Washington’s defense has taken a dramatic step forward against the run, but Sunday in London brings a different kind of stress test.
A year after getting gashed on the ground, the Commanders have turned that weakness into one of the early strengths of their 2026 season. Through three games, Washington is giving up 82 rushing yards per game, third-best in the league, and has not surrendered a rushing touchdown. That’s a major swing from 2025, when the Commanders allowed 141.8 rushing yards per game, ranked 30th in the NFL, along with 18 rushing touchdowns and 4.8 yards per carry.
The front office clearly treated the issue like a priority. Washington added Tim Settle, Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, and Leo Chenal, and used the seventh overall pick on Sonny Styles, who has wasted no time getting involved.
Defensive coordinator Daronte Jones wants disruption at the line of scrimmage, and so far the plan has worked. Seattle managed only 44 yards on 18 carries, the fewest Washington has allowed since Week 13 of the 2024 season against Tennessee.
The interior has been built to make life miserable for opposing runners. Settle is back for the physical presence he brings at nose tackle, the kind of force that helps plug lanes. Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw add size, strength, and a little attitude in the middle, while Oweh and Chaisson give Washington more burst on the edge.
Payne said he feels the scheme is bringing more out of him: "I just feel like I'm just being more versatile. Being able to play more outside, inside, you know, just being able to move along the line."
That work up front has made things easier for the second level, where Styles has already been thrown into the fire. With the defensive line occupying blockers and squeezing running lanes, the rookie has room to make plays. Washington has cut its yards allowed per carry from 4.8 last season to 3.8 through three games.
But the linebacker group is stretched thin. Frankie Luvu is still working back from a groin injury, and Leo Chenal is out for the season after suffering a neck fracture that required surgery.
Washington placed him on injured reserve, and he is now recovering. Luvu traveled to London and is expected to do some practice work, but his status for Sunday is still up in the air.
That could leave Styles and Kain Medrano carrying a heavy load again. Styles played all 67 defensive snaps last week, while Medrano was on the field for 44 of them after Chenal went down.
The challenge on Sunday is obvious. Indianapolis has been productive on the ground, averaging 103.3 rushing yards per game, and Jonathan Taylor has piled up 258 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on 66 carries through three games.
He put up 98 yards against Baltimore and then followed with 92 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas City. Taylor has also added nine catches for 67 yards, giving him 325 total yards from scrimmage.
Washington’s passing defense has had its own issues, with communication problems giving opposing offenses opportunities. Still, the run defense deserves credit for what it has done so far. Three games is a small sample, but the Commanders have clearly changed the feel of that part of their defense.
Now they have to prove it again, this time against Taylor, and possibly without one of the players they brought in specifically to help stop exactly this kind of attack.
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