Commanders Power Rankings Take an Unexpected Turn After 49ers Loss

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 7, things are starting to get clearer for several teams.

The Washington Commanders entered their bye week at 1-4-1 after another frustrating loss, this time against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.

Oddly enough, that loss didn't hurt Washington's standing with everyone in the national media. In fact, a few publications actually moved the Commanders up in their latest power rankings, despite the team having just one win through six games.

* 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 6 (Average of 27)	Commanders Power Rankings - Week 7 (Average of 26)	Change Up/Down
ESPN - No. 28	ESPN - No 29	-1
CBS Sports - No. 28	CBS Sports - No 28	--
NFL.com - No. 28	NFL.com - No. 23	+5
PFT - No. 28	PFT - No. 30	-2
The Athletic - No. 27	The Athletic - No. 27	--
FOX Sports - No. 27	FOX Sports - No. 27	--
Walter Football - No 20	Walter Football - No. 20	--
Sports Illustrated - No. 28	Sports Illustrated - No. 26	+2
Yahoo Sports - No. 25	Yahoo Sports - No. 25	--

Oct 19, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3) makes a catch for a touchdown as San Francisco 49ers cornerback Upton Stout (20) defends during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-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. 27
HIGHEST Ranking: No. 20
LOWEST Ranking: No. 30
Last week’s result: lost to the San Francisco 49ers 23-17
This week: bye week

ESPN had this to say (29th):

Of the Commanders' 81 third downs, 48 have been for 7 yards or longer. So the Commanders are ranked 31st in third-down conversions at 30.9%. And when facing a third-and-7 or longer, they have picked up a first down only 10 times. It's not just a matter of running the ball better on early downs because Washington averages 4.1 yards per carry on first down. The big culprit is 16 offensive penalties on second down. Only one team (Chargers) has had more. -- John Keim

CBS Sports had this to say (28th)

They did a nice job battling back against the 49ers, but another loss keeps them in last in their division. The heat is on Dan Quinn. — Pete Prisco

NFL.com had this to say (23rd)

Washington’s latest loss will undoubtedly disappoint its ardent fan base, but the mettle it showed in the second half in the unfriendly confines of Levi’s Stadium told me this team is more than its 1-4-1 record. Jayden Daniels’ return has opened more avenues for the Commanders to choose in their pursuit of victory, and even after Terry McLaurin was carted off with a knee injury, the quarterback managed to find success by turning to the lesser-known members of his team and using his legs when necessary. Yes, it has only one win, but this team has fight in it. Now, it needs to rely on the likes of Daniels, Treylon Burks, Antonio Williams and Stefon Diggs to try to dig out of this hole. — Nick Shook

Fox Sports had this to say (27th):

Jayden Daniels looks closer to his old, magical self, but it all came too late to pull off the upset in San Francisco Monday night, and it might be too late to save the season in Washington. It might be too late for Dan Quinn too, since, for the second week in a row, his game management skills were exposed as … well, something. This time he was caught on camera seemingly surprised that the Commanders’ last play was a fourth-down play, as he tried to send the field goal unit on. Add that to last week’s clock disaster and Washington’s 1-4-1 record, and Quinn might not still be the Commanders coach anymore when they return from their bye. — Ralph Vacchiano

Sports Illustrated had this to say (26th):

Dan Quinn had one directive for the remainder of this season: Do not follow up one of the most egregious instances of clock mismanagement ever with another high-profile standalone game gaffe that shows an inability to handle game management. — Conor Orr

Yahoo Sports had this to say (25th):

Jayden Daniels throwing the ball away even though it was fourth down and Dan Quinn seemingly not knowing it was fourth down at all says everything that needs to be said about the 2026 Commanders. If that wasn't enough on Monday night, after last week's game-management debacle at the end of overtime against the Giants, the Commanders had to use a timeout with the clock stopped with 3:01 left in the game before a fourth down play. That ended up costing Washington a valuable 40 seconds, as it ran out of time on a comeback attempt in a 23-17 loss to the 49ers. Washington has a bye coming up next, and whatever answers Quinn gives to why he seemingly didn't know it was fourth down will be a big discussion point, not just among fans and media, but also within the organization. It seems like a team in desperate need of a reset. — Frank Schwab

Pro Football Talk had this to say (30th)

Dan Quinn’s time is up. And the end result likely won’t be a tie. — Mike Florio

The Athletic had this to say (27th)

The Commanders quarterback hasn’t had much help this year, and things got worse Monday night after Terry McLaurin suffered what looked like a bad knee injury. Still, it has been a disappointing season for Daniels that has included another elbow injury, an inexplicable breakdown a week ago and a rally that came up short Monday night. He is 18th among quarterbacks in total fantasy points (85.7). — Chad Graff and Josh Kendall

Walter Football had this to say (20th)

Another week, another coaching gaffe by Dan Quinn, who yelled for this team to go for a field goal after Jayden Daniels foolishly threw the ball away on fourth down. Daniels, meanwhile, looked like he pissed his pants at the prospect of scrambling into a Fred Warner-led linebacker group. The giant wuss ran for only 10 yards in a loss. Pathetic!

Put it all together, and the Commanders land at an average ranking of No. 26.1, a slight improvement from last week's 26.6.

That's probably not much consolation for a team sitting at 1-4-1, but it does show just how differently the national media views Washington heading into its bye week. Some apparently saw enough against San Francisco to move the Commanders up, while others weren't nearly as impressed.

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

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