The Washington Commanders’ issues started long before their trip to Spain. After a 28-7 Monday Night Football loss to the Chiefs in late October dropped Washington to 3-5, tight end Zach Ertz delivered an urgent warning about the team’s inconsistency.
He told NFL.com’s Kevin Patra there were “too many highs and lows,” with the Commanders failing to execute in all three phases for a full game and the “clock… ticking” if they wanted to stay in the NFC race.
Now, even in Madrid’s iconic Bernabeu Stadium, the theme is still about execution, not excuses. As Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic relayed on X, Ertz said the turf in Madrid was “not ideal” and “had a lot of slippage,” but added that “you can’t blame it one on the field by any means.”
In other words, conditions were bad, but not a get-out-of-jail-free card for another painful finish.
The surface clearly bothered players, yet Ertz’s tone matched what he has been saying since the Chiefs' loss: Washington has to find consistency regardless of venue. Earlier, he talked about good practice weeks not translating to four clean quarters, and about strong halves followed by letdowns.
The Bernabeu comments fit that mindset. Yes, the footing was rough. No, that does not erase missed chances, failed short-yardage calls, or the inability to close out winnable games.
Kicker Matt Gay embodied that burden after the overtime defeat to the Dolphins. Washington had a chance to win in regulation, but Gay missed a 56-yard field goal with 15 seconds left, then watched Miami prevail 16-13 in OT. Speaking via JP Finlay of NBC Sports, Gay said, “the ball did not go through. I let my team down today,” adding that he missed not just one but two kicks that could have changed the game.
He called the Bernabeu atmosphere “awesome,” then admitted the ending left him “pretty down” because the result was on his leg.
The Commanders are now 3-8, battered by injuries to Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin and leaning on Marcus Mariota while Dan Quinn takes over defensive playcalling. They held Miami to 16 points and still lost.
Between Ertz refusing to blame the turf and Gay putting the loss on himself, the message is loud enough: the margin is thin, the venue is no excuse, and Washington is running out of time to prove it can play a complete, disciplined game.
