Commanders' overlooked addition just became a huge winner overnight

The Washington Commanders' defense has made some encouraging strides this season. It's not perfect yet, not by any stretch of the imagination, but things are progressing. That wasn't evident on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears. The Commanders looked exposed against the run for one of the first times in 2025. D'Andre Swift got whatever he wanted, which also included some impressive gains on the game's final drive that Washington couldn't counteract effectively enough en route to a heartbreaking defeat. A glaring flaw last season reared its head once again. And there might be an overlooked reason for this steep regression. Eddie Goldman didn't appear on the injury report before the contest. However, the formidable interior defensive lineman was ruled out on primetime due to illness. While he's only played 36 percent of Washington's snaps on defense this season, most of these have come on obvious running plays. Goldman's good work won't show up on the stat sheet, but it's a big part of Washington