A disappointing season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccanneers wasn’t enough to send the Washington Commanders to the bottom of the power rankings around the league. But the lackluster performance definitely moved coach Dan Quinn’s squad closer.
NFL.com, ESPN and The Athletic each gave the Commanders the league’s fourth-worst ranking, at No. 29, after the first weekend of football.Â
Other rankings kept the Commanders in the low 20s while praising the scrambling ability of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels — and acknowledging new concerns about Washington’s surprisingly porous defense.
The Commanders had more roster turnover than any team in the league this offseason, and the revamped unit may need more time to gel.
While Washington stumbled out of the gate, the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers — last year’s conference champions and runners-up — topped most of the early rankings after impressive Week 1 wins.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys — Washington’s NFC East rivals — also ranked among the top 10 teams after defeating opponents who made the playoffs last season. The Eagles defeated a talented Green Bay Packers squad in Brazil while the Cowboys marched into Cleveland and dismantled the Browns.
It was a different story for the New York Giants (the other NFC East squad) and the Carolina Panthers. After blowout losses to the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints, the two teams ranked at the bottom of almost every ranking on Tuesday morning.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones continued to struggle on Sunday, tossing his third pick-six since signing a four-year, $160 million contract in 2023. He’s only thrown two touchdowns to his teammates since then.
The Commanders will have a shot to climb up the power rankings on Sunday when they host the Giants at Northwest Stadium.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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