It might be time for the Washington Commanders to finally look in the mirror and have an uncomfortable conversation about what’s left of the 2025 regular season.
Washington is 4-10 with 3 regular season games remaining and have been one of the worst teams in the NFL this year.
The Commanders will have been eliminated from the playoffs for over a month when the regular season comes to its merciful end in the Week 18 regular season finale against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
It’s a far cry from the team that ended the 2024 season on the highest of notes after they shocked the NFL by going 12-5 in the regular season and advancing to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
That finish and a series of roster upgrades — or perceived upgrades — set the Commanders up as bona fide Super Bowl contenders headed into 2025. Which ended up being a mirage.
Now, the Commanders need to turn their attention to 2026. Internally, that seems to be happening, with the Commanders shutting down injury prone quarterback Jayden Daniels for the final 3 games of the regular season.
Now, with a possible Top 5 pick hanging in the balance, why stop there?
Commanders Urged to Shut Down NFL All-Pro WR
Daniels will end the 2025 season missing 10 games and going 2-5 in his 7 starts, with the final time anyone saw him this year being in an embarrassing, 31-0 loss to the Vikings.
He wasn’t the only one who went MIA this season due to injuries. NFL All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin has missed a career high 7 games due to a quad injury and did so after signing a 3-year, $97 million contract extension on August 25.
That’s not the kind of ROI you want.
While McLaurin has played in the last 3 games and his production has seen an uptick — he has 26 receptions for 409 yards and 3 touchdowns — the smartest thing to do might be to put him on ice until 2026.
“With the Commanders shutting down Jayden Daniels for the final three games, they should shut down other vital starters too,” 106.7 The Fan’s Grant Paulsen wrote on X. “Terry McLaurin is paramount to the cause next year (as we just saw in 2025). He shouldn’t play again in the final three. Same with Javon Kinlaw and Daron Payne at DT. They have nothing to prove. John Bates is a big piece as a blocking TE. Shut them down and play young guys (Lane, Newton, Sinnott etc). If the priority is on avoiding injuries and making sure you’re ready to hit the ground sprinting in OTAs — not on getting key reps in the final weeks — that’s fine. But go all the way in. Why stop at Daniels?”
Brutal Final Stretch Awaits Commanders
While the Commanders snapped a 9-game losing streak with a 29-21 win over the New York Giants in Week 15, the final 3 games of the regular season have no such weak spots.
The Commanders face the Eagles in the first of 2 games over the last 3 weeks in a rare Saturday game in Week 16, followed by a Christmas Day game on Netflix against the Dallas Cowboys before the regular-season finale against the Eagles.
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