If you had to reduce the strength of an NFL schedule to one factor, what would you choose?
Would it be the win/loss record from the previous season? Might it be the number of starters’ games missed in a season? It is, of course, impossible to reduce the difficulty of an NFL schedule down to only one factor. In addition, that would be so reductionistic to propose that you could do such a thing.
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However, there is one factor that I have found “helpful” in determining the strength of a schedule. Notice that “helpful” is not the sole factor in determining how strong/weak a schedule is. “Who is the opponent’s starting quarterback? Or asked another way, “How good were the starting quarterbacks a team faced in a particular season?”
2020 comes to mind immediately. The Washington Commanders (then Football Team) went 7-9 in a year when the NFC East was down because of injuries to starting quarterbacks in Philadelphia and Dallas. But another reason Washington won seven games was the lack of quality in the quarterbacks they faced that season. In their seven wins the opposing quarterbacks were: Carson Wentz, Andy Dalton, Joe Burrow (injured and replaced by Ryan Finley), Andy Dalton, Ben Rothlisberger, Nick Mullens, Jalen Hurts (rookie, replaced by Nate Sudfeld). Why did we all conclude Washington was a good 7-9 team?
Again in 2024, the Commanders were 7-5, before winning their final five consecutive games, finishing 12-5. The quarterbacks Washington faced during those five wins? Will Levis (Titans), Jake Haener replaced by Spencer Rattler (Saints), Jalen Hurts replaced by Kenny Pickett (Eagles), Michael Penix making his first start (Falcons) and Trey Lance (Cowboys).
I think you get the point. So, who are the starting quarterbacks the Commanders will face in the upcoming 2026 season?
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NFC EAST (6 Games)
Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Jalen Hurts (Eagles), Jaxson Dart (NY Giants)
NFC WEST (4 Games)
Matthew Stafford (Rams), Brock Purdy (49ers), Jacoby Brissett (Cardinals), Sam Darnold (Seahawks)
AFC SOUTH (4 Games)
Cam Ward (Titans), Daniel Jones (Colts), Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), C.J. Stroud (Texans)
Third Place Opponents (3 Games)
Joe Burrow (Bengals), Michael Penix or Tua Tagovailoa (Falcons), J.J. McCarthy or Kyler Murray (Vikings)
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Every quarterback on their 2026 NFL schedule