9 harsh Commanders reality checks after Week 7 drubbing at the NY Giants

Commanders have one elite player

The Washington Commanders have one - and only one - elite player on its roster. His name is Terry McLaurin.

We can quibble over the definition of elite, but here’s mine.

When the game is on the line, elite players make game-winning plays. Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts do that. A.J. Brown and Tyreek Hill do that. The Kelces - Travis and Jason - do that.

McLaurin is the only player on the Commanders who plays at that level. As a receiver, he is in a dependent position - meaning he needs the rest of the offense to perform at a reasonable level in order to play his best.

The next closest thing the Commanders have to an elite player is punter Tress Way. He is currently out of the top 12 in both punting average and net punting average.

No Commanders DL is elite

All four of the Commanders' defensive linemen are well above average. But none is what I would consider elite.

I love Jonathan Allen as a player and as a team leader - and just as a human being. But with the game on the line, would I rather have Chris Jones, Quinnen Williams, Dexter Lawrence, or Fletcher Cox? Yes.

Well, maybe not Cox, He’s getting old. So I’ll take his Philadelphia Eagles teammate Jalen Carter. Or Jordan Davis. The point is, that Washington’s defensive line is above-average, but it has never been the consistently dominant unit it was designed to be.