What are the reasons six through ten that Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice says the Commanders will be a dumpster fire in 2025?
Remember, he wrote this as part of his series on why each NFC East team will fall short and not be able to compete with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Yet, he does have an edge to him when talking about the Commanders; perhaps giving it away that he is a bit more concerned than he lets on…
Here are his reasons six through ten why the Commanders will not only not compete with the Eagles but “be a dumpster fire.” Again, these are Kempski’s headlines.
“Their run defense will almost certainly suck… again“
Yes, the Commanders were the third worst in rushing yards allowed per game in 2024. And yes, Ben Johnson (Lions OC) outsmarted himself, wanting to pass entirely too much when his running game was whipping the Commanders in the playoffs.
Yet, Commanders Wire believes GM Adam Peters addressed the run defense in the offseason. No, Washington still does not possess an All-Pro on the defensive line, but they will be better this year with the additions of Deatrich Wise, Javon Kinlaw and Eddie Goldman.
“Their rushing offense is carried by their quarterback“
Kempski is not saying anything we don’t know. Commanders Wire has written on this in the past. Yes, we wrote recently how Jayden Daniels was the top rusher last year at 891 yards. But you also need to remember the Commanders’ offensive line is going to be better this year with Laremy Tunsil and Josh Conerly, the new tackles, and Brandon Coleman moved inside to guard. Therefore, the running game will improve as well.
“The idea that ‘Jayden Daniels will only continue to get better’ is not a given“
Well, it’s not a given in the sense that we don’t know if we will make it to tomorrow. Yes, in the sense that our lives are like vapors that can suddenly disappear and be gone. However, in the football sense, Daniels has each of his offensive coaches back from last year. As early as training camp in his rookie season, offensive players were already confident in Daniels’s work ethic to develop further in the NFL.
“The Commanders converted on an unsustainable percentage of 4th down conversions in 2024“
He is 100% correct. We talked about this recently as well. What is the other side of the coin? Well, though the Commanders will most likely not convert as many fourth downs in 2025; the Commanders with an improved offensive line may, in fact, be very effective again on fourth downs. They may also be more effective on third downs, meaning perhaps there won’t be as many fourth downs.
“Dan Quinn turtled up in the Commanders’ biggest moment“
Ok, he loved to get personal and take a jab at Quinn with his tenth reason. The fact that the Commanders converted two fourth downs, then chose to kick an opening drive field goal, doesn’t actually mean Quinn was scared. It was the opening possession, and perhaps Quinn was that confident he could take a lead on their first possession. That is certainly not what lost that game. The turnovers did put the Commanders in a horrible spot. Kempski loved his dig at Quinn, mentioning the 28-3 lead the Falcons lost against the Patriots in the Super Bowl, before losing in overtime. Whatever his reasoning, Kempski easily overlooks the Eagles’ defense, shutting down the Chiefs, but the Commanders were able to move the ball against the Eagles. Yes, the turnovers killed the Commanders’ chances against the better team that day, the Eagles.
Kempski is talking big now, but perhaps Quinn and the Commanders will read his thoughts and have their say during the upcoming season?
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Eagles fan/writer implies gives 5 more reasons Commanders will regress