Commanders Power Rankings Reveal a Very Different National View Entering Week 4

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. Since it's Week 4, things are starting to get clearer for several teams in the league.

The Washington Commanders finally gave the national media something different to work with after knocking off the Seattle Seahawks for their first win of the season.

That victory created a much wider range of opinions entering Week 4, with Washington ranked anywhere from No. 21 to No. 29 across the nine national power rankings we track each week. Oddly enough, Walter Football actually dropped Washington one spot. I'm not sure what's going on there, but I always like to highlight that Walter is the only website still calling the team the Redskins. Hopefully, the Commanders can change their opinion this week and prove they're better than the 29th-best team out of 32.

* 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 3 (Average of 28)	Commanders Power Rankings - Week 4 (Average of 25)	Change Up/Down
ESPN - No. 28	ESPN - No. 26	+2
CBS Sports - No. 29	CBS Sports - No. 28	+1
NFL.com - No. 28	NFL.com - No. 21	+7
PFT - No. 30	PFT - No. 23	+7
The Athletic - No. 29	The Athletic - No. 23	+6
FOX Sports - No. 29	FOX Sports - No. 24	+5
Walter Football - No. 28	Walter Football - No. 29	-1
Sports Illustrated - No. 28	Sports Illustrated - No. 26	+2
Yahoo Sports - No. 27	Yahoo Sports - No. 21	+6

Sep 27, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks (13) catches a touchdown pass against the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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

Last week’s Power Ranking Index: No. 28
HIGHEST Ranking: No. 21
LOWEST Ranking: No. 29
Last week’s result: beat the Seattle Seahawks 33-31
This week: vs. Indianapolis Colts (In London)

ESPN had this to say (26th):

Diggs was the WR33 in ADP, but he's up to WR13 as Washington's leader in receptions (13) and receiving touchdowns (three). He didn't sign with the Commanders until after the first week of training camp, and he's already with his second quarterback. The question is: Where does he go from here? He has been more of an underneath receiver, and has yet to surpass 55 yards in a single game. Diggs posted five 100-yard games with New England last season. -- John Keim

CBS Sports had this to say (28th)

Marcus Mariota led them to an upset of the Seahawks on Sunday, which changes the narrative about this team for now. The defense made some big plays. Now they head to London to play the Colts. — Pete Prisco

NFL.com had this to say (21st)

Marcus Mariota hive, stand up! The veteran backup played hero Sunday, powering Washington past Seattle for the biggest upset of the week. The contest ended in fitting fashion with Mariota scrambling for the game-sealing first down. Equal praise is due for Washington's defense, which has played above expectation all season and notched a peak showing in the takeaways department, logging two to keep the Commanders in the game and a third to give them enough of a lead to emerge victorious. — Nick Shook

Fox Sports had this to say (24th):

Marcus Mariota pulled off a big and impressive upset against the defending champs (albeit with the help of some errant throws by Seattle QB Sam Darnold). And that was huge for this battered team, knowing that starting QB Jayden Daniels’ return may only be a couple of weeks away. The Commanders didn’t get much of a running game — and now RB Rachaad White is hurt — and Dan Quinn’s defense offered little resistance until two late interceptions. So there are still issues to be fixed. Mariota’s mission is to keep them afloat until Daniels is back. The Colts and Giants are up next, so he’s got a shot. — Ralph Vacchiano

Sports Illustrated had this to say (26th):

I really loved the story about the rest of the Commanders’ captains coming together to insist Marcus Mariota was made a season-long captain in Jayden Daniels’s absence. He seems to be one of the game’s true beloved souls. — Conor Orr

Yahoo Sports had this to say (21st):

It's not like the Commanders dominated on Sunday. They were outgained 437-258. They allowed 31 points at home. Marcus Mariota threw for just 183 yards and the Commanders averaged 2.6 yards per rush. That doesn't matter because the Commanders took advantage of all their opportunities to win 33-31, a victory that gives them hope of digging out of an 0-2 hole to start the season.

Also, Jayden Daniels could be close to a return. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told Albert Breer of The MMQB that Daniels is "more likely than not" to travel to London for the team's Week 4 game against the Colts, which gives him a shot to play two weeks after dislocating his left elbow. — Frank Schwab

Pro Football Talk had this to say (23rd)

Marcus Mariota’s performance will accelerate Jayden Daniels’s return. — Mike Florio

The Athletic had this to say (23rd)

Backup Marcus Mariota threw three touchdown passes to shock the Seahawks, but Commanders fans are still in a corner crying about Jayden Daniels. Since Daniels’ breakout rookie season, he has missed 11 games because of injury, and Washington is 2-7 in the games he has started. When Daniels returns from his second dislocated elbow, Commanders fans will be holding their collective breath and hoping he can stay healthy and play well again. — Chad Graff and Josh Kendall

Walter Football had this to say (29th)

Forgive me for not being too impressed by Washington's upset win over the Seahawks. The Redskins were outgained 437-258 and averaged 2.8 fewer yards per play than Seattle.

Put it all together, and the Commanders land at an average ranking of No. 24.6 entering Week 4. Washington moved the conversation with its win over Seattle, but there is clearly still plenty of disagreement over exactly where this team belongs.

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

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