Are the Washington Commanders the NFL’s worst team?
If you judge strictly by rosters, Washington isn’t the worst NFL team, but if you judge how all 32 NFL teams are currently playing, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone worse than the Commanders.
After Sunday’s blowout home loss to the Miami Dolphins, Washington dropped its fourth game in a row and has now lost six of its last seven and nine of its last 11 games after beginning the season 2-0. The remainder of this season is about 2024 for owner Josh Harris, who has already started looking ahead after the trades of defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young.
The Commanders finally have a bye week in Week 14, giving quarterback Sam Howell a week off from being pounded. Head coach Ron Rivera likely has four games remaining in his tenure as Washington’s head coach after the bye week.
It’s time to look at the latest NFL power rankings. Here is the latest power rankings roundup from around the media world.
ESPN
Ranking: No. 29
Last week: No. 25
There are very few pleasant surprises for Washington, and Robinson was expected to be their lead back, but he has done a nice job catching passes out of the backfield. He had to adapt to a different style of run game that called for more patience; he’s developing there and leads the team with 664 yards rushing. As a receiver, Robinson has shown good hands and an ability to win on routes. He leads Washington’s backs with 326 receiving yards and averages 11.2 yards per reception. — John Keim
NFL.com
Ranking: No. 30
Last week: No. 29
Not too long ago, Sam Howell was looking like a pretty nice (and cost-effective) building block for the Commanders. And then he went out and threw a pick-six in three straight games, all Washington losses. Howell has only recorded one TD pass in that span, too, while Washington has fallen to 1-5 at home. Howell’s athleticism, toughness and big-play ability are high notes in his game, but the turnover-worthy plays and sacks taken are just too plentiful now and must be weeded out next season, no matter who his coaches or teammates are. That’s not excusing Washington’s bad offensive line or the defense for putting Howell in some really tough spots, but it is the kind of stuff that could prevent him from nailing down the starting job for 2024 and beyond.
Yahoo Sports
Ranking: No. 30
Last week: No. 28
The Commanders apparently seem OK letting Ron Rivera finish out the season, because if the 45-15 loss to the Dolphins before the bye didn’t cause a change, it probably won’t happen anytime soon. It won’t be a fun final month of the season for the Commanders.
USA TODAY Sports
Ranking: No. 30
Last week: No. 30
Isn’t the suggestion Sam Howell has solved Washington’s years-long QB quandary just a bit premature? After all, he’s up to a league-leading 14 interceptions, including a pick-six in each of the past three games.
Touchdown Wire
Ranking: No. 29
Last week: No. 28
Bold strategy for the Commanders to go single-high against the Dolphins with the safety on the opposite hash. It ended with a long Tyreek Hill touchdown. I wonder who Ron Rivera can blame for that one.
CBS Sports
Ranking: No. 30
Last week: No. 23
The change at coordinator didn’t matter. They still couldn’t stop Miami. It’s on to next season with a likely new coach
Sporting News
Ranking: No. 30
Last week: No. 29
The Commanders’ defense went further into the tank without Jack Del Rio as it was undressed by the Dolphins’ passing game. Given Ron Rivera is defensive-minded and it’s another bad home loss, it’s not looking for good for him in Washington beyond 2023, either.
FOX Sports
Ranking: No. 30
Last week: No. 29
This season is officially over, even if it’s felt that way for weeks. With a fourth straight loss, the Commanders are now assured of a losing record, and they’ve been outscored by 80 points over the last month.
The Athletic
Ranking: No. 29
Last week: No. 26
Josh Harris, who bought the team this offseason, has a lot on his plate. He might change the team name again, and he has to get a new stadium built somewhere. It’s possible all this would prevent him from moving on from Ron Rivera. Possible, but not likely. Since a surprising 2-0 start, Washington is 2-9 and last in the NFL in point margin (minus-140).
FanDuel
Ranking: No. 30
Bleacher Report
Ranking: No. 29
Last week: No. 27
After getting smoked in Dallas on Thanksgiving, the Washington Commanders fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Head coach Ron Rivera assumed play-calling duties on that side of the ball, hoping to provide a spark.
Um…about that.
Instead of a spark, the Commanders were immolated—again. They allowed 406 yards of offense, gave up 45 points for the second time in a row and allowed over 30 points for the third straight contest—all losses.
Afterward, a clearly disgusted Jonathan Allen didn’t mince words when discussing the state of the Washington defense.
“Just not a very good defense,” the veteran defensive tackle told reporters. “Can’t stop the run. Can’t stop the pass.”
It’s not just the defense. Commanders quarterback Sam Howell threw a pick-six for the third week in a row. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin didn’t catch a single pass. No. 1 running back Brian Robinson left the game with an injury.
It’s going to take a lot more than a Week 14 bye to fix the Commanders—and Davenport expects the franchise to be blown up in the offseason.
“It’s becoming more obvious by the week that Rivera is going to be let go as head coach,” he said. “It’s equally obvious that Howell isn’t the long-term solution at quarterback. With a new ownership group in town, this team is going to be blown up in the offseason. Fans may not want to endure another ground-up rebuild in the nation’s capital. But the reality is that is what is needed—because the Commanders are a mess.”
