The Washington Commanders haven’t gotten off to the start they envisioned in 2025. At 3-4, the Commanders face one of the NFL’s top teams, the Kansas City Chiefs, on the road in the Week 8 edition of Monday Night Football. While Washington’s defense has received the brunt of the criticism, the offense has taken a step back, too.
Injuries can be blamed for some of Washington’s struggles, but it doesn’t explain everything. One unit that hasn’t struggled is Washington’s special teams units. Whether it’s the kick return unit, punt return unit, or coverage units, the Commanders rank at or near the top. Luke McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel have been excellent kick returners for Washington, both averaging near 30 yards or more per return. Rookie Jaylin Lane is averaging 14 yards per punt return and has a touchdown.
The coverage units have been almost flawless. Punter Tress Way has been brilliant again. The only blemish on Washington’s special teams is kicker Matt Gay. Gay is 10 of 14 on his field-goal attempts and has had some issues on his kickoffs.
In preparation for Monday’s game, legendary Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub shared his respect for Washington’s special teams.
“I’ll tell you, we do a ranking system that we use for motivation with the guys and stuff, and they’re second in the league,” Toub said of Washington. “They got unbelievable numbers. They score touchdowns, they cover great, and they’re very well coached. I mean (Commanders Special Teams Coordinator) Larry Izzo does a great job. He was a good player, and he’s even a better coach, and I’m very impressed watching the tape (and) watching these guys. What you see on tape is what you see in the numbers, too. They’re good.”
This isn’t a case of a coach blowing smoke. Washington’s special teams units are really good.
Speaking of Toub, he has a special connection to the Commanders. His son, Shane, is in his third year with Washington as a quality-control coach on offense. When Dan Quinn took over as head coach in 2024, he kept Toub, which spoke volumes about his respect for the young coach and his legendary father.
The elder Toub spoke of facing his son.
“This is the only week we don’t talk,” Toub said. “We’ve talked about this before. He has been in the league now for seven years, and we went against him when he was in Chicago. This is kind of cool, I mean, it’s always cool. My parents came into town last week, on Saturday, to see the last game, and they stayed all week to see this one too, to see Shane. It’s fun. It’s a cool thing. My son coaches for the Commanders, for those who didn’t know.”
Much of the focus on Monday’s game will be on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense, or on Marcus Mariota starting for Jayden Daniels, but if the game is close, special teams could be the difference.