Commanders' embarrassing preseason blowout could be a blessing in disguise

The Washington Commanders kicked off the exhibition portion of their 2025 season against the New England Patriots. Suffice it to say, the result was less than ideal.

Washington lost 48-18 in a rout. Things got off to a rough start on the very first play of the game, when New England's rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson took the opening kickoff to the house. The Commanders' defense and special teams were a disaster all night, and the offense didn't start humming until the game was already all but out of reach.

Still, it's only preseason. And there's one obvious reason why nobody in Washington should be panicking.

Commanders weeded out the weak in preseason loss to the Patriots

Once it was announced that the Commanders would be resting a total of 30 players, all while the Patriots opened the game with most of their starters, it should have been no surprise that this was, for all intents and purposes, a scheduled loss. Even rookies such as Trey Amos and Jaylin Lane saw sparse action and were shut down for the night after the first quarter.

Washington's intention was crystal clear. Head coach Dan Quinn wanted to figure out which of the players battling for a roster spot can hold their own in the NFL, and which ones can't.

It was apparent from early on that some contributors, such as linebacker Dominique Hampton, offensive tackle Tyre Phillips, and quarterback Sam Hartman, are not long for this roster. Veteran wide receiver Chris Moore also did himself no favors with two ugly first-quarter drops.

Some others, notably running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, passed their test. The list of positive standouts isn't very long, but again, most of the players who saw significant snaps won't be in the picture once September rolls around.

This approach from Quinn and staff can also be interpreted in another way, as an attempt to maintain humility in his locker room. It would be on-brand for the former Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator, whose cultural philosophy is to avoid complacency at all costs.

Throwing his third-stringers to the wolves has to light a fire under the team to come out ready to make a statement next time out on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals, regardless of who is on the field.

If there was any legitimate concern about Washington's performance, it was the penalties. The Commanders were flagged 13 times for 98 yards, not exactly a ringing endorsement of their level of preparation. But aside from that, we can safely stash this one away in the "it's only preseason" files.

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