The Washington Commanders are a long way from 2024. After Sunday’s 44-22 loss to the Detroit Lions, Washington fell to 3-7 on the season after losing its fifth straight game.

Injuries can explain some of the Commanders’ problems, but not all of them. Players have regressed, some coaches look clueless and no one has answers. Outside of injuries, many of Washington’s 2025 issues revolve around a historically bad defense. The Lions scored on their first eight possessions on Sunday. The only reason Detroit didn’t score on its final possession was that head coach Dan Campbell chose to show some mercy.

Which players shined in Washington’s latest ugly defeat? We admit, it was hard to find players who stood out for good reasons, but we’ll give it our best shot.

Studs and mostly duds from the Commanders’ Week 10 loss to the Lions.

Stud: QB Marcus Mariota

Was this Marcus Mariota’s best game ever? No, but he played well. Mariota completed 16 of 22 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns. He protected the ball, took some shots down the field and finished third on the team with 22 rushing yards. Mariota had a 133.3 QB rating and an 82.9 QBR. That’s getting things done. Mariota played well enough to win, especially when you consider his lack of offensive weapons. Unfortunately, Washington’s defense didn’t give him a chance.

Dud: Head coach Dan Quinn

More wasted timeouts in this game, even on defense, that make no sense. Then, there is the Joe Whitt debacle. How did things work with his defensive coordinator down on the sideline? There were other curious decisions, too. When the Commanders scored a touchdown midway through the third quarter to make it 32-16, Quinn chose to go for the 2-point conversion. It failed. Why did he feel the need to chase points there? While we all knew Washington would not get defensive stops, at that point, it made sense to kick the extra point and wait on the 2-point try. Then, down 35-16 late in the third quarter, facing a fourth-and-3, Quinn chose to punt. Sure, the Commanders were deep in their own territory, but you can’t trust Mariota to get three yards and give the offense a chance to keep the drive going? Quinn knew, as did everyone in the building and watching on TV, that Washington was not stopping Detroit. Why punt? He also punted late in the fourth quarter with third-string QB Josh Johnson in the game.

Stud: WR Treylon Burks

If we can look back at this game and find one positive, it’s young wide receiver Treylon Burks. The former first-round pick is playing for his future. He caught three passes for 58 yards, which led Washington. He made two strong catches in traffic and caught one down the field for 37 yards. He caught all three targets. The Commanders badly need another top receiver in the offseason, but they will also need capable depth. Rookie Jaylin Lane and Luke McCaffrey figure to be a part of the mix, and if Burks keeps this up, he’ll be in the team’s plans in 2026.

Dud: Entire defense

What a terrible unit. None of the three levels can get the job done. The front four can’t stop the run or get pressure on the quarterback. How many times did Jared Goff just stand free in the pocket and throw to wide-open receivers? You would think that there would be few open receivers since Washington can’t get pressure, but the Lions had open receivers everywhere on the field. We wanted to single out guys, but it’s impossible. This defense is poorly coached, has talent issues and can’t execute the most basic of coverages.

Stud: P Tress Way

Tress Way got a season off last year with the Commanders’ offense being so good. He’d earned it after a decade with this franchise. However, this year, Way is back to being one of the Commanders’ MVPs. On Sunday, he punted four times, averaging 50 yards per punt, with a long of 56 yards. He landed two punts inside the 20-yard line, holding the Lions to only three punt-return yards.

Dud: DT Daron Payne

Washington defenders were looking for ways to get off the field on Sunday. After the Lions scored their third touchdown to take a 20-3 lead, Payne was caught on camera punching Detroit WR Amon-Ra St-Brown. He was ejected from the game. Regardless of how frustrated you are, that’s inexcusable. And it also reflects on Washington’s coaching staff. Imagine if Payne used his hands this violently at the line of scrimmage on each snap? Perhaps the Commanders would get an extra stop or two during the game.

Dud: DT Javon Kinlaw

Right before the touchdown where Payne was ejected, Kinlaw was caught by the TV cameras talking trash to Jared Goff. In true Commanders’ fashion, the Lions scored on the next snap. Right after Payne was ejected, Kinlaw was arguing with Detroit players and put his hand on an official, drawing a flag. Inexcusable. Oh, did we mention the Commanders allowed 226 rushing yards (6.8 yards per rushing attempt) and did not sack Goff? This reflects on Payne, Kinlaw and the entire defense, but you’d expect a little more resistance from the defensive tackles.