Washington Commanders have had a pretty dramatic season, but what else is new? Fans of this team have seen almost everything. From starting four quarterbacks during the 2018 campaign, to winning the division with a 7-9 record and giving Tom Brady a run for his money in the playoffs with a quarterback from Old’s practice squad. Dominion, following Washington’s NFL franchise is better than any soap opera your grandma watches.
Washington finds itself in the middle of the playoff race entering Week 14 — and, man, it’s been a wild ride. The Commanders started the season 1-1, but with Carson Wentz under center, the offense looked…good. For two weeks, the two most explosive offenses in the NFL belonged to the Detroit Lions and Commanders. Both have recorded 11 plays that have gone for at least 20 yards in two games. However, things then went downhill.
The Commanders were trampled by the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys in consecutive weeks, then were defeated by the Tennessee Titans in a close game. In Week 6, Washington beat the Chicago Bears, 12-7, in a game that had you asking your grandmother about the aforementioned soap operas because they were supposed to be more entertaining than “Thursday Night Football” this week there. Granted, the game had a dramatic ending with Benjamin St-Juste making a big play on Darnell Mooney at the goal line. What was even more dramatic, however, was the post-match press conference.
Even in victory, head coach Ron Rivera slammed on reporters after being asked about a report centered on whether he actually wanted to trade for Wentz in the offseason, or if it was a move orchestrated by owner Dan Snyder. However, that night ended up being the turning point for the team.
Wentz was injured in the win over the Bears, and went to see a doctor about injuries to his throwing hand and shoulder. He was then placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery on the fractured ring finger of his throwing hand. Taylor Heinicke stepped in, which put the Commanders season back on track.
Heinicke helped the COs upset the Green Bay Packers the following week and had a winning campaign against the Indianapolis Colts the following week. Washington suffered a narrow loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9 but then bounced back to hand the Eagles their first prime-time road loss of the season. It sparked what was a three-game winning streak, which ended in a tie with the New York Giants last Sunday.
Going into week 14, which is Washington’s week off, commanders sit at 7-5-1. Despite being in last place in the highly competitive NFC East, the Commanders are right in the middle of the playoff picture. Below, we’ll break down that playoff picture, what Commanders could improve or do to secure a wildcard spot, and also look at their remaining schedule. First, let’s discuss some goals Commanders can focus on over the next month.
Improvements
- Protect Heinicke: Heinicke was sacked five times against the Giants, a season high. The offensive line sometimes turned into a “big boy”. Center Tyler Larsen reportedly suffered a dislocated patella On Sunday, Trai Turner did not play due to multiple injuries and Sam Cosmi was released early with an ankle problem. Nick Martin and/or Wes Schweitzer may have to play huge roles in the aftermath.
- Adopt the Chase Young juice: After what seems like an eternity, it looks like Young is will finally debut in 2022 in Week 15. Last year’s No. 2 pick has already missed most of his sophomore NFL season, but I’d venture a guess he’ll start. I’m not talking about Young racking up three sacks in his first game, I’m talking about him playing with the infectious energy he’s always brought to defense. Overall, Washington’s defense has been pretty impressive lately. Young’s addition to the roster should get everyone excited, especially his teammates. That could give Washington a playoff boost.
- Get consistent keys from Jahan Dotson: Dotson received a career-high nine targets against the Giants, and he turned one of them into that massive 28-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Dotson has recorded some impressive outings during his rookie campaign. He caught two touchdowns in his NFL debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but was also only targeted three times in total in Weeks 11 and 12, despite playing more than 60% of the snaps offense in every game. I’m very aware that Washington has a lot of mouths to feed on offense, but Sunday’s target share seemed fair. Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Dotson are all players who can make major impacts, and when all three are given consistent targets in the passing game, it only puts more pressure on defenses. Dotson could be someone who will step in and become Washington’s long-term X factor. Pay attention to him.
- Third tries: Washington has converted 35.59 percent of its third downs this season, according to team rankings, which ranks fifth in the NFL. Washington only converted 3 of 14 third downs against the Giants last week! Getting through critical moments, whether on third down or in the red zone, is what makes or breaks bubble teams.
Current NFC Playoffs Picture
- Philadelphia Eagles (NFC East, 11-1)
- Minnesota Vikings (NFC North, 10-2)
- San Francisco 49ers (NFC West, 8-4)
- Tampa Buccaneers (NFC South, 6-6)
- Dallas Cowboys (9-3)
- New York Giants (7-4-1)
- Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
- Washington Commanders (7-5-1)
- Detroit Lions (5-7)
- Green Bay Packers (5-8)
- Atlanta Falcons (5-8)
If the season ended today, the Commanders wouldn’t be in the playoffs. However, they are in the best position compared to other NFC away teams. Washington doesn’t need to look behind at this point when it comes to the playoff picture, just ahead. Fans will want to put down roots against the Giants and Seahawks over the next few weeks.
Caesars Sportsbook has Washington’s chances of making the playoffs, but it seems Vegas likes Washington going over New York. Although the Giants currently retain a playoff berth, they have minus-120 to miss the playoffs and plus-100 to get there. Why? Just look at their schedule. New York is scheduled to play Philadelphia this week, Washington the next, Minnesota on the road, Indianapolis in Week 17, and then Philly again in the regular season finale. Its pretty hard.
If you were curious, the Seahawks take on the Carolina Panthers, 49ers, Chiefs, New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams to close out the year. A fairly difficult section as well. Now, let’s take a look at Washington’s remaining schedule.
Remaining schedule of commanders, projected results
The week | Opponent | Projected result |
---|---|---|
15 |
against the New York Giants |
O |
16 |
@ San Francisco 49ers |
L |
17 |
against Cleveland Browns |
O |
18 |
against the Dallas Cowboys |
L |
According to Tankathon, Commanders have the third toughest remaining schedule in the NFL. I vehemently disagree with this. We know what the Giants are, the new 49ers quarterback is Mr. Irrelevant of this year, Deshaun Watson with the Browns is still something unknown and so who knows if the Cowboys will start in the final of the regular season.
With Commanders having a bye this week and the Giants taking on the mighty Eagles, I feel like Washington should win the Week 15 rematch. The 49ers are still a force to be reckoned with, even with Brock Purdy under center, then the The Browns have a great ground game. I say the commanders split Weeks 16 and 17. To make this hypothesis more interesting, I’ll say that Washington loses in Week 18. To say that Washington splits its last four matchups is probably fair.
Looking at the Giants’ schedule, I predict they’ll finish 9-7-1 – just like Washington. This leads to the Commanders cringing in the playoffs, thanks to a tiebreaker. Or maybe Seattle finishes 9-8 and all four NFC East teams enter.