We know the Washington Commanders have issues on offense. Too many of the players the unit leans on are hurt.
We know the defense has problems too. The secondary doesn’t have enough top-end talent, and that has made Daronte Jones’ push for a more aggressive approach up front harder to pull off.
The part that should be holding things together - special teams - is sliding the wrong way.
What was supposed to be a strength now looks like a weekly source of damage, and the mess against the Indianapolis Colts in London was the latest example. In Week 4, special teams had an outsized role in a sloppy, penalty-heavy defeat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. A full quarter of Washington’s 10 penalties came from the kicking units.
The flag count was bad enough. The execution around it was worse.
Kick coverage was loose, especially on kickoffs, and the return game took another hit when Jaylin Lane was carted off with a serious ankle injury. That opens the door for Luke McCaffrey to get one more shot to show he can help.
That’s not the kind of conversation a team wants to be having when it has a coordinator like Larry Izzo, a three-time Super Bowl winner whose reputation was built in football’s third phase. Izzo was a coverage menace as a linebacker with the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets, and he came into this job as a leading authority on how special teams are supposed to function.
Against the Colts, though, Washington’s coverage units didn’t look like they were playing with that edge. Indianapolis running back Seth McGowan averaged 25.5 yards on four kickoff returns, and his 102-yard day kept the Colts starting too many drives on the wrong side of Washington’s 30-yard line.
That’s not supposed to happen with Jeremy Reaves and Percy Butler in the mix. The two safeties split 26 special-teams snaps in London - 12 for Reaves and 14 for Butler - but neither made much of a mark. Tyler Owens, who has become a viral special-teams name, also missed time with a hamstring injury.
And that’s part of the frustration here: the Commanders keep talking up players like Reaves, Owens, and Butler in this phase, but the kick coverage still doesn’t scare anybody.
There was at least one bright spot. Punter Tress Way continued to do his job, placing three of his five punts inside the 20.
That’s the blueprint special teams is supposed to follow. Create leverage.
Steal field position. Help out an offense that’s battered by injuries and give an uneven defense a little more breathing room, especially with a shaky secondary.
Instead, Washington’s special teams keeps looking like another symptom of a bigger problem. The talent is there.
The coaching hasn’t matched it. The injuries are piling up.
The impact players aren’t producing.
Right now, that third phase is telling the same story as the rest of the roster.
In Other News...
Giants Just Got A Tougher NFC East Problem To Prepare For
A rough afternoon in London left Washington with more than just a loss to the Colts. Starting quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow in Week 5, and the injury immediately changed the conversation around the Commanders offense after Marcus Mariota had already gone down and third-stringer Athan Kaliakmanis was forced into action.
Dan Quinn said Daniels is on track to potentially return as soon as next week against the Giants, a development that would give Washington a much different look than it had overseas. For New York, it means preparing for a division opponent that may not be scrambling at quarterback for long, even if the recovery timeline still has to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Suddenly Have A Week 5 Injury Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The injury picture around Washington has shifted quickly enough to become a real Week 5 storyline, and it reaches across both sides of the ball. The Commanders are trying to manage hamstring strains for Stefon Diggs and Terry McLaurin, while Charles Omenihu is working through groin and ankle issues and Marcus Mariota is dealing with a sprained MCL. Jayden Daniels is still expected to start despite his own dislocated elbow, which gives the quarterback room at least some clarity even as the rest of the roster gets more complicated.
Nick Cross adds another layer after his illness and hospitalization, and the list of limited or sidelined players keeps the pressure on Washingtons depth. For a team already balancing injuries at receiver, along the defensive front and behind center, the concern is less about any one name than the cumulative effect on how the Commanders can actually function this week. The next update on availability may say plenty about how much margin this group still has left. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Suddenly Face A QB Decision They Can't Ignore
Washingtons quarterback room got another look this week after the team brought in Jack Plummer for a workout following Marcus Mariotas injury. For now, though, the Commanders are not planning to add him, a sign they believe Mariotas absence will be short enough to avoid an injured reserve move. With Jayden Daniels also expected back soon from an elbow injury, the position remains in a holding pattern while the staff waits to see how the health of the room settles.
Dan Quinn has stayed upbeat through a stretch that has featured multiple injuries around the roster, and this latest quarterback wrinkle fits the same uneasy theme. The Commanders do not appear ready to make a roster move at the position yet, but they are clearly keeping options open as they navigate a week-to-week situation that could shift quickly depending on Mariota and Daniels. [Read more 🡒]