The Washington Commanders didn't play in Week 12 during their long-awaited bye. But a harsh reality came to the fore as players and coaches sat watching others take the field.
Nothing has gone right for the Commanders this season. They came into the campaign with genuine hopes of reaching the Super Bowl, and head coach Dan Quinn's squad has come nowhere close. Being 3-8 through 11 contests is a disaster of epic proportions. A massive offseason awaits to turn the tide.
That became crystal clear, even within their division. And after reaching the NFC Championship game in Year 1 under Quinn's leadership, the Commanders now look like the worst team in the NFC East.
Commanders have gone from contenders to arguably the NFC East's worst team
The New York Giants put up a much better fight against the Detroit Lions than Washington, even with backup quarterback Jameis Winston leading the charge. They led for long periods before eventually falling in overtime, but there were far more positives than negatives to emerge for a team that already fired its head coach.
The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles were involved in a thriller. It seemed as if the reigning NFC East and Super Bowl champions were cruising to victory before a sensational fightback from Brian Schottenheimer's unit secured a walk-off win to revive their postseason hopes.
Dallas' elite offense led the way, and its improving defense raised doubt among the Eagles. All is not well in Philadelphia, but they look light-years ahead of Washington right now.
That was a harsh reality Washington must recognize. Some honest soul-searching is needed, and the Commanders have to dig deep to gain some positive momentum over the remaining six contests. Everyone in the division is ascending, which only raises the stakes further for those in positions of power.
Of course, it might be a different story had players not gotten hurt. The injuries exposed some severe cracks in this roster, and the poor results speak for themselves.
Whether the tide can turn in the coming weeks remains to be seen, but the Eagles, Cowboys, and Giants are not going to get weaker in the offseason. The Commanders must meet fire with fire. This starts by providing the squad with an injection of energy it sorely lacked in 2025.
It's easy to be pessimistic. Nothing about this season has offered any long-term encouragement. Quinn had to deal with one catastrophe after another, which is bitterly disappointing when one considers how well things went for the coach last time around.
The NFL is an adapt-or-die world, and the Commanders are in danger of being left behind unless the required enhancements arrive next spring.
It's that simple, really.