Commanders Confidence Meter: Where Washington Stands Entering Week 2 at Dallas

This week we hop right back into the second edition of the confidence meter after Washington dropped their opener to the Philadelphia Eagles 24-22. Injuries aren't the only storyline, but they do play a role in shaping this matchup: Washington is missing linebacker Frankie Luvu and tight end Chig Okonkwo, while Dallas will be without safety Malik Hooker and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.

Each week, we'll measure our confidence in specific areas of the Commanders on a scale of 1-10. A score of 1-3 represents a major concern, 4-6 means there are still questions to answer, 7-8 shows legitimate confidence, and anything above that means there isn't much keeping us up at night.

Week 1's numbers were the baseline; now the ratings actually move based on regular-season evidence.

Biggest Confidence: Jayden Daniels/Passing Game — 8
Biggest Concern: Secondary — 4
Overall: 6

Jayden Daniels / Passing Game — 8/10

Week 1: 8 → Week 2: 8

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels took what the defense gave, and even though his raw passing numbers weren't MVP quality, he protected the football and gave Washington a chance late while going 18-of-34 for 164 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions against a Philadelphia defense no "experts" gave them a chance against. Daniels was 5-for-7 for 47 yards with both TDs against the blitz. The team was able to get Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams the ball with the Philly defense tossing a zone cloud on Terry McLaurin.

Not having Chig Okonkwo definitely changes things for Washington. John Bates, Ben Sinnott, and Colson Yankoff just simply do not do the same things on the football field. Dallas not having Hooker and Overshown sort of evens things out somewhat, since those two will not be covering anyone in the middle of the field come Sunday.

What moves the ranking:

Whether or not this ranking rises or falls depends on a variety of things, but as of now this group is a solid eight, obviously headlined by Daniels. Is Antonio Williams the most underrated player in this room? This week, they'll face a different opponent that doesn't have the defensive coordinator experience that Philadelphia has with Vic Fangio, arguably the best coordinator in the league.

A CUT UP OF ALL OF JAYDEN DANIELS THROWS FROM WEEK 1 ‼️:

He went 18/34 (52.9%), which is misleading!

His adjusted completion % (excluding drops, and throwaways) is 69.2%

There were 5 WR errors that caused Incompletions (3 Drops/2 Falls) and 5 Throwaways.

The Box Score never… pic.twitter.com/16AUoy6vgy
— Commanders Lead (@CommandersLead) September 15, 2026

Run Game — 7/10

Week 1: 6 → Week 2: 7

The biggest thing that stood out about this group in Week 1 was that Washington gained 132 yards on the ground against one of the league's better run defenses in Philly, without relying exclusively on Daniels. Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt led the Commanders with 63 yards rushing. On the other side of the pendulum, the Cowboys allowed the New York Giants 165 yards rushing on 4.5 yards per carry.

For this system to succeed, each back will need to do their job without turning the ball over. Daniels is still very much a part of the run game; Washington just believes that if they want Daniels to stay healthy, he can't be the focal point of the plan. The mere threat of him escaping the pocket makes defenses play him differently, and Dallas has already shown they have issues with missed tackles and losing contain.

What moves this ranking:

I want to rate this group higher, but after seeing Bill fumble against Philly, I'm gonna need to see more before I feel comfortable rating them above 7. The talent is there, so it shouldn't be hard to show it.

Offensive Line — 5/10

Week 1: 5 → Week 2: 5

This unit surrendered only one sack despite giving up 19 pressures on Daniels in 38 dropbacks in Week 1. In the first half, they were really bad, as Daniels was pressured on 11 of 16 dropbacks. Left tackle Brandon Coleman allowed nine pressures. The great news: Dallas generated only two pressures with four rushers against the Giants, so this is a much better opportunity for the line to actually earn an increase. I view this as Washington surviving the pressure more than actually solving it. Quinn is pleased so far: "There's times that it looked good. There's times that I'd like to have some plays again."

What moves this ranking:

Another one-sack-or-better afternoon without Blough having to shrink the passing game to protect Daniels will certainly move the needle for me. For now I'm watching with skeptical eyes.

