Throughout the first half of Washington’s Week 10 game at Seattle, it looked like the Commanders were going to win their second consecutive game and pick up a quality win on the road.
Unfortunately, Washington’s defense faltered late, and Sam Howell’s heroics weren’t enough to save the Commanders, who fell to 4-6 after the 29-26 defeat.
While Howell went over 300 yards for the third consecutive week, the defense allowed 469 total yards, permitting Geno Smith to have his best game of the season.
How did the loss impact the Commanders in the latest power rankings?
Here is the latest power rankings roundup from around the media world.
ESPN
Ranking: No. 20
Last week: No. 19
Listen, when you’re 4-6 every game is a big one, but this one stands out because it’s not only a game where the nation will be watching — a chance for quarterback Sam Howell to show his development — but it could be a chance for the Commanders to even their record. That is, of course, if they beat the Tommy DeVito-led New York Giants Sunday. Washington technically would still be in the playoff hunt if it beat New York and lost to Dallas. But realistically it would be a wrap, especially with upcoming games against Miami, San Francisco and the Cowboys. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott is 5-0 vs. Washington in Dallas.
NFL.com
Last week: No. 26
Near the start of both halves, Sam Howell twice did this Mahomesian thing where he scrambled to his left, sort of inviting the defenders to converge on him, before flipping the ball to Brian Robinson for long gains. The first went for a 51-yard TD, the second gained 48 yards. They might have something there. Howell’s had a few rough games but mostly has stood tall in the face of adversity, leading two game-tying drives in Sunday’s fourth quarter, albeit in another loss. Clearly, the talk about benching Howell at one point was utterly silly. Right now, he and some of the skill-position players are the best thing Washington has going for itself. The question now is whether this coaching staff is doing enough to convince new owner Josh Harris to keep the group in place — and consequently, whether Howell will get to continue working in this system or be forced to learn a new one.
CBS Sports
Last week: No. 19
That was a tough loss on the road to Seattle, but there was a lot of good. Sam Howell is improving by the week
Pro Football Talk
PFN
Last week: No. 23
Sam Howell and the Commanders’ offense fought all the way to the end. They drove down the field against Seattle’s defense and tied the game with only one minute remaining.
And in 59 seconds, the Commanders’ defense undid that good deed, allowing the Seahawks to go 50 yards and kick a 43-yard field goal to win the game 29-26. It turns out that having pass rushers might be somewhat important to defensive success in those obvious passing situations.
Yahoo Sports
Last week: No. 23
Sam Howell has three 300-yard games in a row. He took at least four sacks in each of his first six starts, and hasn’t taken more than three sacks in his past three games. He didn’t throw an interception Sunday and led the Commanders on a game-tying drive in the final minute. Howell leads the NFL in passing yards. Howell’s steady improvement is a very cool story that probably isn’t getting enough attention.
USA TODAY
Last week: No. 28
No team is averaging fewer rushing attempts per game than Washington’s 20.2. They’ve topped 100 yards on the ground once in the past six weeks – perhaps not coincidentally the Week 9 win at New England.
Touchdown Wire
Last week: No. 21
The Commanders don’t have the best record, but I’d argue Sam Howell is the most talented quarterback from the 2022 draft class, and they give teams hell every week.
The Athletic
Last week: No. 21
Barring a 7-0 finish to end the season (which seems very unlikely), Ron Rivera is going to have a losing record when his fourth season in Washington is complete. Rivera should get some sort of medal for surviving Dan Snyder’s ownership with such grace, but his results with the Commanders can’t be what new owner Josh Harris is looking for. There’s a chance Harris sticks with Rivera to maintain some consistency while he figures out other things, but it feels like a small one.
FOX Sports
Last week: No. 20
Ron Rivera might not agree with my assessment, since he could be coaching for his job. But this season looks like a rousing success for Washington. The Commanders have been competitive, they’ve acquired draft capital, and most importantly, they seem to have a quarterback they can build around in Sam Howell. It feels weird to type this, but the future seems bright.
