The Washington Commanders came into their bye week battered, and the timing couldn’t have been much better.
At 1-4-1, Washington needed the break after a crushing Monday night loss on the road to then-unbeaten San Francisco. That defeat hurt on the scoreboard, but the bigger blow was the season-ending injury to star wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who suffered a torn patellar tendon.
Now the Commanders turn their attention to a Sunday night matchup at home against NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles, a game that brings the rematch from Week 1 back into focus. Philadelphia won that meeting 24-22, but the Eagles are dealing with major attrition of their own. They play Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys, and their injury list includes quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is out for the season with blood clots, running back Saquon Barkley, who will miss several weeks, and longtime Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson, who has retired.
Even with the records and injuries in play, the betting line has Washington in a favorable spot. According to BetMGM, the Commanders are 4-point home favorites. The over/under sits at 40.5 points, and Washington is listed at -190 on the moneyline, meaning a $190 bet would return $100.
There’s also a wrinkle in how the Commanders have played the number this year. Washington is 3-3 against the spread, and back in Week 1 it was catching 6 points against Philadelphia before covering in a two-point loss.
The bye arrives with a chance for the Commanders to get some injured players back in the lineup next week against the Eagles.
In Other News...
Commanders Fans Have A Growing Reason To Doubt Adam Peters
The early returns on Adam Peters first major roster-building swings have not given Commanders fans much comfort. Washington entered the 2024 season with plenty of hope that a fresh front office would sharpen the draft and stabilize a roster that has needed help in several places, but the teams uneven play has kept the spotlight on the general managers choices, especially the way he has tried to patch together the running back room.
That concern only grows when so many of the 2024 draft additions have yet to leave a clear mark. The Commanders needed immediate help from that class, particularly on Day 2, and instead they are still waiting for those picks to deliver the kind of impact that can change the shape of a season. Until that happens, every shaky week on offense or in the backfield is going to feed the same question: how long does Washington need to wait before Peters plan starts paying off? [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Suddenly Have A Bigger Jacory Croskey-Merritt Question Than Expected
Jacory Croskey-Merritt went from seventh-round draft pick to one of the more encouraging young players on Washingtons roster almost immediately, playing in every game as a rookie and starting seven while piling up more than 800 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Even with the Commanders offense dealing with line issues and a thinner backfield after Kaytron Allen was released, Croskey-Merritt looked like someone who had at least given the team a legitimate building block at running back.
This season has been a much different story, with his production slipping and Washington now having to navigate the position without him in the lineup. Bleacher Reports recent ranking of the 2025 running back class only adds to the bigger-picture concern for the Commanders, because the question is no longer just whether Croskey-Merritt can rediscover his rookie form, but where he really stacks up against the rest of that draft class moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Still Have A Few Young Reasons For Hope
A rough 1-4-1 start has left the Commanders searching for traction early in the 2026 season, but there are at least a few young names giving the roster something to build around. Jayden Daniels has kept competing through injuries and a handful of mistakes, Antonio Williams has flashed as a receiver, and Amik Robertson has offered a steadier presence in the secondary than Washington has often found while trying to piece things together.
Sonny Styles has also emerged as one of the more encouraging developments on the defense, doing the kind of work that shows up all over the field even when the teams results do not. Add in KLavon Chaissons pressure off the edge, and the Commanders can at least point to a handful of players who have made a difficult opening stretch feel a little less bleak, even if the bigger turnaround is still waiting to happen. [Read more 🡒]