Every #Commanders pass-blocking rep from the offensive line. I was watching Brandon Coleman, but take your pick

Conerly and Coleman were credited with four pressures each, while Allegretti, Cosmi and Paul got one. That's not how I would rank them in impressiveness #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/NjZOaAjS9d
— Full Command (@FullCommandShow) September 14, 2026

Defensive Front — 7/10

Sep 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles (52) is seen against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 1: 6 → Week 2: 7

The defensive front was one of the best parts of Daronte Jones' defense and mirrored what was discussed in camp. Washington recorded three sacks in Philadelphia, including one from Odafe Oweh and another from Sonny Styles; both had two tackles for loss. This group deserved the bump, repeatedly helping create stalled Philadelphia possessions. With Luvu out in this one, Styles will have to step up again. "You saw him being our green dot when Frankie left and making some big plays," Dan Quinn said. "I thought that's a sign of a mature young player who impacted the game in some different ways." Dorance Armstrong's return will mark his first time back in Dallas since a knee injury ended his 2025 season after getting 5.5 sacks in seven games.

What moves this ranking:

It would be great to see the defense find ways to get after Dak Prescott without leaving the secondary exposed.

Secondary — 4/10

Week 1: 5 → Week 2: 4

Last week's "what moves the rankings" was essentially: eliminate busted coverages and explosives. The problem, of course, is that Washington allowed 202 of Philadelphia's 318 yards on five explosive plays. Philadelphia was able to pick on Mike Sainristil, who had one of the worst days of his young career after being involved in two of the afternoon's most damaging coverage plays. Otherwise, the Commanders' defense played well, which makes the explosives even more frustrating.

A receiver corps that includes George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb is concerning after the way the secondary played in spurts last weekend. Lamb can move throughout the formation; Pickens provides the vertical/contested-catch element. Both could prove to be problematic over the course of an entire game where Dallas doesn't need to dominate every snap. Washington's issue is preventing three or four snaps from wrecking an otherwise solid afternoon.

This is where Quinn needs the most improvement this week. "Some of the things I'd like to see improve, boy, the chunks defensively," Quinn said. "To have a couple of big explosives, that stung because I thought there was some really good ball in between those."

What moves this ranking:

Eliminate busted coverages and explosives. Getting beat by Dallas' elite duo on contested catches is one thing; letting that same duo run free for multiple 40-plus-yard plays is another. The Commanders must force Dallas to sustain drives.

These type of plays from CB Mike Sainristil cannot continue to occur in a crucial year pic.twitter.com/OziRUpIkde
— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) September 14, 2026

New Coordinators — 6/10

Week 1: 6 → Week 2: 6

I'm leaving this one exactly where it was last week because there was enough good from both David Blough and Daronte Jones to keep me from moving backward, but not enough to justify a bump either. Blough found ways to get Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams involved while Philadelphia focused on Terry McLaurin, and I liked a lot of the movement and different looks Washington showed. There were also too many stretches where the offense simply didn't do much of anything. Jayden Daniels also wasn't blaming Blough for the failed two-point conversion. "It was the right call. Anything Blough calls, I'm with him," Daniels said. "We had the look we wanted. We just didn't execute."

Jones' defense was a little more frustrating because so much of it actually worked. Washington got after Jalen Hurts, recorded three sacks, and repeatedly forced Philadelphia into bad situations. Then five explosive plays accounted for 202 yards and ruined a lot of the good work. Now Blough has to figure things out without Chig Okonkwo, while Jones doesn't have Frankie Luvu and has to clean up what happened in the secondary. That's enough uncertainty for me to keep both guys at six for another week.

What moves this ranking:

Show me the adjustments. Week 1 gave both coordinators plenty to work on, so now I want to see whether the same problems show up again or whether they fixed something.

Special Teams — 7/10

Sep 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders kicker Drew Stevens (19) lines up for a field goal attempt against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 1: 8 → Week 2: 7

Drew Stevens drilling a 55-yard field goal on his first NFL attempt was about as good of a start as Washington could have asked for. He also missed from long range later, and the Commanders had an extra point blocked, so I can't leave this group at an eight after Week 1. I'm not worried about Stevens after one game, but the chart is the chart.

The rest of the special teams group did enough to keep this rating pretty high. Tyler Owens made one of my favorite plays of the entire game when he flew down the field in punt coverage, and Quinn apparently felt the same way. "It was one of my favorite plays in a long time on special teams for sure," Quinn said. Tress Way is still Tress Way, and Jaylin Lane showed he can give Washington something in the return game.

What moves this ranking:

Make the routine kicks, don't have another protection breakdown, and Stevens probably has this group right back at an eight. In a game that could very easily come down to a field goal, I'd rather not spend Sunday wondering whether the rookie can make it.

My Prediction:

This rivalry has produced some of the most unpredictable matchups between these two, where one team comes in looking desperate while the other looks unstoppable, and then bam, the unthinkable. This game doesn't feature a clear frontrunner, but it looks like both defensive play-callers have their hands full come Sunday afternoon.

Prediction: Commanders 24, Cowboys 17

Season Prediction Record: 0-1

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