Commanders Power Rankings Rise After Eagles Win, but One Writer Makes Bold NFC East Call

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 9, seasons are starting to slip away around the league.

The Washington Commanders finally gave the national media another win to work with, scoring 27 unanswered points Sunday night to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10.

That victory moved Washington to 2-4-1 and gave the team its first win since Week 3 against Seattle. Eight of the nine publications we track each week moved the Commanders up in their latest power rankings. Oddly enough, one actually dropped them two spots.

* 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)	Change Up/Down
ESPN - No. 25	+4
CBS Sports - No. 27	+2
NFL.com - No. 26	-2
PFT - No. 24	+6
The Athletic - No. 25	+2
Fox Sports - No. 25	+2
Walter Football - No. 17	+2
Sports Illustrated - No. 22	+5
Yahoo Sports - No. 23	+1

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

Here's where things get interesting. Washington beat Philadelphia by 17 points, scored 27 unanswered, and somehow managed to drop two spots in NFL.com's rankings. Meanwhile, Pro Football Talk moved the Commanders up six spots, and Sports Illustrated jumped them five. Same game, three very different opinions. If you're wondering why I enjoy looking at these polls each week, there's a pretty good example.

Then there's Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr, who has Washington at No. 22 and is already calling the Commanders his favorite to win the NFC East. That's quite a statement for a team sitting at 2-4-1, although beating Philadelphia the way Washington did certainly gives him something to work with. I'm not ready to go that far just yet. One good game doesn't erase everything we've watched over the first half of the season, but another win against the Rams on Sunday would make things a little more interesting. Orr also pointed to the connection between Daniels and Antonio Williams, and the rookie's snap counts against Philadelphia certainly back up the idea that his role is growing.

Last week’s Power Ranking Index: No. 26
HIGHEST Ranking: No. 17
LOWEST Ranking: No. 27
Last week’s result: beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10
This week: vs. Los Angeles Rams

ESPN had this to say (25th):

Instead of a normal ranking blurb, ESPN inserted best in-season trades: This really is based on one season, as Muhammad played only two years for Washington. The franchise needed help after Art Monk was injured and traded a fourth-round pick to Oakland for the speedy Muhammad. In his 10 games with Washington in 1984, Muhammad caught 42 passes for 729 yards and four touchdowns. He was a key reason why, even without Monk, Washington's offense remained among the best in the NFL, ranking third in points and ninth in yards. A year later, with a healthy receiving group, Muhammad caught only nine passes and was released before the 1986 season. -- John Keim

CBS Sports had this to say (27th)

Jayden Daniels won for the first time in a long time. They rallied to beat the Eagles as the offense showed life and the defense was better. Now here come the Rams. — Pete Prisco

NFL.com had this to say (26th)

Washington recorded a much-needed win over the lowly Eagles on Sunday night in a display that wasn’t pretty but counted the same as any other victory. It’s nice to see Treylon Burks find a role in this offense, and it’s good to watch Jayden Daniels pilot the unit effectively. It also didn’t tell me all that much about where this team stands at 2-4-1. — Nick Shook

Fox Sports had this to say (25th):

The Commanders scored 27 unanswered points to beat a division rival on Sunday night, and ordinarily that would be cause for celebration. But the team they beat is the ghost of the Philadelphia Eagles, and it’s not like the Commanders needed much of an effort to do it. It certainly was a much-needed win for Dan Quinn, who miraculously managed to survive the bye week. He’ll need a lot more of those and a lot more from star QB Jayden Daniels, however, to keep his job after the season. And there are too many injuries and holes in the Commanders’ lineup to expect that. — Ralph Vacchiano

Sports Illustrated had this to say (22nd):

At this point in the race, Washington is my favorite to wind up winning the NFC East. Last night, the breadcrumbs shown between Jayden Daniels and Antonio Williams leads me to believe there’s just enough of a spark left in this offense to generate a run. — Conor Orr

Yahoo Sports had this to say (23rd):

Like everyone else in the NFC South and NFC East, other than the Eagles, the Commanders should feel like they have a shot to be division champions. The Commanders are flawed, without question, but sit just two games behind the Giants in the division. It's not like New York is a lock to run away with it.

The biggest problem for the Commanders is the loss of receiver Terry McLaurin for the season. It leaves them thin at receiver, and the good news is there are a lot of veterans available at the deadline at various price points. The Commanders should be interested. They also should be interested in improving a secondary that ranks 27th in passing yards allowed. — Frank Schwab

Pro Football Talk had this to say (24th)

Backward Hat Energy. — Mike Florio

The Athletic had this to say (25th)

The Commanders quarterback took a big hit from Nolan Smith on Sunday night that just added to what already has been a black-and-blue season. Daniels has only rushed for 33 yards (all on scrambles) in the last two weeks. If he’s not dynamic on the ground, he’s not the player Washington thought he was as a rookie, but that style of play is taking a toll. — Chad Graff and Josh Kendall

Walter Football had this to say (17th)

It's hard to believe that Jayden Daniels just won his first game of the year. I know he was out for a while, but it still feels like he probably should have won a game by now. However, that apparently hadn't happened. The win over Philadelphia was Washington's first victory since Week 3 against Seattle, which feels like a million years ago.

Put all nine together, and the Commanders land at an average ranking of No. 23.8, an improvement from last week's 26.2.

That's a decent jump for a team with only two wins, and Conor Orr at Sports Illustrated is already calling Washington his favorite to win the NFC East. Not everyone is convinced, though. Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams should give the national media another opportunity to decide how much that Eagles win was worth.

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

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