The Washington Commanders fell to the Dallas Cowboys 37-20 on Sunday. However, Washington lost much more than a game. Quarterback Jayden Daniels dislocated his left elbow—the same one he injured last November—on the final play of the first half. He did not return.
The Commanders appeared to tie the game in the third quarter when quarterback Marcus Mariota found wide receiver Dyami Brown for an apparent touchdown. NFL officials inexplicably called the pass incomplete, even after review, essentially ending the competitive portion of the game.
Later in the game, Washington dealt with more injuries, such as left tackle Brandon Coleman (finger), defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (shoulder) and right guard Sam Cosmi (head injury).
The Commanders fall to
0-2 and play their home opener against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks without their franchise quarterback and possibly others, too.
Here are seven takeaways from Washington’s loss to Dallas.
Dan Quinn
Everyone wants to talk about head coach Dan Quinn. He has proven he has issues with time management. Those were apparent again on Sunday. One scenario stands out for Quinn. Should he have kicked the field goal to end the first half? Three seconds remained; he had no timeouts. There was enough time for one play. He chose to go for the points. Then, left guard Chris Paul stepped on Daniels’ foot, causing him to trip and land on his elbow. It was a lost opportunity for the Commanders on many levels.
After the game, Quinn defended his decision, saying they had to score touchdowns. He’s 100% correct. His defense was not good again on Sunday. Daniels was on a roll, so trying to score a touchdown made the most sense. But in this scenario, wouldn’t it have made more sense to take the points and start the second half with the ball, the momentum, and only trailing by four points? Probably so.
Here’s where the criticism of Quinn falls flat. Yes, he’s made some questionable choices, but his decision to go for the points was not the reason Daniels was injured. That narrative needs to end now. If he can’t trust his quarterback not to be injured on a regular dropback, then what does he do? That’s not a knock on Daniels either. It was a freak injury. Ultimately, you can agree or disagree on whether the Commanders should have taken the points. However, let’s stop blaming Quinn for Daniels’ injury.
Kicker problem? Again?
The Commanders just can’t seem to find a kicker. Undrafted rookie Drew Stevens convincingly won the job early in training camp. He has a strong leg and enjoyed a successful college career. In the season opener, Stevens made one of his two field goals. He also had an extra point blocked — that was not his fault. He made his field goal from 55 yards out. He also missed one, too.
On Sunday, Stevens made field goals from 27 and 47 yards out. He also missed one from 51 yards out. Yes, 51 yards out is a solid distance, but remember, this game was indoors. And 51-yard kicks are more routine than ever for current kickers, including one with a leg like Stevens'. So, in two games, Stevens has missed two field goals.
What should the Commanders do? Nothing. In recent years, Washington has often given up on kickers too soon. Stevens has promise, but he needs consistency. Given the Commanders’ current situation, including the injuries they're dealing with, they should stick with the rookie unless he’s missing kicks every week.
No turnovers
In two games, Washington’s new-look defense has zero turnovers. Dak Prescott did what Dak Prescott does against the Commanders. He completed 26 of 31 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns. He was throwing to open receivers. He was picking on Mike Sainristil. Everything was successful. He didn’t put the ball in danger once. He was sacked twice, but those plays didn’t ultimately affect the game’s outcome. The offseason focus was a revamped defense built on pressure and turnovers. The pressure was there in Week 1, but there were no turnovers. Week 2 was much the same. If this team is going to succeed, it needs turnovers. If this defense is going to allow multiple big plays, it needs turnovers to balance things out. Defensive coordinator Daronte Jones needs to find more creative ways to pressure opposing quarterbacks. It’s going to be a really long year if Washington can’t force turnovers.
Same old problems
The Commanders still can’t cover tight ends. If you’re facing Washington, send your tight end straight down the seam. He will be wide open. This never changes, regardless of who the coach or defensive coordinator is. It doesn’t matter that the Commanders got “younger and faster” this offseason. Has that mattered yet? The defense is still getting beaten like a drum. Jake Ferguson caught two touchdowns in this game. One was easy, as he had no defenders around him. Will Washington ever find out how to stop a tight end consistently?
Secondly, there is Sainristil. He’s not playable. You can put him in the slot or on the outside; the results are always the same. The start to his 2026 season is a continuation of the 2025 season. How many times did you see Sainristil beaten? His size is an issue, as is his lack of top-end speed. He’s playing with zero confidence, which is a bad trait for cornerbacks. How much longer can Quinn keep sending Sainristil out there?
Injuries
Think last year was bad? Through two weeks, the Commanders are on pace to surpass last year’s injury totals. Daniels is already hurt. Laremy Tunsil is likely done for the season. So is defensive tackle Johnny Newton. While linebacker Frankie Luvu and tight end Chig Okonkwo should be back soon, the Commanders are also dealing with injuries to left tackle Brandon Coleman, right guard Sam Cosmi and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. If Coleman and Cosmi can’t go next week, it could get ugly again against the Seahawks. Remember what happened the last time they played?
While everyone wants to know when Daniels will return, Washington has several injuries to worry about.
Quinn will give some injury updates on Monday, but things look bleak heading into Week 3.
Terry McLaurin’s day
Last week, one of the main stories coming out of the Philadelphia loss was that McLaurin had only four targets and two receptions. Daniels had the right answer for that last week. He won’t force it to McLaurin, but he still needs the ball. He had nine targets on Sunday and finished with only two catches for 50 yards. McLaurin did have one touchdown taken off the board. It was a fantastic catch, but the officials were right: he didn’t complete the catch.
He had a few other misses. He had another touchdown, but wide receiver Antonio Williams just missed him on a well-drawn trick play in the second half. Another ball hit McLaurin in the hands, and he failed to come away with it. He was hit on the play, but that’s one he usually comes up with. McLaurin looked like vintage McLaurin on his second catch, a 26-yard catch-and-run. He lost one catch on a bogus offensive pass interference call. It was a frustrating night for everyone, but two catches on nine targets is not a great percentage for McLaurin, whether it was his fault or not. Stefon Diggs has already earned the trust of quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota. And Williams didn’t play nearly enough.
Luke McCaffrey should be returning kickoffs
When you keep seven wide receivers, you realize that not every one of them will be active on game days. The Commanders kept seven, but in Week 1, only five were active. Treylon Burks and Luke McCaffrey were inactive last week. On Sunday, Burks was active, but McCaffrey remained inactive.
With McCaffrey inactive, the Commanders turned to Jaylin Lane again as the kick returner. The result was six returns for 120 yards, averaging 20 per return. He fumbled one, but recovered it. He muffed another. Moving forward, if the numbers allow, the Commanders should return to McCaffrey for kick returns. He averaged almost 30 yards per return last season before his injury. Lane is more explosive than McCaffrey and should absolutely remain the punt returner, but McCaffrey should return to his former role.
With all the current injuries that Washington is dealing with, it may need extra bodies on the offensive line, so keeping McCaffrey and Lane active could be asking too much. But going forward, McCaffrey should be the primary kick returner.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: 7 takeaways from Commanders' Week 2 loss to Cowboys
