Nobody around the Washington Commanders was expecting smooth sailing to open the 2026 season, but one week in, the margin for error is already razor-thin.
Dan Quinn’s team is staring down a tough stretch before its Week 7 bye, and after a frustrating loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the next test comes fast: a divisional road trip to face the Dallas Cowboys. That alone would raise the stakes. Add in the reality that the Commanders are trying to avoid an 0-2 start in the division, and the pressure starts to pile up quickly.
There was plenty to like in Philadelphia, especially once the game got into the fourth quarter. But the Commanders also know the difference between a competitive loss and a clean one often comes down to the little things - a better start, fewer mistakes, a couple of individual plays handled differently. Those chances are gone now.
What isn’t gone is the scrutiny.
A loss to the Eagles followed by another to the Cowboys would be the nightmare scenario, even this early. Washington can at least point to the fact that Dallas is coming off a Sunday Night Football loss to the New York Giants, which adds another layer to an already intriguing matchup. Still, the Commanders can’t afford to let the season start slipping before it’s really even started.
For a handful of players, that reality is especially sharp.
Chris Paul is one of them.
The Commanders brought Paul back on a one-year deal this offseason after some respected insiders believed he could draw a strong market in free agency. Instead, he got the chance to bet on himself and show that the progress he made in 2025 was real.
Washington didn’t hand him anything, either. He had to fight for the left guard job in competition with Brandon Coleman.
Then Laremy Tunsil’s devastating injury changed the picture completely. Coleman shifted to blindside tackle, and Paul suddenly had a clear path to start at left guard for a second straight year.
Whether that opening came by design or by circumstance doesn’t matter much now. He still had to seize it.
That didn’t happen in Philadelphia.
Paul’s day was rough against Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. Even with help coming on doubles more often than not, his pass protection fell short of the steadier level he showed last season. The Commanders have enough tape on him from 2025 to believe he can answer the bell after one bad outing.
But if the same problems show up against Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark this weekend, the questions around his future in Washington are only going to get louder.
In Other News...
Commanders Lose Key Piece Of Jayden Daniels Attack Before Cowboys
A hamstring injury will keep Chig Okonkwo out of the Commanders Week 2 trip to face the Cowboys, taking away one of Jayden Daniels more useful early-season targets just as Washington tries to build on its opener. Dan Quinn confirmed the tight end will not play, and the timing stings with a divisional game on deck.
John Bates and Ben Sinnott are expected to absorb the added snaps at tight end, giving the Commanders a different look in an offense that was already sorting out roles in the passing game. For Daniels, it means another adjustment before facing Dallas, and for Washington, it adds one more layer of uncertainty to a matchup that rarely needs any extra help becoming complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Terry McLaurin's Quiet Opener Has Commanders Fans Watching One Problem
Terry McLaurins Week 1 line was a quiet one by his standards, with just two catches for 14 yards in Washingtons loss to the Eagles, and it immediately put a familiar question back on the table for the Commanders. When defenses spend extra attention on McLaurin, the rest of the passing game has to do more than simply hope he gets loose a few times.
Jayden Daniels said Washington has answers for the coverage McLaurin is seeing, and he stressed the need to make the most of those moments when the receiver does get free. That is the tension hanging over the offense now: McLaurin remains the player opponents are built to stop, but the Commanders need the rest of the operation to turn those openings into something more before another tight game slips away. [Read more 🡒]
Stefon Diggs Faced A Defining Commanders Moment After Eagles Mistake
After a touchdown catch in a tight game, Stefon Diggs found himself at the center of the Commanders frustrations when an unsportsmanlike penalty changed the complexion of a drive that had been building toward a tying opportunity. For a team still trying to establish its identity and standards, the moment mattered as much for the reaction afterward as it did for the flag itself.
Diggs addressed his teammates directly and took responsibility for the mistake, speaking candidly about what it meant to him and his role in the room. The follow-up was the important part for Washington, because the way a veteran handles a miscue can say plenty about the culture a team is trying to build, and this one was framed as a step toward accountability rather than avoidance. [Read more 🡒]