Commanders insider exposes what’s really derailing Washington’s season
The Washington Commanders are 3-4 after seven weeks of the season. As expected, their loss to the Dallas Cowboys has sent fans into a full-blown panic.
There has been no shortage of hot takes from the peanut gallery, some warranted and others much less so. Nearly everybody has been a scapegoat, from the injured wide receiver room to defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. to even quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is set to miss time for the second different occasion this year.
Then there's the tired gaslighting about last year's NFC Championship game run, which seems like ancient history right now. Was it legitimate? Did Washington get lucky? Did it even actually happen?
Yes, it still happened. One reason it did — and why the Commanders aren't even close to being in that same position in 2025 — can be chalked up to one pivotal statistic that has changed everything.
Commanders' offense is coming up short in crucial situations, which wasn't the case in 2024
So much of the separation between a good NFL team and a bad one is all between the margins — the little things, the key moments that can completely swing the outcome of a contest. Football is a game of maximizing possessions, and in that regard, one of the most crucial skills for an offense is keeping drives alive in critical situations.
Last year, the Commanders were very good at this. This year, they're not, as team insider JP Finlay from NBC Sports pointed out.
In 2024, it felt like the Commanders executed on every single must-have play. That's because, relatively speaking, they did.
They were the sixth-best team in the league on third downs at 45 percent, and had the best conversion rate on fourth downs of any team in the entire Super Bowl era, going 20-of-23 on the year. There were weeks when Pro Bowl punter Tress Way may as well have not even bothered to show up.
This year has been a different story. Washington has gone 5-for-9 on fourth downs, ranking 19th in the league, and an abysmal 35.5 percent on third downs.
There are several factors involved in this regression, the main ones being injuries and drops. The absence of Terry McLaurin, in particular, has been noticeable here, as last year he, along with Zach Ertz, was Daniels' most trustworthy target in short-passing situations.
Regardless, this has been a significant difference-maker for Washington in the worst way. With even just average numbers in these situations, the Commanders could easily be 5-2 or even 6-1 right now. Instead, they're below .500 with their season slipping away in a hurry.
Steelers' TJ Watt Responds To Controversial Micah Parsons Comments: 'I Couldn't Care Less'
The Pittsburgh Steelers have constantly been in a tiring debate with the Cleveland Browns over which of their edge rushers is better. However, Myles Garrett has been almost invisible on the field ever since Week 2, so now there's a new competitor looking to belittle TJ Watt and his accomplishments. Now, it's the very-outspoken Micah Parsons that wants to try to show the world that Pittsburgh's superstar is overrated. His Green Bay Packers will battle Pittsburgh on
Parsons had previously spoken about how teams don't gameplan as much for Watt as they do for him and Garrett. The Steelers' superstar was asked about those comments, and he gave the most TJ Watt answer that you could think of, as reported by Brian Batko of the
"No, no issues," Watt said. "Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion. I really couldn’t care less."
Watt would respond in very similar ways when everyone was talking about him versus Garrett, and it's the same here with Parsons. Even if they do possibly upset him, he refuses to let the media even get a hint about that. At the end of the day, his focus is all about doing his part to make sure the Steelers get a key win at home against a very formidable opponent.
Meanwhile, Parsons has always been very open with how he truly feels about popular NFL topics, especially when he is hosting his own podcast. In this case, he seems to be giving bulletin board material to Watt's teammates, who seem to care a lot more about sticking up for him in this debate than he does. We will see how fueled up either side is in this upcoming matchup.
Both Watt and Parsons have seen what teams have done without them. In # No. 90's case, the Steelers seem to be unable to function properly when he is out with injury. With the new Packer, he is watching his old team struggle on defense. The Dallas Cowboys already had a flawed defense, and trading him away only made things worse on that side of the ball, as it feels like they have to score 30+ to have a chance of winning.
Despite being a 4-3 defensive end like Garrett, Parsons has shown some versatility similar to Watt in his 3-4 scheme. They are both more than just a one-trick pony, which helps put them both above the Browns' fading star in 2025. Their abilities to shut down the run, along with wreaking havoc in the pass game make this a much more legitimate debate this season.
Steelers Have Proven Scheme To Shut Down Parsons
Even if Parsons is somehow right, the Steelers have figured out how to slow down any stud edge rusher: by adding about 600 pounds of man to his side. The jumbo package with utility lineman Spencer Anderson and tight end Darnell Washington has taken the league by storm since it became a key part of the offense in Week 4, and teams have yet to find a way to stop it.
Maybe Parsons is right and he is truly the better edge rusher. However, odds are he won't have that kind of impact against the Steelers. It's hard for any player to make any sort of impact when there are three huge bodies to get by before getting to the quarterback or running back. It worked for the Steelers against Garrett, and it resulted in some Browns fans turning on him. Maybe the same will happen with Green Bay in this contest and the supposed top defensive player will get humbled.
