Commanders Drop in Week 9 Power Rankings as Playoff Hopes Slip Away
Commanders’ Week 9 Power Rankings Paint a Tough Picture
We get another GREAT uniform matchup next week on Sunday Night Football.
Seahawks v. Commanders both in their throwbacks 👀
Washington will host the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9, but they enter the matchup as 3.5-point home underdogs. Quarterback Jayden Daniels, who missed his third game of the season with a hamstring injury, is expected to return to practice this week, according to head coach Dan Quinn. Wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel both returned to the field against Kansas City, though both appeared limited. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil also left the game twice with a hamstring issue that continues to linger.
After keeping things close early and going into halftime tied 7-7, the Commanders were outscored 21-0 in the second half. Despite forcing two Patrick Mahomes interceptions, Washington failed to capitalize.
The Commanders have now lost three straight games, and analysts across major outlets agree: the team’s playoff hopes are fading fast.
Analysts Say Commanders ‘Don’t Look Anything Like a Playoff Team’
ESPN’s John Keim ranked Washington at No. 20, praising the play of left tackle Laremy Tunsil but warning that the team needs to stabilize soon. “Tunsil is credited with allowing three sacks,” Keim wrote, “but he has provided the Commanders with their best tackle play since Trent Williams in 2018.”
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm placed Washington at No. 18, noting that the team’s injury issues and lack of consistency are holding them back. “The compromised Commanders battled early and had their chances against the Chiefs but couldn’t stop the second-half avalanche defensively,” Edholm said. “Washington’s grip on this season is starting to slip.”
Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab was more blunt in his assessment, ranking the Commanders at No. 20 and writing, “We’re seeing how much a healthy Jayden Daniels means to the Commanders. He covers up
Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr echoed those concerns, highlighting the team’s tackling problems. “The Commanders came into Monday night’s game second in missed tackles, which may say just as much about the team’s current predicament as how long they’ll be without Jayden Daniels,” Orr wrote.
Across the board, the consensus is clear: Washington’s talent isn’t translating into wins, and injuries are compounding their struggles.
Washington’s Outlook Heading Into Week 9
In case you forgot #Commanders debut their “Super Bowl Era” Uniforms this week vs. Seahawks
At 3-5, the Commanders now sit 13th in the NFC — only two games behind the San Francisco 49ers for the final Wild Card spot, but trending in the wrong direction. USA Today’s Nate Davis summarized it best: “The return of Jayden Daniels will obviously help, but this offense also has a lot of other issues to address.”
The Commanders will try to stop their three-game skid when they face the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. A loss would push them further down the NFC standings and likely force Quinn’s squad
Kickoff between the Commanders and Seahawks is set for Thursday, November 6, at 8:15 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video.
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Responds to Backlash to Controversial WSJ Quote
The Dallas Cowboys have been all over the place so far in the 2025 campaign. Some weeks, they look like they could be a legitimate playoff contender, whereas others, they look like one of the worst teams in the league. The Cowboys looked like the latter in Week 8, when they suffered an ugly 44-24 defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos.
Given his handling of the season, team owner and de facto general manager Jerry Jones has received a lot of criticism this year, and rightfully so. Fans only grew angrier with him after he made some controversial comments about his quest to improve Dallas’ roster, which led him to address the situation on Friday.
Jerry Jones Addresses Controversial Cowboys’ Comments
Jerry Jones on @1053thefan with a lengthy response to his quote in the WSJ earlier this week where he said “There’s $100 billion present value with (natural) gas out there. That’s why I’m talking to you on the telephone rather than trying to fix our defense with the Dallas
The main reason Jones has received so much backlash from fans this year is because of his decision to trade superstar linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers right before the start of the season. Unsurprisingly, when you trade away your best defensive player without finding a proper replacement (and no one can individually replace Parsons), your defense is going to struggle.
While Dallas’ offense has been one of the best units in the league, it hasn’t mattered because of how bad the defense has been. Jones has since been searching for ways to improve this unit, but it’s fair to wonder why he didn’t just hand Parsons the sort of massive contract extension he ended up getting once he got traded to the Packers.
Earlier in the week, Jones made some eye-opening comments about the Cowboys in which he seemed to imply the team wasn’t as important as his desire to get involved in the natural gas industry. Considering the state of the team and the role Jones has had in putting them in the situation they are currently in, fans were outraged, and he ended up having to further explain his comments on Friday.
“We probably will get criticized if we aren’t doing that,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. “Goodness, I understand that perspective, we all get it. Let’s just say what’s going on here is we’re not winning, we’re not playing the way we want to be, the way I want to be, the way any of us want to be. And when you do that, you check your whole card with everything you’re doing.
Every day, every time I can, I’m looking for ways to give advantages to the Dallas Cowboys. Anybody that says I don’t focus on the Cowboys is just living in the moment of frustration, and I get that, and I’m frustrated too.”
Cowboys Looking to Bounce Back in Week 9
GettyDallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, watching on during the loss to the Denver Broncos on October 16, 2025.
Fans have been calling for Jones’ head for years now, and he hasn’t exactly done himself any favors this season. While he has remained steadfast in his belief that he is doing what’s best for the team, the results don’t lie, and it’s telling that the team’s biggest area of need, which is pass rush help, was largely created by Jones’ decision to trade away Parsons.
Dallas has struggled to stay afloat, but it still is in the playoff hunt with a 3-4-1 record heading into Week 9. Making things even better for the team is the fact that it has a matchup against a beatable Arizona Cardinals team on its schedule. With this game set for Monday Night Football, kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.
