Commanders’ moving up under Dan Quinn ahead of significant challenges
The Commanders are off and running.
There was a palpable sense of relief when the Washington Commanders got their first win in 10 regular-season attempts during their Week 2 outing against the New York Giants. They left it late and things weren’t perfect from an execution standpoint on either side of the football, but head coach Dan Quinn’s men found a way to get over the line.
It’s been a long time since fans tasted the winning feeling, least of all against a division rival. Whether the Commanders can build on this positivity with some testing games upcoming on the schedule is debatable. But for now, things are looking up.
This was reflected in Cody Williams of FanSided’s latest NFL power rankings heading into Week 3 at the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. Washington landed at No. 25 in the standings – up from No. 29 – propping up the list of teams under the tag of ‘there’s something here, but maybe not enough’.
We’ll find out much more about the Commanders in the coming weeks. After their nationally televised road showdown against the Bengals, Washington takes on the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens before welcoming the lowly Carolina Panthers to Northwest Stadium in Week 7. This is a tough stretch, especially so early into Quinn’s head coaching tenure.
Significant adjustments are needed to come out of these games with credit. The Commanders’ red zone offense needs to improve drastically. Things are not perfect in the defensive secondary, which could prove complicated versus the likes of Ja’Marr Chase, Marvin Harrison Jr., Amari Cooper, and Zay Flowers.
