NFL Power Rankings: How low can the Washington Commanders go?

The Washington Commanders are 1-2 and looked like the worst team in the league during the 24-8 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars seems like a lifetime ago. The last two weeks the team has been outscored 46-0 in the 1st half, and didn’t score until the 4th quarter this week. Washington travels to Dallas to face the 2-1 Cowboys and really need a win before the bottom gets rockier.

High: 24

Low: 32

Average: 27.5

#24

The Ringer(Gayle)

We have to stop buying tickets to ride the Carson Wentz roller coaster, man. I, too, bought into the high end of Wentz after a strong Week 1 performance, but he’s crashed back down to earth in classic Wentz fashion. He finished the first week of the season eighth in EPA per dropback after dicing up what has proven to be a stout Jaguars defense in a 28-22 win. He ranks 24th in the same stat over the last two weeks, and it tracks that Washington has lost both those games, including Sunday’s 24-8 loss to Philadelphia, when Wentz was sacked nine times by his former team. Washington’s roster simply isn’t talented enough on either side of the ball to survive nightmarish volatility under center. Last Week: 23

Bleacher Report

Sunday was an opportunity for Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz. It was a chance for a bit of payback against the team that drafted him second overall in 2016 and then cast him aside.

As it turns out, payback is hard to get from your backside.

After topping 300 passing yards in each of his first two games with the Commanders and throwing seven touchdown passes over that span, Wentz was a disaster Sunday against the Eagles. Granted, it wasn’t entirely his fault, as the ferocious Eagles pass rush sacked him nine times.

But all of the limitations that led to the Eagles and then the Indianapolis Colts moving on from Wentz were laid bare. The indecision. The inaccuracy.

After passing for only 24 yards in the first half, Wentz admitted that he didn’t play well against his old team.

“I’ve got to be better,” Wentz said. “They got after us and I did not play to my standards.”

This marked the second straight week that Washington’s offense has done nothing in the first half. Washington trailed Detroit 22-0 at halftime in Week 2 before mounting a furious rally. The Commanders are a fourth-quarter comeback against the Jaguars away from being 0-3.

If Wentz doesn’t get the offense turned around in short order, his tenure as starting quarterback in the nation’s capital could be a short one. Last Week: 23

#25

The Score

The Eagles sacked Carson Wentz nine times while blowing out the Commanders. It could be a long year in Washington. Last Week: 24

#26

The Athletic(Wulf)

It’s hard to feel good about a team trying to rally behind a quarterback who puts up that kind of stinker in a game with such personal and divisional importance. Wentz was sacked nine times against his former team and looked generally like the worst version of himself. Washington was depleted by injury along the offensive line and on defense, so excuses will persist, but it would be hard for Commanders fans not to already be wishing for a glimpse at fifth-round pick Sam Howell just to feel something, anything. Last Week: 24

ESPN

Team QBR: 39.9

QBR rank: 24th

Through two games, Carson Wentz had thrown seven touchdowns to three interceptions and ranked 14th in total QBR. But taking the third game into account, it’s been the full Wentz experience — and he has dropped to 24th in QBR. He has moments when he and the offense look excellent, and he has helped the Commanders use every inch of the field because of his arm. But he also holds the ball too long at times and needs to take care of it in the pocket. Wentz is an upgrade for the team and that hasn’t changed. He has the skill and the talent around him to be effective all year, but the protection will be a concern and his pocket awareness will be challenged. — John Keim Last Week: 26

Yahoo Sports(Schwab)

Pocket awareness sometimes fails Carson Wentz, and it definitely did when he was getting sacked nine times on Sunday. I’ll write that off as facing a good Eagles defense, because Washington’s offense was mostly fine before that. But it’s a reminder that there will be some ugly games. Last Week: 24

USA Today(Davis)

Playing 17 games a season on the road will eventually take a toll on any team. Last Week: 21

Sporting News(Iyer)

The Commanders also aren’t making a rash QB move from Carson Wentz despite the passing game having a rocky outing vs. the Eagles. The real issue is a defense that cannot stop anything putting a ton of pressure on him. Last Week: 24

NumberFire

Last Week: 20

#27

Athlon Sports(Fischer)

Two straight blowouts and the roller-coaster ride continues. If the skid continues against another division rival next week, changes may be afoot outside the nation’s capital. Last Week: 23

Sportsnaut(Johnson)

The Washington Commanders are sliding back down to earth, playing like a club many projected to finish near the bottom of the standings. Washington’s defense keeps having issues and now the offensive line is becoming a problem. None of that bodes well for a Week 4 draw against the Dallas Cowboys. Last Week: 23

The Lines

Carson Wentz took nine sacks against the franchise that drafted him as Washington was run off its home field by the Eagles. The Commanders are getting 2.5 points in Dallas next week. Last Week: 26

#28

Walter Football

The Redskins could easily be 0-3 right now if the Jaguars didn’t shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly in Week 1. They struggled against a Detroit team that was missing three offensive linemen and a starting cornerback, and then they were demolished by the Eagles, who were playing on a short work week. Last Week: 26

WynnBet(Fann)

The Cowboys pass rush is going to have a field day against the Commanders in Week 4. Last Week: 21

New York Post(Dunleavy)

Last Week: 25

Oddshark

Last Week: 25

#29

The 33rd Team(Domowitch)

Good news: Carson Wentz has been effective on third down. He has a 129.2 third-down passer rating, and 17 of his 32 third-down attempts have produced first downs.

Bad news: Six years into his career, Wentz still hangs on to the ball way too long. He was sacked nine times Sunday by the Eagles, though offensive coordinator Scott Turner deserves some of the blame for the plethora of seven-step-drop, long-developing pass plays in the first half. Last Week: 26

Fox News(Gaydos)

Last Week: 22

#30

NFL.com(Hanzus)

Sunday was a measuring-stick game for the Commanders, who came up short in pretty much every way possible. The Eagles got an eye-opening breakout performance by DeVonta Smith to build a 24-0 lead over Washington, then unleashed their pass rush on poor Carson Wentz, who was sacked nine times in a 24-8 loss. Wentz is the type of quarterback who can act spooked when his protection isn’t right, and the Commanders’ offensive line is not nearly good enough right now to get this attack to a consistent, proficient level. Last Week: 27

MMQB

Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and … Cooper Rush, obviously … are throwing the ball roughly 0.3 seconds faster per down than Carson Wentz is right now. The Commanders need to get the ball out of his hands faster, or else there will be more difficult outings like Sunday’s nine-sack horror show. Last Week: 27

CBS Sports(Prisco)

The defense is a disaster right now, the offensive line can’t protect, and Carson Wentz is playing bad. Aside from that, this team is just fine. Last Week: 27

ProFootballTalk

The Eagles continue to be thrilled that Carson Wentz has gone. Last Week: 27

#32

Fansided(Baxter)

After rallying for a home win over the Jaguars on the opening Sunday, the Commanders were pushed around by the Lions early last week. And that seemed to be the case once again as Ron Rivera’s team hosted the Eagles.

Washington was down 24-0 at halftime and had no answers for a Philadelphia offense that rolled up 400 total yards – 160 more than Rivera’s club (240). Carson Wentz was sacked nine times and lost one of his two fumbles. Last Week: 28