Loser No. 4
Josh Conerly Jr. - Commanders OT
The Washington Commanders believed in Josh Conerly Jr. His flashes in the second half of 2025 were encouraging, and he started this season relatively well.
Things have tailed off since, and the regression in recent weeks is enough to cause concern.
Conerly was always going to have a hard time in this one. The Los Angeles Rams have a dominant front seven that welcomed back stud edge rusher Myles Garrett. Aaron Donald is there, as is Byron Young. And aside from a couple of flashes, the Oregon product struggled.
Like Brandon Coleman on the other side, Conerly is displaying hesitancy pre-snap. It's leading to penalties and putting him on the back foot almost immediately. The No. 29 overall pick last year is still young enough to turn things around, but there is a significant amount of hard work ahead.
The Commanders need Conerly to be stronger and more confident. Unfortunately, those traits aren't there nearly enough.
Winner No. 3
Frankie Luvu - Commanders LB
Frankie Luvu challenged his teammates to set the tone against the Rams. The veteran linebacker knew quarterback Matthew Stafford would get the ball out quickly, and every defender needed to step up to stop Los Angeles' playmakers from gaining yards after the catch.
While that proved difficult against prolific wide receiver Puka Nacau, Luvu held up his end of the bargain with a ferocious display that proved how valuable he is to this team's defensive plan.
Luvu was seemingly always around the action. He moved with purpose and violence, displaying forceful will against the run while also generating pressure on blitzes when the situation dictated.
The 2024 second-team All-Pro finished the game with 15 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits. It was another impressive outing from Luvu, who could be in line for another deal in Washington if the same trend continues.
Loser No. 5
David Blough - Commanders OC
When the Commanders fired Kliff Kingsbury, they could have gone many different ways with their next offensive coordinator. Adam Peters and Dan Quinn took a big risk by promoting rookie play-caller David Blough to keep him from going to the Detroit Lions.
Blough has brought more creativity to the offense at times. But the in-game adjustments and situational awareness are nowhere near the required standard. And this game was another glaring example.
The Commanders went away from the run early when it was working. There was a nice screen pass to Rachaad White, but the easy options just weren't there much after. And the final play of the game — a checkdown when Washington needed to get into the end zone — was bizarre.
Once the run game was abandoned, the Rams' pass-rushers were turned loose. Blough didn't have the methods — whether that be misdirection, read options, up tempo, or run-pass options — to negate this pressure.
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