Commanders' turmoil shows fractures spreading through veteran leaders

The Washington Commanders, once again, have outdone themselves. Their loss to the Detroit Lions was their fifth in a row and their fourth by at least 20 points. They've fallen to 3-7, and their Week 12 bye after this weekend's tilt against the Miami Dolphins in Madrid can't come soon enough. The most embarrassing part of Washington's latest defeat wasn't on the scoreboard. It was a scuffle during the second quarter in which two defensive starters summed up everything wrong with the Commanders' culture in 2025. After a Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown gave the Lions a 20-3 lead, defensive tackle Payne punched wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in the helmet for reasons unknown. His linemate, Javon Kinlaw, then also got involved in the scrum, making contact with a referee and drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that allowed Detroit to move closer to the goal line for a successful two-point conversion attempt. Worse yet was Kinlaw's childish attitude after the game. "He started it!" the $15 million man with a total o