The Washington Commanders suffered another inevitable loss on Christmas Day. And arguably the biggest beneficiary from the team's reverse against the Dallas Cowboys wasn't even on the field.
It was another contest where the Commanders fell behind early and couldn't claw their way back. Head coach Dan Quinn oversaw a spirited effort from his squad, but the quality was severely lacking. And anytime the Cowboys' offense needed to move the chains, they typically just ran it right up the gut of Washington's defensive line.
Johnny Newton helped himself to three sacks, which was positive. However, his inability to make his presence felt against the run remains an ongoing frustration. Javon Kinlaw was even worse, once again failing to make an impact as he was pushed around by Dallas's offensive line.
Commanders may have no choice but to extend Daron Payne this offseason
Payne didn't feature due to a back issue. The Commanders were right to err on the side of caution with nothing to play for other than pride. Everyone knows what the former Alabama star can do when he's firing on all cylinders. Consistency has been an issue this season, but general manager Adam Peters might be forced to give him an extension ahead of time this offseason.
Unless he's got something else — a splash in free agency or a draft pick — in mind, Payne's future in Washington remains stable. The Commanders haven't seen enough from Newton or Kinlaw to justify any other theory at this point. It could still go either way, but watching the interior defense fluff their lines almost every time the Cowboys ran it up the middle was a damning indictment of the options currently available.
This won't go unnoticed by Peters. Extending Payne won't be cheap, but it might be a necessity.
Kinlaw will be around, thanks in no small part to the egregious contract he received in free agency. The same goes for Newton, although the 2024 second-round pick out of Illinois looks like a pass-rushing specialist rather than someone capable of being influential on an every-down basis.
As for Payne? He could be a potential offseason holdout in pursuit of a new deal. The Commanders may trade or release him, but that looks less likely after how things went without him. Peters is running the football operation with a business-first mindset that always has the future in mind. Still, a two-year extension seems pretty feasible if the money works for all parties.
It'll be interesting to see what the Commanders have planned for Payne. But his hopes of a new deal were significantly aided by Washington's defensive capitulation against its most bitter rival.