Winner No. 2
Commanders offensive line
Any team coached by Jim Harbaugh is going to be strong in the trenches. The Washington Commanders had to match fire with fire, and the offensive line stepped up to the challenge with a phenomenal performance.
Laremy Tunsil was almost flawless once again. The Commanders had to give up significant resources to acquire the stud left tackle, but he's worth all that and more. Josh Conerly Jr. is improving rapidly, giving Washington a tackle tandem that is quickly becoming a strength.
Washington's interior also held up, providing assured pass protection and crushing running lanes as the Commanders averaged 5.8 yards per carry. Jayden Daniels was sacked just once and got enough time in the pocket to go through his progressions consistently. And the glue that holds it all together, veteran center Tyler Biadasz, was exceptional.
With prolific right guard Sam Cosmi set to make his return in the not-too-distant future, this unit is only going to get better.
Loser No. 1
Chris Moore - Commanders WR
The Commanders didn't have the benefit of Noah Brown and Terry McLaurin in their receiver room once again. Even though that represented a blow, it provided an opportunity for those lower down the pecking order to take advantage.
Some thrived with extra responsibilities on their shoulders. Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane both flashed when their respective numbers were called. Tay Martin also came up with a nice grab. But for Chris Moore, it exposed an ongoing flaw that blighted his time with the organization this summer.
Moore had problems with drops. That proved to be the case in this one, with the wideout dropping a sure-fire touchdown catch that would have put the Commanders in a dominant position down the stretch.
Fortunately, this did not impact the overall result. Even so, it's hard to envisage a scenario where Moore is part of the team's plans once everyone gets healthy.
Winner No. 3
Deebo Samuel Sr. - Commanders WR
Adam Peters drew some raised eyebrows for his decision to trade for wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. this offseason. Just five games into the 2025 campaign, it looks like an absolute masterstroke.
Samuel appears to be a different player from the one whose time with the San Francisco 49ers fizzled out. The Commanders had to give up a fifth-round pick to seal the deal, which is absolute chump change compared to his influence so far. And with second-team All-Pro wideout Terry McLaurin out through injury, the former South Carolina standout has stepped into the alpha role flawlessly.
Jayden Daniels trusts Samuel to deliver the goods. They've formed a close bond early, and the signal-caller looked to him early and often once he'd shaken off some early rust. The pass-catcher responded, bringing in eight receptions from 11 targets for 96 receiving yards and one touchdown to put the exclamation point on proceedings.
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