The Commanders can pull themselves out of a slump Monday night, but they could also walk into NFL history in the worst possible way.
Washington enters its matchup with the San Francisco 49ers at 1-3-1 after a rough opening stretch to the 2026 season, and last week’s tie with the New York Giants did little to calm things down. The Commanders let a 14-point fourth-quarter lead slip away, then ran out the clock in overtime without even trying a game-winning field goal.
Jayden Daniels was back from an elbow injury and gave Washington life, throwing for 199 yards and rushing for 103 more with two rushing touchdowns. Even with that performance, the Commanders now have to face one of the last undefeated teams in the league, with San Francisco surging behind Brock Purdy. A win would give Washington a badly needed lift heading into Week 7.
A loss, though, would come with a record nobody wants. If the Commanders fall to the 49ers on Monday night, they would become part of the first NFL division since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to go winless in consecutive weeks when all four teams played a game, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter.
The NFC East has been a mess so far. The Giants sit in first place at 3-2-1, but their 34-27 loss to the Saints on Sunday brought more trouble into the open. New York blew a 10-0 lead and still has quarterback questions, while Cam Skattebo was effectively benched after his costly fumble in Week 5.
Philadelphia has dropped to 2-4 after losing to Carolina, and Jalen Hurts is on injured reserve because of a blood clot in his calf. Dallas is also 2-4 after falling 23-13 to Green Bay on Sunday night, a game in which Dak Prescott completed 34 of 54 passes for 63% and threw two interceptions.
The division already went 0-2-2 in Week 5, with the Cowboys and Eagles losing and the Commanders and Giants tying. So far this week, the NFC East has started 0-3. If Washington loses too, all four teams will have gone without a victory in both weeks.
The Commanders are in last place in the division, and their lone win came in a 33-31 escape over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, a game Daniels missed. His return gives Washington a shot to bounce back, but San Francisco’s defense is a tough draw, allowing the fourth-fewest points at 18.6 per game and the fourth-fewest total yards at 297.2 per game.
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Jayden Daniels Faces A Huge Monday Night Test Washington Needed
Jayden Daniels is back in the lineup just in time for one of the toughest assignments on Washingtons schedule, a Monday night trip to face the undefeated 49ers at Levis Stadium. The matchup has San Francisco favored by 7.5 points, and plenty of analysts are leaning toward the home team, but Washington is still expected to make things interesting if Daniels can help steady an offense that has needed him back.
The Commanders are carrying some injury concerns into the game, which only adds to the challenge of keeping pace with a 49ers team that has looked complete on both sides of the ball. Still, there is some positive momentum around Washingtons preparation, and one offensive situation in particular could matter a lot in how this night unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Face One Huge Offensive Question Before 49ers Showdown
The buildup to Sundays Commanders-49ers matchup has been shaped as much by the injury report as by the standings, with both teams carrying a long list of absences into Week 6. Washington already knows it will be without Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Marcus Mariota, Charles Omenihu and Javontae Jean-Baptiste, while San Francisco has its own heavy hits to absorb with Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel ruled out and other players still in question.
For Washington, the biggest offensive swing may come down to Stefon Diggs, who is questionable with a hamstring injury after practicing on a limited basis. His status looms large for a Commanders offense that could use every available playmaker against a 49ers defense missing Bosa, even as San Francisco waits on a few more late-week decisions of its own. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Sit Atop An NFC East Mess That Just Got Worse
The NFC East has spent the last stretch looking less like a race and more like a weekly inventory of missed chances, and Washington is in the thick of it again. The Cowboys loss to the Packers added to the divisions recent slide, while the Commanders head into their matchup with the 49ers as underdogs, with the Giants sitting atop a messy standings picture that could still shift fast.
Washingtons next result carries more weight than just one game, because the divisions latest stumble has left every outcome tied to the larger scramble around it. A win would tighten things up and give the Commanders a path to climb, but another loss would only deepen the pileup at the bottom of the NFC East and keep the Giants in the safest spot for the moment. [Read more 🡒]