This is the third time in the last 35 years that a team has lost 4 consecutive games by 20 or more points. They join Miami (2019) and Arizona (2002).

— John Keim (@john_keim) November 10, 2025

The Washington Commanders are now 3-7 after Sunday’s 44-22 loss to the Detroit Lions at Northwest Stadium. It was Washington’s fifth consecutive loss.

It was another historically bad effort from the Commanders’ defense. Washington allowed Detroit to score on its first eight possessions — the Lions had nine total possessions. On the ninth and final possession, time ran out. Detroit took it easy on the Commanders in the final quarter. While the Lions finished with a remarkable 546 total yards of offense, it could’ve been even worse.

It was the same issues for Washington: blown coverages, missed tackles, wide-open receivers, no pass rush, injuries, and an inability to stop the run. Offensively, it was another week where the Commanders failed to establish the running game. Quarterback Marcus Mariota, making his fourth start this season in place of the injured Jayden Daniels, played well, but didn’t receive enough help.

Here are five takeaways from Washington’s latest loss.

Historic defensive ineptitude

The Commanders gave the Week 6 game to the Chicago Bears. That one was on quarterback Jayden Daniels, who fumbled the game away. The defense played well enough to win on that night. Since that time, Washington’s defense has allowed over 400 yards each week, and opponents are averaging 38.5 points per game. Call it a talent discrepancy, a coaching issue, bad football players —it doesn’t matter. There is no answer this season. This defense is incapable of improving this season. It makes no sense that other bad teams can find ways to get stops against good teams. Earlier in the season, the Commanders were able to rush the passer and were somewhat decent against the run. Then the schedule toughened, and injuries soared. No team in the NFL is playing worse football than the Washington Commanders. Not the Jets, Browns, Saints, Giants, or Titans. Tennessee currently holds the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft and manages to be competitive in most weeks.

Dan Quinn has no clue on how to fix this

Dan Quinn looks overmatched. The honeymoon is over — for him and GM Adam Peters. Fans are tired of hearing about “tell the truth Monday,” or “doing hard sh-t with good people,” or “Anybody. Anywhere. Anytime.” These cute little catchphrases sound good when you’re winning. When you’re losing, people get tired of them really quickly. Quinn never loses his cool with the media, but he’s clearly frustrated. He should be. And he should be frustrated with himself. He should be frustrated with Peters. When cameras find Quinn on the sideline, it’s clear he doesn’t know what he can do to make things better for his team. You know why Quinn is reluctant to fire defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr? Because it’s Quinn’s defense. Does anyone believe that Quinn’s fingerprints aren’t all over this defense? And once Whitt is gone, Quinn is one step closer to the hot seat. And at this point, what would firing Whitt even do for 2025? This team is finished. Many of the players are on expiring deals and will not be brought back.

Focus on 2026

Owner Josh Harris has shown patience in the past. Remember his rebuilding job with the Philadelphia 76ers? Harris should go to Peters this week and demand that the team focus on next year. Already down two picks in the 2026 NFL draft, the Commanders badly need multiple picks, including a premium pick to land a difference-making talent, either at edge rusher or wide receiver. The rest of this year should be spent evaluating younger players. Why is Ben Sinnott not playing more? Jordan Magee shouldn’t just play; he should replace Bobby Wagner. Give Johnny Newton the majority of snaps at defensive tackle. Let’s see Kain Medrano at linebacker. You need to find out which players are a part of the future, or if they also need to be replaced. If some veterans have their feelings hurt, so be it. If a leader can’t handle hurting someone’s feelings, then he’s the wrong guy for his job. Peters and Washington’s coaching staff felt too good about that 28-7 loss to the Chiefs two weeks ago, which led them to think they were still in the playoff race.

Adam Peters should feel the pressure

Adam Peters is not on the hot seat, nor should he be. Fans calling for his firing, just months after saying “let AP cook,” is exactly why this franchise has been dysfunctional for too long. While Peters isn’t, or shouldn’t be, on the hot seat, he had a tough offseason. The Laremy Tunsil trade was good, even with losing multiple picks. The Deebo Samuel trade was good. However, Peters made only five picks in the 2025 NFL draft, and while most have shown promise, none look like a slam dunk. Let’s look back at the 2024 draft. All three second-round picks should be cornerstone players. Newton looks like a rotational player, Mike Sainristil looked terrific as a rookie, but looks almost unplayable at times this season, and Sinnott can’t take any snaps from 35-year-old Zach Ertz. Third-round picks Brandon Coleman and Luke McCaffrey have questions, too. McCaffrey was trending in the right direction until his injury last week. The Commanders threw a lot at Coleman after a promising rookie season and he’s struggled in 2025.

Peters took some big swings after a surprising 2024 season. While he hit on almost everything in 2024, it has gone in the opposite direction in 2025. Peters needs his draft picks to turn things around. Peters’ draft picks need to show improvement over the final seven games. Outside of Jayden Daniels, things don’t look promising for much of the 2024 class, which looked like a foundational class this time last year.

A promising development

When times are tough, it’s hard to find positives. However, wide receiver Treylon Burks could be a keeper. A 2022 first-round pick, Burks was waived by the Tennessee Titans last month. He struggled during his first three seasons, mainly with his health. It didn’t help that the Titans were a disaster of an organization, and he had the pressure of replacing A.J. Brown as a rookie. Those expectations were unfair. Burks has a fresh start with Washington. The Commanders badly need receivers. Terry McLaurin, Jaylin Lane and McCaffrey are the only ones signed for next season. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Burks could play himself into Washington’s future plans with a strong finish. He caught three passes for 58 yards against the Lions. He caught two balls in traffic and beat a defender down the sideline for a 37-yard catch. The Commanders need a top-end receiver talent in 2026. That will likely come via the draft, but if Burks can develop into a future starter, or even a role player, that could be a rare positive development from the lost 2025 season.