The Washington Commanders suffered yet another avoidable loss against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.
The first half was ugly. The Commanders lost Terry McLaurin to what appears to be a devastating knee injury, and the defense could not find a way to stop the 49ers offense. The Niners took a 20-3 lead into the locker room at halftime, and it seemed like the Commanders just wanted to get off the field and regroup.
They managed to regroup in the second half. The defense held San Francisco to just a field goal in the second half, while the offense found its mojo and added a touchdown in both the third and fourth quarters. Unfortunately, yet another coaching mistake cost the Commanders the game.
On Washington’s second drive of the fourth quarter,
after forcing the 49ers to punt twice, they had a chance to put more points on the board with two minutes left on the clock. On fourth down, quarterback Jayden Daniels’ pass to Treylon Burks was incomplete after an outstanding play by 49ers safety Malik Mustapha.
The defense managed to force another punt, and Washington got the ball back with 52 seconds left to play, but an intentional grounding call followed by a sack ended the game at 23-17.
As we enter Week 7, here’s where the Commanders rank across multiple power rankings.
Nate Davis, USA TODAY: 27 (28)
After their Week 5 debacle and a nearly as uninspiring first half Monday night, Jayden Daniels and Co. finally came to life, almost derailing the Niners' still-perfect season … and maybe laying the groundwork for their own surge in the eminently winnable NFC East.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: 25 (NC)
Jayden Daniels throwing the ball away even though it was fourth down and Dan Quinn seemingly not knowing it was fourth down at all says everything that needs to be said about the 2026 Commanders. If that wasn't enough on Monday night, after last week's game-management debacle at the end of overtime against the Giants, the Commanders had to use a timeout with the clock stopped with 3:01 left in the game before a fourth down play. That ended up costing Washington a valuable 40 seconds, as it ran out of time on a comeback attempt in a 23-17 loss to the 49ers. Washington has a bye coming up next, and whatever answers Quinn gives to why he seemingly didn't know it was fourth down will be a big discussion point, not just among fans and media, but also within the organization. It seems like a team in desperate need of a reset.
Ralph Vacchiano, FOX Sports: 27 (25)
Super Bowl odds: +12500 (tied for 22nd-best)
Jayden Daniels looks closer to his old, magical self, but it all came too late to pull off the upset in San Francisco Monday night, and it might be too late to save the season in Washington. It might be too late for Dan Quinn too, since, for the second week in a row, his game management skills were exposed as … well, something. This time he was caught on camera seemingly surprised that the Commanders’ last play was a fourth-down play, as he tried to send the field goal unit on. Add that to last week’s clock disaster and Washington’s 1-4-1 record, and Quinn might not still be the Commanders coach anymore when they return from their bye.
Next game: BYE
Stat To Know: The Commanders have a 30.9% offensive success rate on third down, the second-lowest mark in the NFL ahead of only the Browns
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 28 (NC)
They did a nice job battling back against the 49ers, but another loss keeps them in last in their division. The heat is on Dan Quinn.
Connor Orr, Sports Illustrated: 26 (28)
Last week’s ranking: No. 28Last week’s result: lost to 49ers, 23–17This week: idle
Dan Quinn had one directive for the remainder of this season: Do not follow up one of the most egregious instances of clock mismanagement ever with another high-profile standalone game gaffe that shows an inability to handle game management.
“Field goal. Oh, that was 4th down?”
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 20, 2026
certainly looks like lip readers believe Dan Quinn was completely unaware that it was 4th down and wanted to kick a field goal
💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/yJYuAUmVZX
Chad Graff and Josh Kendall, The Athletic: 27 (NC)
Last Week: 27
Monday: Lost to 49ers 23-17
Fantasy Focus: Jayden Daniels
The Commanders quarterback hasn't had much help this year, and things got worse on Monday night after Terry McLaurin suffered what looked like a bad knee injury. Still, it has been a disappointing season for Daniels that included another elbow injury, an inexplicable breakdown a week ago and a rally that came up short Monday night. He is 18th among quarterbacks in total fantasy points (85.7)
Up Next: Bye
theScore: 27 (26)
Previous rank: 26
Dan Quinn: It's going to be really hard for Quinn to erase the stench of that overtime debacle against the Giants when the Commanders accidentally let the clock expire and had to settle for a tie. And it doesn't help that he's a defensive coach with a porous defense and a record of 6-16-1 over the last two seasons.
Bleacher Report: 28 (27)
Last Week: 27
Week 6 Result: Lost at San Francisco 23-17
Over the last two weeks, the Washington Commanders have proved they're not good at situational football.
Against the New York Giants, last week's contest ended in a tie because of a lack of communication that allowed overtime to expire. During Monday Night Football, Dan Quinn was shown unaware that his team just turned over the ball after a fourth-down attempt, with the head coach about to send the field-goal team onto the field.
Furthermore, the Commanders had an opportunity to win the game late, but an ill-timed facemask prevented that possibility. Also, quarterback Jayden Daniels simply wasn't prepared for the pressure packages San Francisco employed to ensure the Commanders wouldn't get a good look at the end zone as time waned.
To make matters worse, top wide receiver Terry McLaurin and guard Samuel Cosmi both left Monday's contest due to injuries.
Injuries happen, of course. But the Commanders are also undermining themselves with poor situational awareness, a significant factor in their 1-4-1 record.
Walter Football: 20 (NC)
Another week, another coaching gaffe by Dan Quinn, who yelled for this team to go for a field goal after Jayden Daniels foolishly threw the ball away on fourth down. Daniels, meanwhile, looked like he pissed his pants at the prospect of scrambling into a Fred Warner-led linebacker group. The giant wuss ran for only 10 yards in a loss. Pathetic!
NFL Nation, ESPN: 29 (28)
Week 6 result: Lost to the 49ers 23-17Week 6 ranking: 28
Biggest issue on offense: Too many third-and-longs
Of the Commanders' 81 third downs, 48 have been for 7 yards or longer. So the Commanders are ranked 31st in third-down conversions at 30.9%. And when facing a third-and-7 or longer, they have picked up a first down only 10 times. It's not just a matter of running the ball better on early downs because Washington averages 4.1 yards per carry on first down. The big culprit is 16 offensive penalties on second down. Only one team (Chargers) has had more.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: NFL Power Rankings Roundup: Where do the Commanders stand in Week 7?
