Commanders Power Rankings Fall After Rams Loss, but Dan Quinn Faces a Bigger Question

Each week during the regular season, we'll look at what the national media is saying about the Washington Commanders via various publications' NFL Power Polls. With it being Week 10, the chances of winning the division or making the playoffs are starting to look thin.

The Washington Commanders followed their best win of the season with another frustrating loss, falling 20-13 to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday and dropping to 2-5-1.

That didn't do Washington many favors with the national media. Six of the nine publications we track each week moved the Commanders down in their latest power rankings, including one writer who had a much different opinion of this team just seven days ago.

* Side note: Many have asked whether these polls are helpful, which is a fair question. One way to look at them is as a way to broaden your perspective on what others believe. Not to mention, sometimes it's fun to see the national media guys bump around in the dark, chasing their tails, clueless.

Commanders Power Rankings

Commanders Power Rankings - Week 9 (Average of 24)	Commanders Power Rankings - Week 10 (Average of 25)	Change Up/Down
ESPN - No. 25	ESPN - No. 24	+1
CBS Sports - No. 27	CBS Sports - No. 27	--
NFL.com - No. 26	NFL.com - No. 26	--
PFT - No. 24	PFT - No. 26	-2
The Athletic - No. 25	The Athletic - No 26	-1
Fox Sports - No. 25	Fox Sports - No. 26	-1
Walter Football - No. 17	Walter Football - No. 18	-1
Sports Illustrated - No. 22	Sports Illustrated - No. 28	-6
Yahoo Sports - No. 23	Yahoo Sports - No. 24	-1

Note: The table above links each poll to the corresponding publication name.

Remember last week when Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr was calling Washington his favorite to win the NFC East? Well, apparently that didn't last long. Orr dropped the Commanders six spots after Sunday's loss, taking them from No. 22 to No. 28. That's quite a turnaround in seven days, although watching Washington stumble through another late-game situation probably didn't help.

Oddly enough, ESPN actually moved Washington up a spot despite the loss. WalterFootball still has the Commanders at No. 18, while CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated have them sitting at No. 27 and No. 28, respectively. Hard to find much agreement there, other than the fact that Dan Quinn has some serious work to do.

There's something else worth pointing out this week. Six of the nine publications brought up Dan Quinn's job security, which tells you just how much the conversation has changed around Washington. ESPN's John Keim says Quinn's seat could become "white-hot" with another loss Thursday, while NFL.com's Nick Shook believes it's time to start watching for potential coaching changes. Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk went even further, suggesting the mini-bye following the Giants game could be the time to make a move; of course, Florio has repeatedly said Quinn's seat was hot since the preseason.

That's a lot of attention on a head coach whose team was being picked by at least one national writer to win the division just a week ago. Quinn certainly hasn't helped himself with some of the late-game decisions we've seen, but Thursday's matchup against New York suddenly carries more weight than just another game in the NFC East standings. The Commanders need a win, and their head coach could probably use one even more.

Last week’s Power Ranking Index: No. 24
HIGHEST Ranking: No. 18
LOWEST Ranking: No. 28
Last week’s result: Lost to the Los Angeles Rams 20-13
This week: @New York Giants

ESPN had this to say (24th):

With their current record, the Commanders are quickly running out of time to stick around in the NFC East. Because they tied the Giants last month, they could earn the tiebreaker with a win. Of course, they would still have to win a few other games down the stretch to make the playoffs. But they'd be alive mathematically. The bigger issue is that if they fall to 2-6-1, coach Dan Quinn's seat will become white-hot. The third-year coach needs to be much better after a 5-12 record in 2025. -- John Keim

CBS Sports had this to say (27th)

The heat is getting hotter on the seat underneath Dan Quinn as they move to the final nine weeks. They are pretty much done. — Pete Prisco

NFL.com had this to say (26th)

Sunday provided yet another discouraging result for a Washington team that still doesn’t take care of the details or handle end-game scenarios well. It’s only the midpoint of the season, but it’s time to put the Commanders on watch for potential coaching changes. They simply don’t have enough to climb out of this hole, not with the way they’re playing. — Nick Shook

Fox Sports had this to say (26th):

Jayden Daniels is playing better, which is good, and he tried to pull off a miracle comeback against the Rams. But he just doesn’t have enough horses around him to ride to his team’s rescue anymore. The Commanders have been decimated by injuries, and with shortages at RB and WR, it’s like Daniels is their only weapon. And that’s just not enough against teams like the Rams. Maybe they’ll have better luck at the Giants on Thursday night, but good luck keeping up with the Bengals after that. It’s really already another lost season in Washington. The only question is how long Dan Quinn can survive. — Ralph Vacchiano

Sports Illustrated had this to say (28th):

I think if there was a team that didn’t need to be the focal point of an end-of-game situational football occurrence gone awry, it would be the Washington Commanders. Alas… — Conor Orr

Yahoo Sports had this to say (24th):

Jayden Daniels set the stakes for Thursday night's game against the Giants, when asked after the team's loss to the Rams whether time is running out to get back in the NFC East race.

"Yeah. I think next week is a must-win," Daniels told reporters after the game.

He's right. With a win, the Commanders would be two games behind the Giants for first place and hold the tiebreaker, since the teams tied in their first meeting. That's not easy, but Washington wouldn't be dead. If the Commanders lose, they'd be four games back and not have the tiebreaker, which would probably be impossible to overcome. It might not matter because the Commanders aren't very good — they're 20th in DVOA with matching ranks of 20th on offense and defense — but at least with a win they'd have something to keep playing for. — Frank Schwab

Pro Football Talk had this to say (26th)

The mini-bye could be the time to bid farewell to the head coach. — Mike Florio

The Athletic had this to say (26th)

A bad division was there for the taking for Dan Quinn and the Commanders. But they haven’t just found ways to lose (or tie) games. They’ve done it in a comical fashion that has raised questions about Quinn and Jayden Daniels’ game management. — Chad Graff and Josh Kendall

Walter Football had this to say (18th)

How in the world does Dan Quinn still have a job? I don't understand how this team continuously screws up in late-game situations. One of these debacles is bad enough, but the Redskins keep making the same mistakes and embarrassing themselves.

Put all nine together, and the Commanders land at an average ranking of No. 25.0, down from last week's 23.8.

Washington doesn't have much time to worry about what the national media thinks, either. Thursday night's rematch against the New York Giants is coming fast, and another loss would leave the Commanders at 2-6-1 with eight games remaining. At that point, the conversation around this team could look considerably different.

We'll revisit these each week and see where the national pulse moves next.

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