The Washington Commanders should not have had a problem defeating the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4, but they couldn’t overcome their injuries to make it happen. The Commanders fell to the Falcons 34-27, bringing their season record to 2-2.

The Commanders’ offense wasn’t a problem. Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin sat out with injuries, but Marcus Mariota and Deebo Samuel did their part to keep the Commanders in the game. Luke McCaffrey scored a touchdown for the second straight week, too. The defense, though, had no answer for Michael Penix Jr., Drake London, or Bijan Robinson as the Falcons walked away with 435 yards of offense.

This week, the Commanders hit the West Coast to face the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Week 5 action.

As we enter Week 5, here’s a look at where the Commanders place in a multitude of power rankings.

Nate Davis, USA TODAY: 13 (-5)

No NFC team is running the ball more effectively (154.8 yards per game), yet no one in this extensive backfield committee has even 200 individually yet on the season. And just wait until QB Jayden Daniels returns … whenever that might be.

The Commanders can’t blame Sunday’s loss on missing Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin. The culprit was their defense that gave up 435 yards to a team that was shut out by the Panthers a week before. A Week 5 game at the Chargers seems like a pivot point in their season.

Diante Lee, The Ringer: 16 (-2)

The Dan Quinn defensive formula never seems to change: Sell out to stop the run, piece together a pass rush, and have little impact on slowing even mediocre offenses. Atlatna, Green Bay, and Las Vegas had absolutely no trouble moving the ball against Quinn’s defense the last three weeks – and this defense won’t see a bad offense again until its rematch with teh Giants in December.

When quarterback Jayden Daniels returns, he should give Washington enough offensive firepower to keep his team in shootouts this year, but this team will have to win an absurd amount of one-score games if it wants to make the playoffs again.

The Commanders have kept their offense running without Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin thanks to a supersub effort from Marcus Mariota. Their defense is just showing more cracks than Dan Quinn would like, causing the so-so start.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 15 (-8)

They need Jayden Daniels back. But the defense let them down in the loss to the Falcons.

While the vibes around the Commanders are still generally good, and splitting a pair of games in which Jayden Daniels doesn’t play is overwhelmingly positive, it might be time to wonder what’s going on with Marshon Lattimore and whether this defense, now 25th in EPA per play allowed, needs a chiropractic readjustment.

Josh Kendall, The Athletic: 11 (same)

The seventh-round pick out of Arizona, New Mexico and Alabama State was the feel-good story of the preseason, playing so well that Washington traded Brian Robinson Jr. before Week 1. Croskey-Merritt leads the Commanders with 29 carries, 172 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He had seven carries for 47 yards against the Falcons. First-round tackle Josh Conerly has started all four games.

Barry Werner, List Wire: 16 (-6)

The Commanders went into Atlanta with Marcus Mariota and weren’t able to pull off another win without their star quarterback. The defense needed to step up with Jayden Daniels out and failed, allowing 435 yards, including two touchdown passes from Michael Penix Jr., and a huge day from Bijan Robinson.

Good teams tend to play well with their backup quarterbacks as long as they’re not battling elite defenses. The Redskins beat the Raiders with Marcus Mariota, but couldn’t do so against the Falcons, who have a top-10 EPA defense.

NFL Nation, ESPN: 16 (-6)

Washington scored 48 points combined the past two games despite missing a number of starters due to injuries — including quarterback Jayden Daniels. Against Atlanta, the Commanders were without five players who were expected to be starters entering the season. Only running back Austin Ekeler is lost for the season (torn Achilles), and Daniels could return this week. Other players’ statuses remain uncertain, including that of receiver Terry McLaurin. With a defense that gives up too many big plays, Washington needs an explosive offense to win. That means getting healthier.