No Tanking Here: Commanders Show Heart in Win Over Giants
Let’s get one thing straight - tanking might be a buzzword in sports circles, but in NFL locker rooms, it’s a foreign language. That was on full display this past Sunday when the Washington Commanders snapped an eight-game losing streak with a win over the New York Giants. The victory bumped them to 4-10 on the season, and while it doesn’t change the playoff picture, it told us everything we need to know about the mindset inside that building.
This isn’t the NBA, where front offices can lean into multi-year rebuilds and coin phrases like “The Process.” That kind of long-term play is a luxury the NFL rarely affords. With only 17 games on the schedule and jobs on the line every week - from the front office to the practice squad - the mandate is simple: win.
That’s why Sunday’s win mattered. Not in the standings.
Not in the draft order. But in the culture.
After a 12-5 campaign in 2024 that saw them reach the NFC Championship Game, the Commanders came into Week 15 at 3-10, reeling from a season that’s gone sideways. But you wouldn’t know it watching how they prepared for the Giants.
The energy, the focus, the urgency - it mirrored Week 1. And that’s not just coach-speak.
Veteran safety Jeremy Reaves - a respected voice in the locker room - made it clear postgame: the idea of tanking doesn’t live here. And he’s not alone.
Across the league, players fight for every snap, every rep, every win. Because in the NFL, every game is a resume.
Every play is a statement.
Head coach Dan Quinn knows that as well as anyone. After a stellar debut season in 2024, a 3-10 record could easily have cast a shadow over his second year.
But this isn’t a team that’s quit on its coach. Sunday’s win was more than a stat in the W column - it was a payoff for a group that’s kept grinding through adversity.
The locker room celebration afterward wasn’t just about beating a division rival. It was about pride, resilience, and proving that effort still matters, even when the postseason is out of reach.
Sure, some fans might have preferred a loss to help the team’s draft positioning. But if you’re banking on losses to deliver franchise saviors, history offers a cautionary tale.
Remember 2019? Washington was in a similar spot, and fans were torn about whether to beat the Giants late in the year or lock in the No. 2 overall pick.
They won the game, still landed that pick, and took Chase Young - a move that looked like a franchise-changer at the time. But as we’ve seen, draft picks are never guarantees.
And losing on purpose? That’s not a blueprint - it’s a gamble.
This win won’t save the season. It won’t erase the losing streak or the missed opportunities.
But it means something. To the players.
To the coaches. To a locker room that refuses to mail it in.
The Commanders may not be headed back to the playoffs, but they reminded us of something important: in the NFL, effort still counts. And for this team, the fight isn’t over - not now, not ever.