Burgundy & Gold Reaction: offense coming in sync until injury and secondary atrocious

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September 23, 2026

by David Earl

The Commanders Looked Better in Dallas — Until Everything Changed

I’m not going to pretend there are many positives to take from a 37-20 loss, especially when the team is now 0-2 and the biggest question surrounding Washington isn’t even about the loss itself. It’s about the health of Jayden Daniels. But after watching this game against Dallas, I came away with a very different feeling about the Commanders’ offense than I did after Week 1 against Philadelphia.

For the first half, Washington looked like an offense that was starting to figure things out. The ball was moving. Daniels looked comfortable and the running game was effective. Stefon Diggs showed more chemistry with Daniels and was becoming a bigger part of the offense. Maybe most importantly, the offense looked like it had more chemistry and was more cohesive than it was against Philadelphia.

Then three seconds before halftime, everything changed where Daniels was injured on a freak play at the Dallas 1-yard line, and the second half became a completely different football game. That doesn’t excuse what happened defensively. It doesn’t erase the fact that Dallas won 37-20. But I think it is important to separate the football Washington was playing before Daniels’ injury from what happened after it.

Offense Looked Much More Comfortable

Washington’s offense against Philadelphia in Week 1 produced 295 total yards and averaged only 4.4 yards per play. Daniels finished that game 18-of-34 for 164 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, while the running game produced 132 yards. Against Dallas, Washington finished with 381 yards and averaged 6.0 yards per play while Washington ran for 174 yards and passed for 207. Those are substantially better numbers and the difference was noticeable before you even looked at the stat sheet.

In Philadelphia, there were too many possessions where the offense looked like it was still trying to figure out exactly what it wanted to be while against Dallas, it looked more natural as we saw their identity coming into shape. Daniels was getting the ball out accurately, he was smartly using his legs and the running game was opening things up. The receivers looked more involved and in sync. The statistical contrast is pretty striking:

  • Week 1: 295 total yards, 4.4 yards per play and 5-of-15 on third down.
  • Week 2: 381 total yards, 6.0 yards per play and 8-of-13 on third down.

Washington was moving the football much more efficiently against Dallas and you could actually see the offense starting to develop some rhythm. Even though the final result was considerably worse, the offense itself showed meaningful improvement before Daniels left which is an important distinction. Washington didn’t lose to Dallas because the offense suddenly became incapable of moving the football. They lost because the defense couldn’t stop Dallas, and then they lost their starting quarterback right before halftime.

Jayden Daniels was having a really good game

This is the part that hurts the most as Jayden Daniels only played the first half, but he was 11-of-17 for 96 yards and a touchdown. He also ran seven times for 69 yards which is 165 yards of total offense before his injury. Daniels was creating problems for Dallas with his legs in a way we didn’t consistently see against Philadelphia. He had an 18-yard run on one drive and then broke another run for 20 yards on the possession that eventually resulted in his touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs. Daniels found him for a four-yard touchdown, and Diggs ultimately finished the game with five catches for 47 yards and two touchdowns.

Daniels was also playing with confidence. He wasn’t throwing the ball all over the place trying to make something happen but working through progressions keeping the ball out of harms way. He had no interceptions, and Dallas wasn’t able to sack him which is significant considering how much Washington struggled with consistency against Philadelphia the week prior.

While the first quarter did get off to a great start, Washington’s response in the second quarter especially was encouraging. Washington put together a 13-play, 73-yard drive that ended in a field goal. Then, after Dallas extended the lead to 17-3, Daniels and the offense responded with an eight-play, 66-yard touchdown drive which found Diggs for the four-yard touchdown.

Dan Quinn Decision

With Washington down a touchdown on their last possession of the first half, the offense continued their momentum. They drove 64 yards on 15 plays and reached the Dallas 1-yard line which is when everything went sideways. Being in Dallas and having all the momentum, as mentioned before, I don’t blame Dan Quinn for going for the touchdown. The criticism of Dan Quinn for going for the touchdown with three seconds left is understandable after seeing what happened when hindsight is always accurate. But I don’t think it was a bad decision – it was the type of decision we all loved 2 years ago. The offense had momentum and Daniels was moving the football passing and running extremely well. Knowing Washington was receiving the opening kickoff of the second half, I would rather have Quinn be aggressive in that situation considering the circumstances of how the first half was unfolding..

People seem to forget that aggression was a huge part of why Washington’s 2024 season became what it did. Quinn trusted his offense repeatedly that season. Washington converted 87 percent of its fourth-down attempts in 2024, the best rate in the NFL, and Quinn’s willingness to trust his offense was a major part of that identity. Washington ultimately went 12-5 and reached the NFC Championship Game under that philosophy. Even in the playoffs, Quinn didn’t suddenly become conservative. Washington went for it five times against Tampa Bay in the Wild Card game,  converting three, and then continued taking aggressive chances against Detroit. If Daniels scores, we’re talking about Quinn having the confidence to put his quarterback in position to tie the game going into halftime as he did 2 years ago. The decision wasn’t the problem, the execution was.

The Run Defense Really Good Again

This is becoming one of the more consistent positives on this defense – Dallas ran the football 21 times for only 66 yards averaging 3.1 yards per carry. Washington held Javonte Williams to 30 yards on 12 carries and kept Dallas from establishing any kind of dominant rushing attack. There appears to be a theme thus far after week 2. The Eagles ran for 136 yards at 5.4 yards per carry,  although 42 of those yards came on Saquon Barkley’s explosive run thus limiting the Eagles to 3.9 yards per carry otherwise. Against Dallas, Washington didn’t give up that kind of run and the Cowboys had to rely heavily on Dak Prescott and the passing game. Unfortunately, that’s where Washington’s defense fell apart.

The pass rush was inconsistent, and the secondary was worse as Washington finished with two sacks of Prescott, one from K’Lavon Chaisson and one from Sonny Styles,  accompanied by a total of 11 pressures. That’s not terrible but it wasn’t nearly enough when having the liability in the secondary coverage. Prescott threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns, completing 26 of 31 passes. CeeDee Lamb was the biggest problem. He torched the secondary for 8 receptions for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns averaging 19.1 yards per reception. Jake Ferguson added four catches for 43 yards and two touchdowns as once again the opposing offenses tight end was a problem.

Washington’s secondary has now been the biggest concern through two weeks as gainst Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns. Washington has not intercepted a pass in either game. The pass rush also needs to remain consistent because this defense can’t afford to leave its secondary exposed for long stretches. If Washington is going to play an aggressive style, the defensive front has to get home. If it doesn’t, those defensive backs are going to keep getting put in difficult situations that Washington’s offense may not be able to recover.

Final Thought

The reality is that Washington being 0-2 is compounded by Jayden Daniels’ elbow. Until we know the severity and how long he’s going to be out, it’s impossible to know what the next few weeks really look like. I don’t think the answer is to suddenly start blaming Dan Quinn for everything as there are legitimate things to criticize. The execution of the players in the secondary has been bad while the pass rush has been inconsistent thus far at times. I know they have looked much better from a year ago but the secondary being this terrible doesn’t allow for many lapses in pressure up front. I’m not convinced this defense is anywhere close to where it needs to be.

The defense has allowed seven passing touchdowns through two games while the offense against Dallas gave us something we didn’t see enough of against Philadelphia looking more cohesive. It looked like Jayden Daniels, Stefon Diggs and the rest of the offense were starting to develop some chemistry as the running game looked better. But I’m also not going to rewrite what happened before Daniel’s injury just because the final score was ugly. For one half, the Commanders looked like they were starting to figure some things out offensively while the defense is still a work in progress.

 

 

 

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