The Washington Commanders walked off Monday night with another tough result, a 23-17 loss to the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers, but Stefon Diggs isn’t ready to close the door on this season.
Washington stayed in the game until the final possession, when Jayden Daniels had a chance to either tie it or steal it. That chance disappeared when multiple 49ers defenders got to Daniels for the sack that sealed San Francisco’s sixth win.
The loss pushed Washington to 1-4-1 and dropped the team to the bottom of the NFC East, yet Diggs said the group still has time to respond with 11 games left.
"The main thing right now is we get a bye week, recharge, hopefully get some of the guys healthy," Diggs said. "You know, it's still wide open where we are and where the league is.
It's kinda interesting. A weird spot right now."
The bigger picture around the division helps explain why Diggs is seeing some daylight. The NFC East has been hit hard by quarterback injuries, with the New York Giants, who currently sit atop the division at 3-2-1, losing Jaxson Dart in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams. Dart is done for the year, leaving the Giants to lean on Jameis Winston and JJ McCarthy.
Philadelphia has taken a hit too. Earlier this week, the Eagles announced that Jalen Hurts would miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and blood clots in both lungs.
Washington has also had its own what-if moment already. Several weeks ago against the Giants, Daniels took a costly late sack instead of getting rid of the ball or spiking it, and the game ended in a tie after overtime rather than a win. If the Commanders had held on there, they would be sitting at 2-4, right alongside Dallas and Philadelphia in the division race.
For now, the schedule gives Washington a reset. The bye week comes next, followed by a Sunday, Nov. 1 matchup with the struggling Eagles.
Daniels is back under center after missing time with a dislocated left elbow, but the Commanders took another painful blow against San Francisco when Terry McLaurin was carted off in the first half. After the game, Dan Quinn said McLaurin’s injury "could be significant."
That kind of setback could push Washington to look for help at wide receiver as it tries to stay in the fight in a messy NFC East.
In Other News...
McLaurin Injury Puts Immediate Pressure On Commanders To Chase Help
Terry McLaurins injury leaves Washington staring at a receiver room that suddenly looks a lot thinner than it did a week ago. The Commanders have built plenty of their offensive identity around McLaurins steadiness and big-play ability, so losing him for the rest of the season changes the conversation for general manager Adam Peters almost immediately.
One name to watch in that search is Brian Thomas Jr., who has reportedly fallen out of favor in Jacksonville. The Jaguars handling of him has only added to the intrigue around a possible trade market, and Washington has to at least be weighing whether to act quickly or ride with what it has while other options emerge. Nothing is done yet, but McLaurins absence has turned receiver help from a nice-to-have into a real roster issue. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Bye Week Puts Adam Peters Under Pressure Early
The bye week arrived with the Commanders sitting at 1-4-1 after six games, a record that has only sharpened the early scrutiny on the people in charge of building this roster. General manager Adam Peters made sweeping changes in the offseason, and the idea was that Washington would look sturdier and more competitive by now. Instead, the teams issues have been easy to spot, especially up front, where the offensive line has remained a source of frustration and a symbol of how far the roster still has to go.
For Peters and head coach Dan Quinn, the break offers a chance to reset, but it also comes with the kind of pressure that can build quickly when expectations and results are this far apart. The Commanders are already facing questions about whether the offseason work was enough, and the next stretch will matter even more because the frustration around the line is no longer just about one rough week or two. It is becoming part of a broader critique of how Washington put this team together, and whether meaningful changes are coming once the bye is over. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Quinn Gets More Time As Commanders Pressure Keeps Building
Dan Quinn has bought himself a little more time in Washington after the Commanders recent game and the bye week, with the organization not rushing to make any immediate changes. The support appears to be there for now, and the sense around the team is that there is no midseason urgency to make a coaching switch despite the noise that has built around his future.
Still, the pressure has not gone away, only been pushed down the road. Quinns standing beyond this season remains unsettled, and everything now points toward the coming stretch as the real test of where this relationship goes next, with results over the final run set to shape the conversation one way or another. [Read more 🡒]