With the NFC East still stuck in a strange early-season holding pattern, the Washington Commanders are looking at a division that feels as open as it gets after six weeks. No team has separated itself, only the New York Giants have a winning record, and nobody in the division has won over the last two weeks.
That could shift quickly in Week 7, thanks to the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles meeting on Monday Night Football. Unless that one somehow ends in a tie like the Giants and Commanders did, the picture in the division will change again. Washington, meanwhile, is on bye and trying to reset after a start that has them at 1-4-1, with their lone win coming against the defending Super Bowl champions in Week 3.
Even with that record, the Commanders are still very much hanging around in the playoff conversation. If the Giants lose to the Houston Texans, a result that remains in play with New York listed as a double-digit underdog, the division leader would have only three wins through seven weeks. That would leave Washington two games back, keeping the race tight and the door open.
Diggs, who is expected to take on a bigger role after Terry McLaurin’s season-ending injury against the San Francisco 49ers, made it clear he sees the same thing. “It’s still wide open.
Where we are and where the league is, it’s kind of interesting. It’s a weird spot right now,” Diggs said last week.
“Nobody’s kind of made it clear that, that team that we just faced, a hell of a football team. That’s one of those guys that’s going to be in the running, going to be contending in the playoffs and deep in the football in January.
So, we played a decent game. We could have played a lot better.
We’re still in it, just like all these games that we’ve been in in the past couple weeks. We’ve been in it.
We just got to find a way to pull them out and play at a high level and execute better.”
Washington’s next test comes against the Eagles on Sunday Night Football. Both teams will enter that one with losing records, and both need a win to stay alive in a division that continues to refuse to take shape. With the Giants on bye, the pressure only ramps up.
In Other News...
Commanders Bye Week Puts One Offensive Line Decision In Focus
Washingtons bye week arrives with plenty left to sort through after a 1-4-1 start, and one of the biggest concerns sits right in front of the offense. Injuries to key players such as left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Terry McLaurin have only made life harder, but the larger issue has been up front, where the Commanders have struggled to protect the quarterback and keep the offense on schedule.
Dan Quinn has made it clear he is unhappy with the recent play of the line, and the open week gives the staff a chance to reset and evaluate where adjustments are needed. Right guard Sam Cosmi has been one of the steadier pieces amid the turbulence, but the group as a whole still has not settled into the kind of rhythm Washington needs, leaving one important decision hanging over the rest of the week. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Suddenly Have A Public Split On Protecting Jayden Daniels
Dan Quinn made it clear after the latest game that he was unhappy with the way Washington protected Jayden Daniels, putting the offensive line on notice as the Commanders head into the bye week. The head coach signaled that changes could be coming, a reminder that how well Daniels is kept upright remains one of the biggest issues facing the offense.
Adam Peters, though, did not sound like a general manager preparing to make a move. While acknowledging the line needs to be better, Peters said there have not been talks about changing the group during the bye, creating an unusual public split at a spot the Commanders can least afford uncertainty. For a team trying to build around a young quarterback, the lack of alignment is the sort of detail that tends to linger until Washington shows how it plans to handle it. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Could Send A Clear Deadline Message With Andrew Wylie
Adam Peters is already being framed as a GM who could turn practical if the Commanders dont respond after the bye, and that has put a few familiar names into the discussion. With Terry McLaurin out for the season, Washingtons offense has already taken a major hit, and versatile offensive lineman Andrew Wylie has emerged as the kind of player other teams could view as useful depth if the Commanders decide to listen on veterans.
ESPNs Bill Barnwell floated the Patriots as a possible fit, which at least gives the idea some external footing even if nothing is close to happening yet. For Washington, the question is less about whether Wylie has value than whether the next two games push Peters toward acting on it, because a deadline message would land differently if the Commanders start leaning into sell mode instead of simply monitoring the market. [Read more 🡒]