The Commanders Are the NFL’s Next Big Thing

Week 8 @ Chiefs

This showdown in Arrowhead will mark Dan Quinn’s biggest test at this point in the season, taking on the Kansas City Chiefs. All eyes will be on the quarterbacks in Daniels and Patrick Mahomes.

With that kind of firepower under center, expect a high-scoring, electric battle. This matchup could be a measuring stick for how far the Commanders have come—and how close they are to contending with the NFL’s elite.

Week 9 vs. Seahawks

This is the Commanders’ first Sunday Night Football game of the season.

It’ll be one of the more intriguing matchups as it remains to be seen if newly acquired Sam Darnold will repeat last season’s success.

This is a very different Seahawks team with the departures of Geno Smith and D.K. Metcalf. Regardless, the Commanders will need to be on their A-game with the hostile environment Seattle has become famous for.

Week 11 @ Dolphins (in Madrid, Spain)

This will be Washington’s first international game since 2016, a game they tied against the Bengals. The game will be held at Real Madrid’s Bernabéu Stadium. This is not a traditional primetime game, but it will be an island game, as it starts at 9:30 a.m. EST.

There are a lot of questions with the Dolphins. Will Tua Tagovailoa be healthy at this point of the season? Will Tyreek Hill still be on the team? And perhaps more importantly, can Miami finally beat a contender?

Mike McDaniel is a young, innovative football mind, but he struggles mightily against teams with a winning record. The Dolphins are an abysmal 3-15 against teams above .500 under McDaniel. As long as injuries do not plague the Commanders, it is a safe bet they will have a winning record at this point in the season.

Week 13 vs. Broncos

Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos will come to town for Sunday Night Football. Daniels and Nix clearly were the best two rookie quarterbacks last season, and they will meet for the first time in Week 13.

This Broncos team turned a lot of heads last season as they finally rid themselves of Russell Wilson’s contract and found a franchise quarterback in Nix.

Unless Nix has a sophomore slump, this will be a challenging game for the Commanders, as the Broncos’ current win total is set at 9.5 games.

Week 17 vs. Cowboys

The Commanders and Cowboys are more known for their Thanksgiving Day matchups, but this year they’ll play on Christmas. This is one of three Christmas games and will kick off at 1:00 p.m. EST.

It is always hard to predict how well the Cowboys will do. Their fans would typically say they are winning the Super Bowl. Ask anyone else, and they are either winning less than five games or losing in the Wild Card.

Regardless, if Dak Prescott can stay healthy, he has always had success against the Commanders, posting an 11-2 record in his career.

Takeaways

The NFL knows that Daniels draws viewers and wants to feature him as much as possible. The Commanders did quite well in primetime in Daniels’ rookie season, going 2-1 in the regular season.

Now, with a full offseason under his belt and expectations rising in D.C., the league is banking on the Commanders taking another step forward — and doing it under the national spotlight.