Commanders and coach Dan Quinn are at a crossroads entering their bye week

The Washington Commanders’ season, to this point, hasn’t gone as they’d planned.

Their defense has not taken a noticeable leap forward despite key offseason additions. Jayden Daniels has already suffered a dislocated elbow, the same injury he had last year. And the team cost itself a chance at victory with an embarrassing end-of-game gaffe in a tie against the Giants.

And yet, entering their bye week at 1-4-1, the Commanders are just two games out of first place in the NFC East. The two games after the bye, against the Eagles and Rams, should reveal the direction of the season for Washington.

“This week as a bye is a chance for you to look even more closely at why we’re in this situation and like how we’re gonna do things to absolutely get our way out of it,” coach Dan Quinn said. “So, for a stretch (in Monday night’s loss to the 49ers) we saw the way, and now for me, how do we sustain for four quarters of football? And that’s a must.”

In a division where two starting quarterbacks, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and New York’s Jaxson Dart, are already out for the season, and the Cowboys’ defense ranks at the bottom of the league in yards allowed per play, the division title appears to be there for the taking.

The Commanders have to prove they’re capable of taking advantage. That starts with showing the consistency that’s been absent through six games.

“When I’ve seen it in spurts, I saw it in a half (against the 49ers),” Quinn said. “And to me, that’s when we’re gonna be at our best. There was parts of that in Seattle and parts of that in many other games. But man, truly that’s, to me, the secret sauce. That’s what I’m digging into as hard as I can to make sure that stays consistent the whole way through, man.”

The team hired veteran defensive coach Steve Wilks this week as an adviser, and the return of Trey Amos to the secondary should be a boost for Washington.

But the Commanders will have to try and score without top receiver Terry McLaurin, who will miss the remainder of the season with a torn left patellar tendon.

It’ll be up to Daniels and first-year offensive coordinator David Blough to find enough consistency without McLaurin to buoy a defense that has struggled.

“I am very much looking forward to finding more things that we can absolutely hang our hat on day in, day out, over and over,” Quinn said of Blough. “And so, the more that Jayden’s back, the more we can get into that flow, I am excited to see that. I like that we have a package that can work at the line of scrimmage of getting in and out of some plays. But overall, I’d love to see more explosive plays from us. When we hit those, we’re hard to deal with.”

Washington’s two games out of the bye are the last two before the trade deadline, meaning the future of the team could be decided over a span of 14 days. If they win both, a push for the playoffs is not out of the question.

Losses, however, could mean another top-10 draft pick and changes on the coaching staff. Quinn led the Commanders to the NFC title game in his first season in 2024, but little has gone right for him since.

“Sometimes taking a step back can be exactly what you need,” Quinn said. “You’re in the thick of it. As a team, as a coach, and a player, like our times together are really intense. And so, when we get those moments to breathe and then take a step back, what do you want to focus on coming back? I think most people say, ‘Oh, this is just when we needed the bye to happen.’ Well, in this case, in this year, this is one that we need knowing what’s ahead.”

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