Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles is an early contender for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. In Sunday’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Styles had another terrific performance, finishing with eight tackles and two pressures.
Styles is unusually mature for his age. He’s also not used to losing. So, at only 21, he already understands how hard it is to win in the NFL. With Washington’s win over Philadelphia, it improved to 2-4-1 for the season. After the game, Styles reflected on the win.
“A win feels really good,” Styles said. “It’s hard to win in this league, and we talk about being a second-half team and finding a way to win in the second half, and we did that.”
Sonny Styles continues to impress as a rookie. Sonny said, "it's hard
to win in this league. We talked about being a second half team and found out a way to win the game in the second half." pic.twitter.com/QbFpTW2KrS
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) November 2, 2026
The Commanders fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter, prompting many fans at Northwest Stadium and on social media to grumble about another prime-time embarrassment. It wasn’t to be this time, as Washington’s defense found a way to reverse things.
“I just feel like we responded. Just gave them a few, like, self-inflicted wounds. From that point on, it was just doing our job, and I feel like we did that well.
Styles is right about self-inflicted wounds. The Commanders allowed a field goal early, but a fumble at Washington's 26-yard line, allowed the Eagles to score. From that point forward, the Commanders shut them down.
Since halftime of the San Francisco game, Washington has allowed just 13 points. Is that a new trend? We’ll find out on Sunday, when Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams come to town. It will be another top challenge for Styles and the defense.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Sonny Styles reacts to Commanders' first divisional win
