We know what's wrong with the Washington Commanders' offense. Everybody who counts on the unit is injured.
We know what's wrong with the Commanders' defense. A lack of top-tier talent in the secondary is undermining coordinator Daronte Jones' efforts to get more creatively aggressive up front.
But what on earth is wrong with Washington's special teams?
Commanders' special teams has gone from a strength to a liability
A unit that should be a team strength is seemingly getting worse every week. The disaster-class performance during the defeat to the Indianapolis Colts in London is just the latest sad chapter.
Special teams played an uncomfortably prominent role in the ill-disciplined, penalty-laden farce in Week 4. The kicking units accounted for a quarter of the 10 penalty flags thrown the Commanders' way at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Earning cloth from the officials wasn't the only problem for the Commanders' special teams.
Coverage, particularly against kickoffs, was also weak, while the return game took a hit when Jaylin Lane was carted off with a serious ankle injury, which means Luke McCaffrey may get one last chance to prove his worth.
These problems shouldn't be so familiar for a unit home to a pair of All-Pro talents. A group coached by a three-time Super Bowl winner who forged a decorated playing career thriving in football's third phase.
Coordinator Larry Izzo is a leading authority on what it takes to have useful and opportunistic special-teams play. He was a coverage demon as a linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets.
Larry Izzo has to get more from Commanders' options on special teams
Izzo was an All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler, so he can't think too highly of how the Commanders covered kicks against the Colts. Not when Indianapolis running back Seth McGowan averaged 25.5 yards on four returns.
McGowan's 102-yard performance helped the Colts start too many drives on the wrong side of the Commanders' 30-yard line. This shouldn't happen when Izzo's coverage units feature Jeremy Reaves and fellow safety Percy Butler.
They split 26 snaps (12 for Reaves, 14 for Butler) in the third phase in London, but neither made an impact. It didn't help that viral special-teams ace Tyler Owens suffered a hamstring injury.
The bigger problem is that players like Reaves, Owens, and Butler are regularly hyped on special teams, but the Commanders' kick coverage has no fear factor.
That's a shame because punter Tress Way is still performing well. He pinned three of his five punts against the Colts inside the 20-yard line.
This is how complementary special-teams play is meant to work. The unit should be populated by momentum thieves who can snatch short fields to help a struggling, injury-strafed offense. Those same rough raiders can also give an erratic defense more room to work with and protect its suspect secondary.
Special teams should be the Commanders' hidden strength. The talent is there, but the coaching isn't on the same level. Injuries are mounting, and big players aren't delivering.
In other words, their special teams reflect everything wrong with the 2026 Commanders.
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