Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury Stacy Revere/GettyImages

Commanders insider exposes what’s really derailing Washington’s season

Originally posted on Riggo's Rag | By Ryan McCafferty | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 5:00 PM ET

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.

A massive difference for Washington in 2024 vs thru 7 games in 2025: 3rd down offense.
2024: 45 percent conversions, 6th in the NFL
2025: 35 percent conversions, 24th in the NFL
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) October 21, 2025

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.

This article first appeared on Riggo's Rag and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: