NFL Power Rankings: The 3-3 Washington Commanders are “consistently inconsistent”

Washington ends its three-game losing streak

The Washington Commanders were on a three-game losing streak heading into their away game against the Atlanta Falcons. They had 10 days to wash the stink off from their embarrassing Thursday Night Football loss to the Chicago Bears. Washington defeated Atlanta 24-16, and their defense forced three Desmond Ridder interceptions. Sam Howell threw three touchdowns to three different receivers, two of them running backs. He continued his record-shattering pace for sacks, adding five more from a team that only had five sacks in the first five games of the season.

The Commanders are way too inconsistent for some of this week’s power rankers to move them up more than a few spots from last week’s disaster rankings. The blowout losses to the Bills and Bears are also a major concern.

DraftKings had the Washington Commanders at 6 ¹⁄₂ wins for the season after the Bears debacle, but that moved back up to 7 ¹⁄₂ wins after the Falcons win. Washington goes on the road for their next game and they opened as 2 1/2-point road favorites to the New York Giants.

High: 13

Low: 29

Average: 21.8

#13

Odds Checker(Radowitz)

Last week: 17

#17

NFL SpinZone(Scataglia)

I don’t really know what to make of this team. They look solid one week and will get thoroughly embarrassed the next week. Such is life with a young and developing QB. Sam Howell looked the part of a franchise QB in Week 6, so that’s encouraging. Last week: 24

#18

DraftKings Network

Last week: 20

#19

CBS Sports(Prisco)

That was a big-time road victory against the Falcons. The defense, which had been awful, came up big. Last week: 26

New York Post(Dunleavy)

Last week: 25

#20

Fox Sports(Helman)

All three of Sam Howell’s touchdowns came on short fields that were provided by Atlanta miscues, but that’s not his fault. The Washington offense didn’t need a big day when the defense nearly doubled its takeaway total for the season. Last week: 22

Clutch Points(Johrendt)

It was a bend-don’t-break mentality for the Washington Commanders and their defense against Atlanta, as they allowed twice as many yards than what their own offense produced, yet still won the game, 24-16. Intercepting Desmond Ridder three times and holding Bijan Robinson to only 80 total yards on five total touches should both be considered victories for the defense.

Sam Howell’s three touchdowns overshadowed his 151 passing yard performance, as he found Curtis Samuel, Brian Robinson Jr., and Antonio Gibson for scores through the air. Last week: 23

#21

ESPN

Lesson learned: The secondary is holding them back.

Washington ranks ahead of only five teams in yards per pass attempt allowed (7.6), and the Commanders have allowed the most pass plays of 25 yards or more (16). This from a group that limited such gains in the second half of last season (11 in final 8 games) and added first-round corner Emmanuel Forbes and second-round safety/slot corner Jartavis Martin. However, Forbes, the Commanders’ third corner, was benched after five games, and Martin has played just six snaps from scrimmage. The group excelled in the zone match coverage last season but has struggled with it in 2023. Washington’s run defense has been good at times — it shut down Philadelphia’s D’Andre Swift and Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson. But the inconsistencies in the pass defense remain the biggest issue. — John Keim Last week: 21

ProFootballTalk(Florio)

They’re staying in the hunt for the No. 7 seed. Last week: 25

Sporting News(Iyer)

The Commanders played with more passion and energy on the road in Atlanta, playing up to more of their defensive big-play potential. It’s still not so pretty with Sam Howell spreading the ball all around but they’re consistently inconsistent. Last week: 24

The 33rd Team(Reynolds)

The Washington Commanders are a roller coaster of a team so far. Recently they’ve taken the Eagles to overtime, been blown out by the Bears and then largely dominated Atlanta.

Sam Howell is taking sacks at a historic rate, but he’s had his moments. Overall, Washington has enough talent to move up this list, but it needs to be more consistent, everywhere. Last week: 27

Sportsnaut(Johnson)

The Washington Commanders offense remains aggravating. Sam Howell has his moments, but he’s on pace to shatter the single-season NFL sack record because he holds onto the football and plays the role of a statue in the pocket like no other. We also can’t explain a system where Jahan Dotson, a standout rookie in 2022, finishes with just one target. As for the Commanders’ defense, the secondary will always hold it back. Last week: 22

#22

The Athletic(Kendall)

The Commanders have won one of their last four games, and that came Sunday when they were outgained 402-193 by a Falcons team that turned the ball over three times. Sam Howell, who is on pace to be sacked an NFL-record 96 times, has been a roller coaster, but the defense has been a disappointment, allowing 5.7 yards per play, which ranks 27th in the league. Last week: 28

Bleacher Report

After dropping three straight, the Washington Commanders needed a win any way they could get one. They got that badly needed victory Sunday in Atlanta, but it was an ugly win.

Quarterback Sam Howell threw three touchdown passes without an interception—but he barely cleared 150 passing yards. For the second week in a row, Washington’s ground game was stuck in mud, managing just 72 rushing yards on 22 carries. The Commanders had just 193 yards of offense and were outgained by a margin of well over 2-to-1.

However, where the Commanders took care of the football, the Falcons turned it over three times—and those turnovers made all the difference.

While talking to reporters, Howell said he was thankful for the win, even if it was lacking a bit in the style-points department.

“I think the main thing is we know we have a lot of stuff we can clean up. We know we can play better, and that’s a good football team we just beat,” Howell said. “It’s exciting when you can win and know you didn’t play your best game.”

Cleaning things up had best happen quickly—three of Washington’s next four games are on the road, and the lone home date is with an Eagles team that just beat the Commanders in Week 4. Last week: 24

Touchdown Wire(Bailey)

Sam Howell is like Bane. If he has his venom, he’ll be a pain to handle. If he doesn’t, then it’s quite easy to put the Commanders in Arkham. Washington’s defense also picked off Desmond Ridder three times, which was great to see after the Bears carved them up. Last week: 23

The Score

Be careful not to blame the Commanders’ offensive line for the 34 sacks allowed this far. Sam Howell’s pocket presence is washing out some of the impressive things the young quarterback is doing elsewhere. Last week: 27

#23

USA Today(Davis)

With four of their next six against NFC East opponents, including both games against the Giants, Washington could well be entering a stretch that determines its season … and quite possibly HC Ron Rivera’s viability beyond 2023. Last week: 27

The Ringer

Finally back in the win column, but will they ever figure out how to protect Sam Howell? Last week: 25

The Lines

Washington’s defense bounced back from a dreadful performance last Thursday night to beat Desmond Ridder and the Falcons on the road. Last week: 26

#24

NFL.com(Edholm)

This was a hidden-yards victory in Atlanta, if there ever was one. Jamison Crowder’s 61-yard punt return tilted the game back in Washington’s favor early, setting up a Commanders touchdown that put them ahead for good. Kendall Fuller’s pick and 23-yard return stunted the Falcons’ momentum two minutes into the second half. Washington also stymied Atlanta twice on fourth down, grabbed a red-zone interception and stopped a late two-point attempt. The defense picked off Desmond Ridder three times and consistently gave the offense great field position. It was just strong, complementary football for four quarters — and a massive departure from the egg the Commanders laid against the Bears in Week 5. But, please, can we keep Sam Howell from getting hit so much? Last week: 26

Yahoo Sports(Schwab)

The Commanders are a weird 3-3 team. They seem much worse than their record. On Sunday they were outgained by the Falcons 402-193 and somehow won. It’s not the time to buy the Commanders as a team that can slide into the playoffs. Last week: 25

Pro Football Network(Miller)

The Washington Commanders looked to be in … command … of the game in the first half, but their offense did everything they could to keep the Falcons in the game. Lucky enough for them, the Falcons offense wanted to win even less.

The Commanders had three legitimate possessions in the fourth quarter. They gained only one first down and could only manage 10 offensive plays for the entire quarter. But they were gifted two interceptions in that quarter from the inexperienced Falcons QB, and it helped them walk away with their second win of the season. Last week: 28

#25

Sports Illustrated(Orr)

The Commanders play games like this and then lose by 30-plus to the Bills and 20-plus to the Bears. If it weren’t for the somewhat frequent bottoming out moments for this team, I’d be so much higher on Washington. Sam Howell looked beastly through the first two quarters of this game. Brian Robinson had some game-altering physicality. Following a third-quarter interception with a screen in which Robinson is barreling behind his lead blocker like a brakeless Amazon truck (the old non-electrical ones)? Who wants a piece of that? Last week: 24

Oddshark

Last week: 26

#27

Team Rankings

Last week: 29

#29

NumberFire

Last week: 30