It was the reality check that the Washington Commanders should have expected at some stage during the 2025 campaign. What's important is not letting this become the start of a concerning trend.
Losing one game isn't the end of the world. Dealing with a few injury issues isn't either, despite the claims of the doom and gloom enthusiasts. However, one NFL analyst believes there is a much more complex issue that could hold the Commanders back from meeting raised expectations.
Not many emerged from their Thursday Night Football defeat with much credit. Nothing went right, and the Commanders were dealt a harsh lesson. Everyone needs to move on and make the necessary adjustments to bounce back. Anything less comes with bigger consequences attached.
Commanders' one-dimensional offense cannot continue for much longer
Sayre Bedinger from NFL Spin Zone wasn't ready to press the panic button on Washington despite dropping them to No. 8 in his weekly power rankings. Even so, he thought that Kliff Kingsbury's offense was becoming one-dimensional. That's a significant problem compared to the league's elite.
"There’s no need to be overly harsh on the Washington Commanders after what we saw in Week 2, playing on a short week against the Green Bay Packers. But we also can’t ignore the fact that they got completely overmatched. The last thing this team wants is to become one-dimensional offensively, but that’s exactly what happened against the Packers. The leading rusher for the Commanders on Thursday night had 17 yards."Sayre Bedinger
The Commanders' offense was too predictable at Lambeau Field. They couldn't get anything going on the ground, and the Packers' defensive front neutralized quarterback Jayden Daniels in every facet imaginable. Kingsbury was outcoached, and skeptics are questioning whether the league is starting to figure him out once again.
That's a little premature. Kingsbury is an exceptional offensive mind. That doesn't just change because of one bad outing. But with Austin Ekeler out for the season, John Bates and Noah Brown set for an absence in Week 3, and Daniels' status also in severe doubt, the play-caller needs to find solutions for these issues as a matter of urgency.
We live in an instant gratification world where overreactions are king. Some fans are ready to throw in the towel. Others are adopting a wait-and-see approach, but the Commanders proved capable of showing the correct resolve in the face of adversity last season. They can do the same again.
And if Kingsbury forms a plan that gets the offense back on track, the optimism will surge once again.