The Washington Commanders dominated the Houston Texans on Sunday. If not for a garbage time rushing touchdown by Davis Mills, the Commanders would’ve won the game by 20 points. Even with the touchdown, the team won by double-digits and is now over .500 this deep into the season since it held a 6-5 record in 2018.
Even better? The Commanders end the weekend in sole position of the No. 7 seed in the NFC. With the addition of a third Wild Card team, Washington would travel to Minnesota for another crack at the Vikings in the first round of the playoffs.
We can certainly think of worse matchups for the Commanders than playing a team they thoroughly outplayed and should’ve beat in Week 10. And the Vikings were exposed as the potential frauds the general media seems to think they are in by losing 40-3 at home to the Cowboys in Week 11.
But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. While the playoffs are suddenly a real possibility for Washington, there’s still six games left on the schedule and the next three games could determine how good of a chance they have at making the tournament before the stretch run.
Let’s predict those fixtures, shall we?
Predicting the Commanders’ next 3 games after blistering stretch
3. Week 12 vs the Atlanta Falcons (5-6)
The Commanders will host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12 in a game that has massive implications in the NFC playoff picture. After beating the Bears at home on Sunday, the upstart Falcons improved to 5-6 on the season and are just 1.5 games out of the conference’s third and final Wild Card berth.
Seemingly headed for a rebuild before the season, Arthur Smith has Atlanta overachieving 11 games into the schedule. They’ve picked up quality wins over the 49ers, Seahawks and Browns, and three of their losses came by a combined eight points, so they’re almost always in close games.
That’s a testament to good coaching, though Washington beat this same team at Mercedes Benz Stadium last season.
Like Houston, the Falcons struggle defending the run, which fits right into the Commanders’ offensive identity, but Taylor Heinicke should have a strong game, too, as Atlanta’s allowed the most passing yards in the NFL through Week 11.
As for Marcus Mariota’s dual-threat ability, Washington devised a bulletproof game plan against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. Like Philly, the Falcons have some weapons that scare you in Drake London and Kyle Pitts, but as long as Ron Rivera’s side neutralizes the running game they should pick up another win.
Commanders 27, Falcons 23.
2. Week 13 at New York Giants (7-3)
A season sweep of the Giants would be amazing, and we’re not ruling it out, but New York experienced a much-needed (and long overdue) reality check in Week 11, when they were steamrolled at home by Dan Campbell’s Lions.
Simply put, this game wasn’t a reflection of who the Giants really are. While their overall record is a little misleading given their lack of talent, they’ll likely be coming off consecutive losses come Week 13 against the Commanders given they play in Dallas, who just thumped the Vikings on the road, on Thanksgiving.
Maybe the Giants’ implode and their season comes off the rails. Or maybe, Daboll rallies the troops and they hold serve at home against a rival. New York was 5-2 at home before the Lions debacle, including wins over the Bears, Packers, and Ravens.
The Giants are a team that plays down and up to their competition. With the Commanders coming to town in two weeks, look for Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley to lead the G-Men to a scrappy win over Washington at MetLife Stadium.
Giants 20, Commanders 17.
1. Week 15 vs New York Giants (7-3)
No, the Commanders won’t enjoy a series sweep of the Giants for the second consecutive season, but they will follow their Week 13 defeat with a convincing win over their division rivals in Week 15 following a ridiculously late bye in Week 14; setting the stage for a box-office playoff race.
Look for Washington’s running game to set the tone in this rivalry game. The Giants’ pass defense is surprisingly stingy despite losing James Bradberry and Logan Ryan in the offseason, but their rushing defense just got gashed by Detroit to the tune of 160 yards and four (!) touchdowns on 4.3 YPC over 37 attempts.
In Week 10, they allowed Dameon Pierce to gallop for 94 yards on a whopping 5.5 yards per attempt. The Commanders just limited Pierce, who will finish top five in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, to EIGHT rushing yards on 10 carries.
The Giants just lost another receiver — rookie Wan’Dale Robinson to a torn ACL — and star cornerback Adoree Jackson is out 3-5 weeks with a sprained MCL, so he’s no guarantee to be back by the time Week 15 rolls around.
Assuming both teams go 1-1 in their next two games before Week 15, the Commanders and Giants will be 8-6 and 8-5 after this matchup.
Commanders 30, Giants 17
3 reasons Commanders should be taken seriously in NFC playoff race
The Commanders dominated the Texans on the road in Week 11. Now 6-5 for the season, Washington should be taken seriously in the NFC playoff picture.