The Washington Commanders have been — with the possible exception of the Kansas City Chiefs — the NFL's biggest disappointment in 2025.
After entering the year with Super Bowl aspirations and starting a promising 3-2, they've dropped eight in a row with no end to their skid in sight. Jayden Daniels has been unable to stay on the field, and he's far from alone. Even the healthy players have been disappointing, with bright spots and future cornerstones few and far between.
Head coach Dan Quinn has taken a lot of criticism for the season's direction, with some complaints more warranted than others. Fans want to believe this roster is capable of performing better than it has. But maybe it's not.
Commanders aren't even underachieving this season; they're just bad
Even when the Commanders made the NFC Championship game last season, it was mainly due to three factors: Daniels was sensational, Kliff Kingsbury's offensive scheme was maximizing its personnel, and Washington had an improbable degree of luck on its side. Overall, the roster was mediocre at best, even at close to full health.
The Commanders had one above-average wide receiver in 2024. They had a poor offensive line and an inconsistent defense. They had no game-wrecking pass-rushers or shutdown cornerbacks. Linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu both had second-team All-Pro seasons, but the former was on his last legs and the latter had an outlier campaign.
Now, all of Washington's already aging contributors are a year older, and they've been one of the most injured teams in the league. Without the context that this group was supposed to make the playoffs at a minimum, you wouldn't expect their available pieces to be earning very many wins.
Former All-Pro punt returner and 106.7 The Fan radio co-host Brian Mitchell echoed this sentiment on his BMitch and Finlay show with JP Finlay of NBC Sports. He claimed it's hard to be disappointed in the Commanders' performance anymore because this is just who they are.
"Everybody should be frustrated, but I think we've also got to understand this team has shown it is not as good as we thought it was... I'm not excessively mad because I recognized that a while ago."Brian Mitchell via 106.7 The Fan
JP is frustrated with Washington's continued losing skid, but BMitch thinks it is important for fans to remember this team is just bad. #NFL #Commanders #Vikings pic.twitter.com/iIf4pLMV2A
— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) December 8, 2025
Sometimes, that's the most damning statement you can make about a sports team.
It's the final stage of grief: Commanders fans went into this season with high hopes. After these weren't met, everyone began pointing fingers out of desperation that a solution could be found.
But at the end of the day, they're just not good.