The Washington Commanders are in trouble. After Sunday’s 44-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Washington is now 3-4 after back-to-back losses to the Chicago Bears and Dallas. More importantly, the Commanders are now 1-4 in the NFC.

Washington’s defense allowed 37 points to Dallas, and it could’ve been more if the Cowboys hadn’t taken their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter. It was another game of allowing over 400 yards for the Commanders’ struggling defense. Another key starter was lost on Sunday, when defensive end Dorance Armstrong left the game in the first quarter and did not return. Armstrong initially injured the hamstring in last week’s loss to the Bears.

Making matters worse for Washington was that quarterback Jayden Daniels was injured again. Daniels left in the third quarter with a hamstring injury, and while he wanted to return, he was kept on the bench with the game already out of reach.

The game was a mess for the Commanders. And things will not get any easier with Kansas City coming up next Monday night. Here are five takeaways from Sunday’s game.

Cowboys won the battle in the trenches

Washington was supposed to be able to run the ball down the throats of the Cowboys. Wasn’t the same said of the Bears last week? Both teams entered their game against the Commanders with a decided disadvantage against Washington’s running game, and both teams rushed for more yards than the Commanders. Rookie running back Bill Croskey-Merritt was a non-factor in both games. Don’t blame the rookie running back. Washington’s lack of outside weapons, due to injuries to Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel, allowed the Cowboys to load the box and challenge the Commanders’ receivers to win one-on-one. Far too often, they didn’t, allowing Dallas to bottle up Washington’s run game. The final numbers show Washington ran the ball well, but they don’t tell the entire story. Over half of the Commanders’ 136 rushing yards came on quarterback scrambles. Until Washington gets McLaurin and Samuel back, teams will continue to challenge the other receivers, focusing more on stopping the running game.

Jayden Daniels didn’t play well before injury

Jayden Daniels has played three games against the Cowboys, and he has yet to really play well in any of the three games. This is a different Dallas defense, too. The Cowboys have a new coordinator (Matt Eberflus), and Micah Parsons is no longer chasing him around. We’re not going to discuss anything that happened last year. However, on Sunday, Daniels was clearly impacted by a lack of offensive weapons. He made some inaccurate throws, but veteran tight end Zach Ertz dropped two catchable passes, and rookie wideout Jaylin Lane dropped one. Daniels’ best pass was a 44-yard completion to Chris Moore in the first quarter. Pass protection wasn’t an issue for the most part. Washington’s lack of outside weapons was a bigger factor.

It’s past time for changes

Early this season, the Commanders benched second-year guard Brandon Coleman for Chris Paul. The change has worked well. With a defense that’s one of the NFL’s five worst, more changes are needed. Washington can’t keep going on with Bobby Wagner in coverage. No one is saying to bench Wagner, but it’s time to see more of Jordan Magee. Everyone is tired of the hype about Magee. Let’s see what he can do with more snaps. Wagner should still play, but absolutely should not see 100% of the defensive snaps.

Why don’t we see more of Frankie Luvu on the edge? Luvu clearly struggles when he’s asked to drop into coverage. Marshon Lattimore can’t play anymore. Why not try and move Mike Sainristil back outside, allowing Noah Igbinoghene or Jonathan Jones to play the slot? What about safety? Give Darnell Savage a shot at free safety and move Quan Martin closer to the line of scrimmage. These are changes the Commanders could easily make. It’s time to get over the veteran loyalty stuff. This season is getting away from Washington fast.

Head coach Dan Quinn hinted at changes after the game.

It’s time for a conversation about Zach Ertz

Zach Ertz has had a phenomenal career. He was terrific for Washington last year. But each week, Ertz drops at least one pass. He dropped two against the Cowboys. Ertz seldom gives you anything after the catch. Sure, Ertz would still be an excellent weapon to use in the red zone because he knows how to get open, but he shouldn’t be Washington’s primary TE1 longer. It’s similar to Wagner. You have a young player behind Ertz [Ben Sinnott], you drafted to be the future. Sinnott has shown progress as a blocker this season, and his college film shows a fun player after the catch. We aren’t sure why Sinnott isn’t more involved in the passing game, but it should change. Maybe the coaches see some limitations in Sinnott’s game. They drafted him. Coach him up. Give him a chance. If he stinks, he stinks. What do you have to lose?

Terry McLaurin’s situation doomed this season

From the moment Terry McLaurin missed the start of training camp, the positive vibes were gone from this team. Sure, McLaurin eventually returned and got his new contract, but the damage was done. He missed valuable time with Daniels and his teammates. And when he got hurt in Week 3, he proved the Commanders correct about why they were hesitant to pay him huge money. McLaurin deserved a new deal from Washington, but not a blank check. The Commanders used history to suggest why they shouldn’t commit big money to McLaurin past his age-30 season. McLaurin pointed to his durability. Now, here we are, seven games into the season, and McLaurin has missed four straight games and doesn’t appear close to a return. When McLaurin does return, there’s no guarantee that he’s immediately successful. Soft-tissue injuries take time to recover from. Regardless of who you blame here, it was this situation that changed the trajectory of the 2025 season.