Washington Commanders edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson did something over the last two games he's never done before. Chaisson strip-sacked Jameis Winston against the Giants, then eight days later peanut-punched the ball out of Christian McCaffrey's arms on Monday Night Football. Both plays resulted in takeaways, with Tim Settle recovering the first fumble and Frankie Luvu the second.
Not only did Chaisson match his career-high of two forced fumbles, set last season with New England, but he also helped generate as many fumble recoveries in two games as Washington managed during the entire 2025 season. It's important to remember that Washington forced 11 fumbles in 2025 but recovered only two. This is in direct response to the staff's continued emphasis on creating turnovers throughout the offseason program.
When Washington signed Chaisson in March, they were looking for a disruptor who could change things on the defensive front; in six games, he already has 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles with 11 regular-season games remaining.
Commanders HC Dan Quinn had already singled out Chaisson following the Cowboys game for trying to knock the football loose while sacking Dak Prescott. "So, we gotta continue to wreak havoc, cause disruption," Quinn said at the time. A few weeks later, those attempts are turning into actual takeaways.
The real question for the Commanders moving forward is whether they can get the same production all across the unit after the bye, and how much of a difference-maker that will be in the win column. Up to this point, none of the individual accomplishments of any player have helped the unit overcome the defense's other problems.
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