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Detailed view of a Washington Commanders helmet. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

SI's new ranking has Commanders lower than you'd think; here's why

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By David Harrison | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 11:23 AM ET

The Washington Commanders enter 2025 with plenty of expectations, but there are also enough questions to make the national narrative around the team a little murky at times.

For every analyst who has the Commanders making a return trip to the NFC Championship Game or even the Super Bowl, there’s another who believes the team may not even see the postseason this year.

With a much more challenging schedule ahead in 2025, Washington not only faces a tougher run of opponents but also a much rougher travel plan, including trips to the West Coast and overseas to Spain. For some of these reasons, Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr has the team ranked No. 9 in his pre-Week 1 NFL power rankings.

'Respectfully Skeptical'

“We’ve picked up the Commanders’ 2024 season and tossed it around for a few months now,” says Orr. “On one hand, it was a transcendent, incredible moment that launched the star rise of the next great NFL quarterback. On the other hand, it was marked with wins over quarterbacks such as Spencer Rattler, Andy Dalton, Michael Penix Jr., Daniel Jones and Will Levis. The playing field is leveled this year with a challenging schedule and heightened attention. The Commanders have an innovative staff built for the counterpunch offensively. On the other side of the ball, we’ll soon find out.”

The Case for a Step Back

The first four weeks alone demonstrate just how much more difficult 2025 will be for the Commanders than 2024. Russell Wilson (New York Giants), Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers), Geno Smith (Las Vegas Raiders), and Michael Penix Jr. (Atlanta Falcons) are the first four up against Washington. At the same time, Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers) represents a tough Week 5 matchup to add to the run, just for good measure.

Arguments for why the Commanders might take a step back are aplenty, but there’s also another side to the conversation that needs to be had.

The Case for Another Leap

While the Washington defense will be facing a better group of quarterbacks this season, opposing defenses will also be facing a better version of Jayden Daniels than those in 2024 saw.

Already this preseason, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has praised Daniels for his further grasping of the scheme that is entering ‘ownership’ levels of comfort. Additionally, the offseason trade for receiver Deebo Samuel all but guarantees this year’s version of the Commanders’ offense isn’t going to be a carbon copy of last season's.

How much those factors will balance out is to be seen, but both certainly need to be accounted for in these conversations.

A Pivotal Year

For many reasons, this year is arguably the most important in Washington in quite a while. Not only is the validation of last year’s miraculous rise on the line, but so too is the path the franchise will surely take based on the performances and heights the Commanders reach this season.

Based on this offseason’s behavior, clearly, general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn believe they have a team on the cusp of competing for championships. If those moves fall short, it’ll inevitably alter how they progress beyond 2025 and into 2026.

Finishing in the final four of NFL teams in 2024 would logically assure Washington a spot near the top of preseason power rankings heading into this regular season, but given the amount of consideration taken for differences between last year and this one, No. 9 overall may hit as disrespectful up front but really comes in as respectfully skeptical.

The good news is, there are no starting points that matter to the team other than 0-0 and the chance to go 1-0 in Week 1.