The problems showed up throughout the Washington Commanders' game against the Packers. But Jayden Daniels isn’t panicking. And there’s no need to put the Commanders on fraud watch after the Thursday night drubbing versus the Packers.
First, let’s be clear about this matchup. Green Bay played at home for the second straight week. The Commanders had a Thursday night game early in the season and had to travel for it. That’s a small part of things.
But let’s also remember that the Packers are probably the second-best team in the NFL right now. A Buffalo-Green Bay Super Bowl looks pretty obvious from the early season vantage point. The Commanders aren’t there yet.
How did Commanders get beaten down by Packers?
The Commanders are a veteran team that is still trying to fit the parts together. Anyone who expected the Commanders to beat the Packers in this setting probably isn’t living in reality.
However, expecting the Commanders to get crushed yardage-wise was a surprise. So let’s unpack it and see where that came from.
First and foremost, the Commanders’ game plan was atrocious. You can’t play timid against a great team. The Commanders looked like they were afraid to take any chances in the first half. And if that’s the approach by Kliff Kingsbury’s offense all season, he can forget about being offered a head coaching position for 2026.
Of course, head coach Dan Quinn stands to blame, too. He has to sign off on the approach. He did, and his team got what it deserved.
That sequence before halftime, where the Commanders could have gone into the locker room down by one score, was terrible. The meek play calling and the mismanaged clock are not things Quinn is known for doing. But he will be if it happens again.
The good news is, game plans and mindsets can be fixed. The Commanders have 10 days before their next game, and it’s reasonable to expect them to be much better in Week 3.
The Commanders are not a fraud
Calling the Commanders a fraud is ridiculous. They have a better roster than 2024, and their quarterback has a full year of experience. He has better weapons around him. Trotting out the fraud nonsense in Week 2 is a huge leap that isn't supported by common sense.
First, let’s consider what the Commanders are. They are not a favorite to win the Super Bowl. They are a favorite to reach the playoffs, which by definition gives them a chance to reach the Super Bowl. Basically, they are a fringe contender.
The fact that they lost handily to a well-rounded and loaded team on a short week early in the season on the road did not take anything away from the team’s expectations. Nobody picked them to go 17-0. And if there was a game to lose, it was this one after the Packers traded for Micah Parsons.
Let’s be honest. It’s going to take teams all season to figure out how to handle this Packers’ pass rush if it stays healthy. The fact that the Commanders couldn’t solve it in a short week is not surprising. And their rookie tackle, Josh Conerly Jr., couldn’t be expected to handle every move Parsons threw at him.
Let’s see how this matchup looks in January, if it happens.
Should Commanders trade CB Marshon Lattimore?
Folks, his best days are behind him. He can’t keep up with anybody. The Packers looked like they actually game-planned to pick on him. And he’s supposed to be a shutdown cornerback?
Lattimore may not have it anymore, according to commanderswire.com.
“Lattimore is healthy and still getting beaten at a consistent rate,” Bryan Manning wrote. “Every team on the Commanders' schedule is licking its chops when it sees Lattimore. Can he turn things around? Sure. Could it have been a bad night? Maybe.
“But the early returns are not good. Lattimore was at one time one of the NFL's best cornerbacks. Those days appear to be over. That doesn't mean he still can't be a solid starter for Washington this season. But it's also fair to say he is what he is at this point.”
There is one thing that needs to be pointed out. Manning wrote that Lattimore could still be a solid start for the Commanders this season. In his career with the Commanders — yes, only a handful of games so far — he hasn't shown any kind of a hint that he can be a solid starter. He has shown more evidence that he could be a liability. Like he was against the Packers. He seems to have two consistencies right now: leave receivers open, or commit a penalty. Maybe it's time to bring in a veteran free agent who can at least get into the “average” range.
It’s hard to imagine the Commanders could get much for Lattimore in a trade. But they could try. Even getting a younger player with a little speed and lateral ability would help. Watching Lattimore trail Dontayvion Wicks across the field and being five to seven yards away from him while he easily caught the ball was a key play of frustration on Thursday.
