Commanders just got a hidden advantage from the 2025 NFL schedule

There's plenty to dissect regarding the Washington Commanders' 2025 regular season schedule. There is also one hidden silver lining that went relatively unnoticed.

Five, potentially six, prime-time games, and three more in standalone windows. Four consecutive divisional matchups to close out the year. Eight contests versus teams that made the playoffs last season, including the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, and the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles twice in the final three weeks.

The Commanders will have opportunities to prove themselves in the spotlight against some of the league's elites. If one takes a closer look, there's a theme involving most of those marquee matchups.

Commanders' home-field advantage is more important than ever in 2025

In total, the Commanders will play no fewer than eight games that the entire NFL world will be watching. Only two of those will be true road contests: Week 2 at the Green Bay Packers and Week 8 at Kansas City.

Five of the others will be at home. The final one is on a neutral site against the Miami Dolphins in Madrid, which was supposed to take place in Miami. Besides Week 9's contest against the Seattle Seahawks, each clash will mean something extra for Washington.

The Commanders' first prime-time home game will be against the Chicago Bears in Week 6. Make no mistake, this is a different team than the one Washington mentally broke last season with Noah Brown's miraculous Hail Mary catch in Week 8.

Given the status of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Washington's Jayden Daniels going 1-2 in the 2024 NFL Draft, the two signal-callers will be compared to one another for years to come. Add to this budding rivalry, the Bears have hired Ben Johnson, who once infamously spurned D.C. (though it proved to be a blessing in disguise), as their new head coach.

In Week 13, the Commanders will once again host an intriguing opponent on national television, that being the Denver Broncos. Like Washington, they made a surprise trip to the playoffs in 2024 while being led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix. This could be an under-the-radar game to watch on the schedule.

Finally, Washington will close out the home slate of its schedule with back-to-back standalone home games against its two biggest rivals, the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

The game against the Eagles comes in Week 16, the same week that the Commanders took down Philadelphia at home a year ago on a last-second touchdown to Jamison Crowder. This year, that contest will be part of the NFL's featured slate on the Saturday before Christmas. On the holiday itself, the Cowboys, looking to return to playoff form with a new head coach and a healthy Dak Prescott, will be in town.

The Commanders will also play another heavyweight opponent at home in the late afternoon slot, in Week 10 against the Lions squad they upset in the NFC divisional round last season. Though not a prime-time game, it will be FOX's nationally televised 'America's Game of the Week'.

All in all, that's five massive opportunities for statement victories, all in the friendly confines of Northwest Stadium. The ball is in the Commanders' court — literally.

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