Commanders are looking for more than just a win in Spain

MADRID – Business trips can be fun. They’re the most fun when the business is successful on the trip. For the Washington Commanders, that means leaving room for a big ‘W’ in their luggage by leaving behind a five-game losing streak in Spain this weekend.

Every week is a good week for the Commanders to win, of course, but this week, a historic one as the NFL plays its first-ever game in the country, is the perfect time.

“To be here, to be a part of this, to be the inaugural game here in Madrid is a very special moment, I think for all of us,” Washington quarterback Marcus Mariota acknowledged. “My dad just was like, ‘It's unbelievable that we're sitting here today and you're playing football, and this game has brought us here.’”

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and offensive lineman Sam Cosmi. — Jul 24, 2025; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn (L) talks with injured Commanders guard Sam Cosmi (R) while walking to the practice fields on day two of training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

'A Very Special Moment'

“Yeah, I think it's pretty cool to be here. It's kind of exciting to see the facilities and be a part of this and experience this. Not a lot of people get to do this,” offensive lineman Sam Cosmi added.

In fact, nobody has done this. Ever. Regardless of what happens in the game, the Commanders and Miami Dolphins will forever be the first NFL franchises to take game snaps in the country, period.

'Here to Win'

To the winner goes the distinction of being the first ever to win a game, and that part of a future trivia question sounds a lot better than the other. To become that answer, Washington will not only need to rally defensively around new play-caller, head coach Dan Quinn, but also make sure that the sights and sounds of a bucket-list visit don’t distract them from their ever-important present situation.

“It is a historic game. This is actually my first game outside the country. I'm super excited for it, but at the end of the day, we're here for a job and we're here to win,” linebacker Frankie Luvu shared. It’s a sentiment plenty of his teammates and his coaches agree wholeheartedly with.

“We're coming here to actually get stronger, and some of that is connection,” head coach Dan Quinn said of the trip. “That was the main goal, to get connected and actually get stronger during this week here together. And we think we can do that.”

Nov 13, 2025; Madrid, Spain; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn during practice at Ciudad Deportiva del Real Madrid. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

'Hunker Down Together'

“As a team, I think getting away, having an opportunity to really kind of hunker down together, it's been important, and it's been great,” Mariota said. And center Tyler Biadasz later added that he thinks, “it's huge. I think especially going to another country... just being around the guys and doing this together in this part of the season too, where this is a great time for us to hone in on how great we can be with one another and how much we can accomplish here.”

“So, we understand that there's opportunities to take some time away and to experience what Madrid has to offer, but also, we have guys that understand like, ‘Hey, there's times to hunker down and let's get things rolling and making sure that we're ready to roll,’” Mariota also said.

The scenery may have changed, but the mission stays the same. Continue working to figure out how to get the most out of this Commanders team. Whether it be coaching changes, more time together, or both, Washington isn’t stopping until it turns over every stone on every continent it plays on, including this one.

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