cover 3 Base
The Titans will likely pivot to a traditional, single-high safety defense that relies primarily on Cover 3 and Quarter-Quarter-Half zone coverage centered on simplicity, discipline, and relentless physical effort, preferring to let players react fast rather than overcomplicate pre-snap looks.
Fans can expect a heavy base of 4-man defensive fronts designed to generate a pass rush without relying on high blitz percentages. This approach is intended to allow the defense to drop 7 defenders into coverage, taking away intermediate passing windows.
By keeping the scheme predictable for themselves but executing at a high level, Saleh and Bradley intend to completely eliminate the communication breakdowns and explosive chunk plays that doomed the Titans’ secondary throughout 2025. Let’s hope they are no more successful at this than Joe Whitt was when trying to do the same thing in Washington.
New and Featured Personnel
The front office aggressively targeted specific prototypes in free agency and the draft to match the exact physical profiles mandated by Saleh and Bradley’s scheme:
- Cornerbacks: The outside CB positions are vital in a Cover 3 system, requiring long, physical defenders who can excel in press-bail technique. The Titans prioritized length and vertical speed in their offseason acquisitions.
- Interior Power: To make a 4-man rush effective, the DL requires an anchor to collapse the pocket from the inside. Massive free-agent additions along the defensive interior are tasked with absorbing double-teams and freeing up edge rushers to operate in clean, one-on-one matchups.
- Hybrid Linebackers: At the second level, linebackers must possess the lateral speed to drop deep into the seam while remaining physical enough to stop inside runs. Coaches will rely on athletic, highly intuitive tacklers to secure the middle of the field and limit yards after catch.
Outlook for Success
Analytical models and sportsbooks project a significant statistical leap for the Tennessee defense. Because the Saleh-Bradley scheme is notoriously easy for players to learn, the unit is expected to play with high cohesion right from Week 1, avoiding the typical growing pains associated with a new staff. The massive influx of proven veteran talent provides an immediate upgrade to the roster’s baseline floor. If the defensive line can generate a consistent pass rush without forcing Bradley to blitz, this group may possess what’s needed to successfully transform from a bottom-tier liability into a top-12 NFL defensive unit. Of course, Dan Quinn understands this defense as well as Bradley & Saleh, and should be able to work with OC David Blough to defeat it.
Key statistical 2025 rankings
Honestly, with a new head coach and new offensive & defensive coordinators implementing new schemes on both sides of the ball, the 2025 statistics don’t seem particularly relevant to this preview, so I am not including them in this week’s article.
Roster Moves: Trades, Free Agency and the Draft
Trades
The Titans made their biggest splash of free agency by trading 2nd-year nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat to the Jets in exchange for Pro Bowl edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II. The move reunited Johnson with Saleh, his former head coach in New York.
Earlier in March, the Titans acquired veteran defensive lineman Solomon Thomas from Dallas in exchange for a late 2026 seventh-round draft pick swap.
The Titans front office was also very active trading up and down during the draft.
Free Agency
Key Free agent signings
- Edge John Franklin-Meyers
- DT Jeffrey Simmons (extension)
- CB Alontae Taylor
- CB Cordale Flott
- CB Joshua Williams
- WR Wan’Dale Robinson
- WR Calvin Ridley (extension)
- TE Daniel Bellinger
- Edge Jacob Martin
- DE Jalyn Holmes
- DT Jordan Elliott
Free agent losses
- Edge Arden Key
- TE Chig Okonkwo
- DT Sebastian Joseph-Day
The 2026 NFL Draft
Round 1, No. 4: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State: Polished, big-play wideout (6’2”, 192 lbs); averaged 17.2 yards per catch. Should start immediately at “X” receiver to spark a passing game needing downfield threats.
Round 1, No. 31: Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn: Massive 6’5”, 276-lbs pass rusher bringing inside-outside flexibility. Unlikely to start initially, but slots into a heavy rotational front as elite run defender.
Round 2, No. 60: Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas: Physical thumper and capable blitzer who wore the green dot at Texas while compiling 17 career sacks. Expected to assume the starting MIKE linebacker role immediately.
Round 5, No. 142: Fernando Carmona, OG, Arkansas: Experienced 6’5”, 316 lb OL with 49 collegiate starts. Offers immediate interior depth with versatility to slide out to tackle.
Round 5, No. 165: Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State: Explosive 224-pound back holding school records with 5,586 all-purpose yards and 55 touchdowns. Adds size and speed to the backfield with primary rushers entering contract years.
Round 6, No. 184: Jackie Marshall, DT, Baylor: Fast 6’2”, 293 lb 6-tech DT. Serves as a pass-rusher from the interior.
Round 6, No. 194: Pat Coogan, C, Indiana: 6’5”, 311 lb center; college national champion. Set to challenge free-agent veterans for a starting spot on the interior line.
Round 7, No. 225: Jaren Kanak, TE, Oklahoma: High RAS QB-to-LB convert who shifted to tight end for 44 catches in 2025. Ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash, projecting as a core special teams candidate.
Betting Lines
Oddsmakers have established the home team as the underdog for this matchup.
- Point Spread: Commanders -1.5
- Game Total (Over/Under): 46.5 points
A 1.5-point spread represents a near toss-up indicating that bettors lack confidence about what to expect in this late-season road game. The point total is set at 46.5, reflecting expectations of only moderate offensive output from the two teams.
