The Washington Commanders are past the point of being able to call themselves close.
At 2-5-1, they’ve had enough near-misses to fill a reel: a win over the Philadelphia Eagles before the bye, and losses that came down to the wire against the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants and Eagles in the season opener. That kind of season can fool you into thinking the breakthrough is right around the corner. K’Lavon Chaisson isn’t buying that anymore.
“Now, right? What’s the point of being close?
We are eight games in. Either you figure it out, or you’ll continue to find yourself in the same position, having the same conversation, trying to get the same results,” linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson said.
“So, figure it out now. Every week is a now-or-never week, man.
It’s not time to be trying to figure out, ‘Oh, we’re almost there, almost there, almost there.’ Either you’re there, or you’re not.
So, once again, the game plan for the defense is very simple. Stop the run.
Find ways to limit one [WR Malik Nabers] and nine [TE Isaiah Likely] with their explosive plays. But, we should be in good shape for sure.”
That message lands at the right time for Washington, which heads into Thursday against the New York Giants needing more than another competitive effort. The Commanders have spent much of the season hovering around the edge of something better. Now they need to turn that into results.
The Giants matchup also carries a little extra weight after what happened the last time these teams met. Washington had a chance to leave with a walk-off win, only for the game to spiral into the NFL’s worst tie. This time, on Thursday Night Football, the Commanders get another shot at New York - and a win would go a long way toward keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.
In Other News...
Commanders Defense Faces Heat After Chaissons Blunt Take On Rams Loss
The Commanders defense had a long week to sit with what went wrong in the 20-13 loss to the Rams, and KLavon Chaisson did not try to soften the edge of it. Los Angeles leaned heavily on Puka Nacua, who finished with 14 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown, and the repeated success of that approach became the central problem Washington could not solve.
Chaisson pointed to the lack of adjustment as the issue, underscoring how the defense let a predictable plan keep working anyway. For a unit that needed to be sharper in a tight game, the frustration was less about surprise and more about failing to respond once the pattern was obvious. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Face A Brutal Thursday Reality In NFC East Race
A short week has turned into a meaningful one for the Commanders, who head into Thursday nights matchup with the Giants knowing the NFC East picture already has some early separation. New York sits atop the division, and Washington needs a win just to keep pace in a race that can tighten or slip away quickly when these head-to-head games start stacking up.
The matchup has also taken on a different edge with the betting market moving toward the Giants, a sign of how much confidence there is in New York entering the prime-time spot. For Washington, the assignment is straightforward but unforgiving: handle a division rival on a short week, or watch the standings get a little harder to chase. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Defense Has A Chance To Prove This Progress Is Real
The Commanders defense has started to look more like the unit Dan Quinn envisioned, and the recent uptick has given the coaching staff reason to believe the turnaround is more than a short-lived spike. Quinn has pointed to defensive coordinator Daronte Jones as part of the improvement, with Washington cleaning up some of the issues that were costing it earlier in the season and giving up fewer points in the process.
Thursday night brings a familiar test, with the Giants back on the schedule and another chance for Washington to show the progress can hold up under pressure. For a defense that needed to steady itself, the challenge now is not just playing better for a week, but proving the gains can survive a quick turnaround and another divisional matchup. [Read more 🡒]