When a team has a breakout season, especially with a historic rookie star, the assumption is the trajectory will remain upward for years.
It’s rarely that easy. The Washington Commanders had a dream season in 2024. Jayden Daniels had arguably the best rookie season for a quarterback in NFL history. The Commanders went 12-5 with a series of zany and exciting wins, then made a postseason run to the NFC championship game. But that wasn’t sustainable.
Washington is 3-5, matching its loss total from last season. The Commanders fought hard for a half against the Kansas City Chiefs, but in the second half it was clear the two teams weren’t on the same plane. Washington didn’t have Daniels, who was out with a hamstring injury, and was overwhelmed in the second half with backup QB Marcus Mariota starting in a 28-7 loss.
Patrick Mahomes threw three second-half touchdowns and the Chiefs' defense clamped down after halftime, but it didn’t seem like the Chiefs played their best game or anything close. They didn’t need to.
This season has already been more of a struggle for the Commanders than all of last season was. Daniels’ injuries haven’t helped. Mostly, Washington is just finding out it’s hard to repeat a magical season.
Commanders made things interest in first half
After a Sunday filled with favorites blowing out underdogs, Monday night had an unexpected start.
The Chiefs started very slow. Mahomes, who had just two interceptions all season before Monday night, threw two on Kansas City’s first two possessions. The Commanders moved the ball but couldn’t get anything out of it early, turning it over on downs twice and throwing an interception of their own.
The Chiefs finally got a touchdown on a 1-yard run, but Washington got on the board too. Mariota floated a pass to Terry McLaurin in the end zone, and McLaurin barely kept both feet down as he grabbed it before going out of bounds. The game was tied 7-7 at halftime and Washington had mostly outplayed Kansas City.
With Daniels out due to injury, the Commanders were big underdogs. It didn’t look like it early on. But just like last season’s success, what Washington did in the first half couldn’t be repeated.
Chiefs pull away
The Commanders were competitive for a half, but eventually not having Daniels in the lineup dragged down the offense.
The Chiefs' offense started scoring and Washington couldn’t answer. Mahomes hit touchdown passes to Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice to turn the game into another Week 8 blowout.
The Commanders couldn’t keep up. Mariota wasn’t terrible but the Chiefs' defense always came up with plays on crucial downs against him. The Commanders don’t have the talent to overcome being without their quarterback.
Washington’s defense has had issues, and the offense has been inconsistent with Daniels missing multiple games. The Commanders are already three games behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East; winning a division title is not realistic anymore. Getting back in the wild-card race will take some work too in a deep NFC.
Last season’s playoff run was one of the best things to happen to Washington’s franchise in decades. The Commanders face a long road to make the playoffs at all this season.
