Dan Quinn can shrug off a 41-3 preseason loss to Baltimore if he wants to. It came in August, after all, and the standings won’t remember it. But the way Washington got handled on Friday night was the kind of beatdown that sticks in the mind, because it looked less like a tune-up and more like a warning.
This wasn’t one of those exhibition losses where a team hangs around until the fourth quarter and then a handful of fringe players let it slip away. Washington was in trouble immediately. The Commanders were overwhelmed from the opening possession, and by the time the halftime break arrived, they were already down 24-0 with very little to show for themselves.
Baltimore piled up the kind of numbers that make the gap impossible to ignore: a 456-177 edge in total offense, 26-7 in first downs, and a defense that helped Washington convert just one of 14 combined third- and fourth-down tries. The Commanders’ first offensive snap ended in a fumble. The Ravens, using backups and roster-bubble players of their own, still controlled the game with ease.
That’s what makes this more than just a bad preseason box score. Washington didn’t merely lose. It looked thin, disorganized and physically overmatched, which is a problem for a team already staring at injury concerns.
Laremy Tunsil and Johnny Newton are candidates for injured reserve, Nick Allegretti has been out with a calf injury, and Washington is also dealing with issues involving multiple defensive players and running backs. That puts a premium on depth, and Friday didn’t exactly inspire confidence that the reserves can steady the ship if the absences pile up.
Instead, the offensive line had problems, the defense gave up 195 rushing yards, and Baltimore averaged 6.6 yards per play. For a team that may need to survive early-season stretches without key pieces, that’s the sort of performance that raises real alarms.
Quinn has earned credit for what he did in his first year, when Washington went 12-5 and reached the NFC Championship Game. That kind of season buys a coach a lot of goodwill. But the cushion shrank fast after a 5-12 disaster in 2025, and Washington’s decision to replace both coordinators showed just how much the organization wanted to reset.
Now Quinn enters his third season with a different kind of pressure hanging over him. The breakout debut is in the rearview mirror. Another losing season would turn the conversation uglier in a hurry, especially after a collapse from 12 wins to five already put the franchise back in a familiar place.
General manager Adam Peters built the roster, and if Washington opens the season without enough protection or defensive depth, he’ll deserve his share of the scrutiny. But Quinn can’t act like this is somebody else’s mess. It’s his staff, his preparation and his culture.
That’s why Friday’s result matters even if the final score won’t count. Players trying to win jobs should not look lost in their last audition.
They should not get pushed around by another team’s depth. They definitely should not lose by 38 while managing only a field goal.
No one is saying Quinn should be fired over one preseason game. That would be absurd. But the message was loud enough: if the injuries stack up and Washington starts stumbling again, this will stop looking like meaningless August football and start looking like the first crack in the foundation.
The pitchforks may not be out yet. They’re close enough to hear.
In Other News...
Commanders Cutdown Battle Suddenly Centers On One Troubling Linebacker
Kain Medranos first real chance to make his case in the Commanders preseason came at a tricky time, with roster decisions looming and the linebacker room already crowded. The second-year linebacker did not help himself against the Ravens, and that outing has put his standing in real jeopardy as Washington sorts through a competition that is as much about depth as it is about upside.
For Medrano, the path forward is likely tied to the less glamorous parts of the job. Special teams could be the deciding factor in whether he sticks on the 53-man roster, and if he does not, the Commanders may still view him as a candidate to remain in the building on the practice squad. For a young linebacker trying to carve out a role, that leaves the next few days feeling especially important. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Fans Just Got A New Reason To Start Planning Sundays
Nike has added another piece to the Commanders growing game-day ecosystem with a new Washington-themed Vomero 18 running shoe now available through Fanatics. It is the kind of release that fits neatly into the rhythm of football season, giving fans something to wear away from the stadium while still keeping their colors close at hand. For a fan base already looking ahead, it also lands alongside a fresh look at the teams 2026 schedule, a reminder that Sundays can start feeling planned long before the season arrives.
The schedule gives Washington supporters a full roadmap for the year ahead, with dates and opponents laid out for every game, and tickets for the 2026 season are already on the market. Between the new shoe and the early ticket window, the timing is built for fans who like to get organized early and make the fall feel official. The only thing left is for the long wait to actually turn into kickoff weekends. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Face One Specialist Decision Fans Will Watch Closely
Roster cutdown day always puts a premium on the small margins, and for the Commanders that means the specialists are under the microscope as Adam Peters and Dan Quinn pare the roster from 90 players to 53. Rookie kicker Drew Stevens has already won the kicking competition, while Jake Moody was released, and veteran punter Tress Way along with long-snapper Tyler Ott are expected to stick around as Washington sorts through the final pieces of its special teams group.
The bigger question now is whether the Commanders will carry that arrangement all the way through the deadline or leave themselves room to adjust elsewhere on the roster. Special teams decisions rarely grab the spotlight for long, but with so much at stake in the final round of cuts, the last specialist move is the kind of detail fans tend to track closely. [Read more 🡒]