Based on the responses to this week’s Reacts survey fan confidence in the Washington Commanders rebounded this week in the wake of a dominating on-field performance against the Las Vegas Raiders at Northwest Stadium in Week 3.
While this week’s 89% figure is down from 98% and 99% on our initial two surveys to open the season, it is a marked jump from last week’s 71% confidence figure following the ugly loss in Green Bay on Thursday Night Football in Week 2.
With a 2-1 overall record and a 1-0 division
record, the Commanders are off to a solid start on the season — one of 9 NFC teams (and 15 teams in the league) to have a winning record at the moment, and solidly ensconced in second place in the NFC East.
This week in the NFC East
- Commanders (-1.5) at Falcons
- Chargers (-6.5) at Giants
- Eagles (-3.5) at Buccaneers
- Packers (-6.5) at Cowboys (Sunday Night Football)
Obviously, the Eagles and Commanders are each favored to win on the road, while the Giants and Cowboys are underdogs at home.
Each week, SB Nation polls fans of all 32 fan bases by email; in that survey, NFL fans from across the breadth of the league predict winners and losers.
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This week, the survey results follow the betting odds for all four NFC East games. If those results hold true, then by the end of the weekend, the NFC East would have turned into what will look increasingly like a two-horse race, and the Giants brass can start thinking about the 2026 draft and the long term future of the team before the start of October.
As you might imagine, confidence among Eagles fans is high, while that of Giants and Cowboys fans is not; in fact, this week, the confidence of Dallas fans fell to just 7% from a season-high of 68% in Week 2.
This week’s opponent – the Atlanta Falcons
Even lower is the confidence of Falcon’s fans — the team that Washington plays this week. Moreover, on a national basis, fans across the NFL are not confident in Atlanta’s team either.
Atlanta is currently 1-2 and sitting in 3rd place in the NFC South division after suffering an embarrassing 30-0 shutout against their division rivals, the Carolina Panthers.
While the Falcons did beat the Vikings in Week 2, they struggled to complete drives, kicking 5 field goals en route to 22 points in a road win. Over the past two games (Vikings, Panthers) Atlanta’s offense has managed to score only one touchdown.
During those two games, QB Michael Penix has completed just 54% of his passes, averaging just 153 passing yards per game. He has no touchdowns, and has tossed two interceptions. He’s rushed 3 times for a total of 8 yards. The second-year QB is struggling.
The offense is not without punch, however. Running back Bijan Robinson has looked fearsome through three games. He’s averaging 80 rushing yards and 55 receiving yards per game. He leads the Falcons in rush yards, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. If the Commanders want to win on Sunday, Defensive Coordinator Joe Whitt will need to have an effective plan for dealing with the versatile and talented Falcons RB.
Commanders ground attack
Washington’s rushing attack over the past two weeks has been a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde situation. In Week 2 against the Packers, the Commanders running backs carried the ball 12 times for 34 yards. Against the Raiders in Week 3, McNichols, Rodriguez and Croskey-Merritt combined for 23 carries for 143 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Over the first three games of the season, different running backs have led the team each week.
In this week’s survey, we asked which of Washington’s three healthy running backs would have the most yards from scrimmage in Atlanta. Interestingly, despite Rodriguez getting the most touches last Sunday and McNichols gaining the most yards, respondents in our survey overwhelmingly predicted Croskey-Merritt to lead the charge this week, as he did in Week 1 against the Giants.
Seven out of ten respondents predict that Bill will be the one to amass the most yards this week, with the other 30% split almost evenly between Rodriguez and McNichols.
With the Commanders battling a long list of injuries and relying on backups at many key positions on both sides of the ball, a strong running game will likely be an essential element of getting the expected win in Atlanta.
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