You thought you were done with NFL schedule release content??? Think again. Our Scott Jennings had the Commanders going 10-7 in a season following as active a free-agency period as the franchise has ever had, plus a strong showing in the NFL draft.
What about the opposing view? We decided to crowdsource it.
Our findings were…predictable. The Commanders are easy pickings in these types of stories. Beat writer tries to curry favor with the fan base and desperately needs to get their team to 9-8 or 11-6,
and the Commanders are an easy ‘W.’ So don’t get too offended when the opposing view isn’t high. Washington apparently has to earn some respect, especially on defense. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Let’s see how the Commanders season predictions come out from the other side:
Week 1: at Philadelphia Eagles
“Josh Harris should sell the Sixers to someone who actually cares about them. He should absolutely continue to be the Commanders’ owner, though. Washington should be better than they were last year, which isn’t saying much. But their roster still lacks talent, especially on defense. This could be a good spot for a new-look Eagles offense under Sean Mannion to get rolling.”
Commanders loss: 0-1
Week 2: at Dallas Cowboys
“The Cowboys get off to a strong NFC East start by winning two games in a row in the division. The Cowboys offense at home will be too much for the Commanders defense. We’ll also get a second look at how a Christian Parker defense deals with a mobile quarterback.”
Commanders loss: 0-2
Week 3: vs. Seattle Seahawks
“The Seahawks are facing the Commanders at Northwest Stadium for the second consecutive year, albeit earlier than last year. All signs are pointing towards Jayden Daniels being healthy in time for the start of the season, but we have seen what Seattle’s defense can do against Washington even with Daniels under center. Taking this into account, the Seahawks will probably get the better of their old friend Dan Quinn once again.”
Commanders loss: 0-3
Week 4: vs. Indianapolis Colts (London)
“The Colts travel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in England to face off against the Washington Commanders for Week 4. Obviously, names like Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, and Luke McCaffrey are the threats to Anarumo’s defense. Also, the Commanders possess a talented offensive line led by Laremy Tunsil.
But the focus here is Steichen against a Commanders defense that can be exposed. Jones shouldn’t have issues getting the ball out of his hands and into the basket of playmakers like Tyler Warren and Alec Pierce. Given how suspect the Commanders’ defense is, it would take just one mistake from Daniels to give Indianapolis a leg up in the foot race on the international gridiron.
Indy takes this one in England to move to 3-1 on the season.“
Commanders loss: 0-4
Week 5: vs. New York Giants
“One question: Will Jayden Daniels be healthy? That really is THE question for this game, and I think we have to assume that he will be. Scary Terry might finally start to slow down this year, but the duo of Luke McCaffrey and Antonio Williams (2026 3rd, Clemson) could pick up the slack. I would also expect the Dan Quinn to have his rebuilt defense playing well by this point.“
Commanders win: 1-4
Week 6: at San Francisco 49ers
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess the NFL is hedging bets that Brandon Aiyuk may find his way to Washington before this game so that they can have him against his former team. That’s my guess anyway.
Jayden Daniels did not have a good 2025 season and will need to bounce back in a big way. The defensive side of the ball saw a lot of turnover in the offseason, and it might be a while before they get things going. Thinking of the new defense and the fact that the Commanders don’t have either Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel (yet), there are too many new faces there for me to give Washington an edge. The game is in Santa Clara, and by my predictions, the 49ers are 2-3 at this point, so they are going to try to get back to .500. 49ers win this one.”
Commanders loss: 1-5
Week 7: Bye
Nothing to see here
Week 8: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
“This has the feeling of an annoying loss that the Eagles let slip through their fingers. We’ll say Jayden Daniels makes some big plays to give the Eagles their third loss of the season. Josh Harris will be cheering as his aimless Sixers are beginning another wasted season.”
Commanders win: 2-5
Week 9: vs. Los Angeles Rams
“Even though Jayden Daniels is a strong dual threat, the Rams have something that could help in their game planning – Kliff Kingsbury. Prediction: Rams win 31-21.“
Commanders loss: 2-6
Week 10: at New York Giants
“The Giants show up to get their revenge in primetime at home. I think the Giants are the more talented team, and that will show itself in the rematch, especially on a short turnaround from the previous week.“
Commanders loss: 2-7
Week 11: at Cincinnati Bengals
“The Bengals return to the field of nightmares, be it Joe Burrow’s rookie season knee injury, or fans nearly falling on Commanders players. The last time these two teams faced off, Burrow and Jayden Daniels lit up Monday Night Football, with Cincinnati just falling short.
I can see Washington coming through here, but deep down, I see Cincinnati ending its midseason skid in primetime.”
Commanders win: 3-7
Week 12: at Arizona Cardinals
“This was the hardest one for me. I really want to mark this as a win, but I have a vision.“
Commanders win: 4-7
Week 13: at Tennessee Titans
“It’s impossible to say whether the 2026 Commanders are going to look more like the 2024 team that ended a game shy of the Super Bowl or the 2025 team that barely put up a fight. If QB Jayden Daniels is healthy, bet on the former.”
Commanders win: 5-7
Week 14: at Houston Texans
“Washington missed the playoffs largely because of Jayden Daniels’ injuries in Year 2. I still think they’re missing a few pieces, so even with a road game, Houston finds the edge to leave Landover with another win, this one almost ensuring a playoff berth.”
Commanders loss: 5-8
Week 15: vs. Atlanta Falcons
“I’ll always appreciate Dan Quinn for weathering 2015 so well and the success the team saw in 2016 and 2017, but I don’t believe in his Commanders. The frantic shuffling of his coaching staff is a clue that things are not great in Washington, and I don’t think there’s enough talent here for Washington to be more than a borderline playoff team in 2026. These games have come down to the wire of late—the last five matchups have been decided by eight or fewer points—but you’d have to believe in a big Commanders bounceback to think this is anything but a winnable game for Atlanta. I certainly do not believe in that bounce back.”
Commanders loss: 5-9
Week 16: at Minnesota Vikings
“I thought the Commanders were going to be great last season, but then Jayden Daniels got injured, and the wheels fell off. Now, with Daniels back to full health, there’s a chance for Washington to return to the playoff conversation. That said, take one look at their roster and you won’t be that impressed.”
Commanders loss: 5-10
Week 17: at Jacksonville Jaguars
“I hope Jayden Daniels stays healthy long enough to start in this one. Elite quarterback matchups are a joy to watch, even if the players aren’t on the field at the same time. A big-time performance from Daniels may be the only thing keeping Washington close on the scoreboard, because Liam Coen versus Dan Quinn is one of the biggest coaching mismatches on Jacksonville’s schedule — assuming Quinn is still around by this point in the season. Jaguars 41, Commanders 17”
Commanders loss: 5-11
Week 18: vs. Dallas Cowboys
“Who knows if this game will mean anything to either franchise at this point in the season? We might see a lot of backups. Or, it may mean everything to one or both of them. We’re taking the view the Cowboys have locked in their playoff position and rest some starters. Commanders win.”
Commanders win: 6-11
