Should We ‘Expect’ Commanders Regression In 2025? originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Washington Commanders, replicating their efforts from last season, will be the carrot dangling in front of Dan Quinn’s team, but it is one they might not catch.
A 12-5 regular season and an NFC Championship appearance is a tough act to follow up, but with Jayden Daniels, along with Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil being signed this offseason, to pair with Terry McLaurin and a run game led by Brian Robinson Jr., Washington has a lot of things going for it.
The big question is, can the defense stand up when it needs to? Still lacking a genuine pass rusher after, for some reason, Dante Fowler Jr., the sack leader of last year, was allowed to walk out the door, we have our concerns.
But can Washington, who now have genuine Super Bowl aspirations, be as good as last year?
“Daniels was the story, but Washington’s surprising offensive line was also why this team won 12 games,” The Athletic’s Jacob Robinson writes. “That group lost starting G Sam Cosmi to an ACL injury in January, but was smartly reinforced with Pro Bowl LT Laremy Tunsil and first-round pick RT Josh Conerly Jr. Still, their unimposing defense and tougher path — they rank behind only the Eagles for the largest year-over-year increase in schedule difficulty — is why I expect regression here.”
So, seeing more of the NFL’s top dogs, the Commanders will play the Green Bay Packers, the improved Las Vegas Raiders, the Philadelphia Eagles (twice), the Dallas Cowboys (twice), the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, and the Minnesota Vikings this season.
That’s quite a tough year, on paper, at least.
Many fans maybe expect a Commanders regression, and even if a 10-7 season is achieved, that will still feel like a success, but of course, it feels like Super Bowl or nothing for Quinn’s team right now.
Will the franchise be able to improve on their 12-5 season? It looks like a tall order, but then again, who saw last year’s resurgence coming?
Related: Commanders Ignore Trade Rumors To Cite Work Ethic of Brian Robinson Jr.
Related: Inside Ranking Commanders’ Top Five Young Prospects for Stardom
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.