Commanders: NFC East power rankings after Week 2

3. Washington Commanders

Make no mistake: the Commanders could’ve easily fallen to No. 4 this week. We just prefer Carson Wentz to Cooper Rush. Who wouldn’t, right?

In all seriousness, though, Washington is lucky to be No. 3 after their abysmal performance against the Lions. As explosive as the offense was in the second half, its first half ineptitude played a huge role in the Commanders digging themselves what proved to be an insurmountable deficit.

The potential of Washington’s offense is fun to think about. Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson are unstoppable vs man coverage. Once Brian Robinson returns, you’ll likely see Antonio Gibson utilized in space more. And all Logan Thomas and JD McKissic know how to do is come up with clutch catches.

Of course, none of that matters if the defense keeps playing like this. And by that we mean ranking 27th in yards and 29th in points.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Commanders — not the Lions are a juggernaut, but any team will be tough to beat with this defense — as a home game against the high-flying Eagles is next up on the schedule for this Sunday.