Just one season after reaching the Conference Championship, the Washington Commanders are in a freefall. A blowout loss at home, a star player’s ejection, and a dismal 3-7 record have left fans and analysts wondering what happened to the team that looked like a legitimate contender in the 2024-25 season.
The collapse has been swift, and the criticism is growing louder, particularly regarding one side of the ball.
Dan Orlovsky Calls Out the Commanders’ Defense
In their Week 10 matchup, Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders were soundly defeated by the Detroit Lions, 44-22, in a home game at Northwest Stadium. The loss itself was secondary to the main storyline: defensive tackle Daron Payne was ejected in the first half for punching wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Following the incident, it was announced that Payne will be suspended for one game.
This latest loss highlights a season that has gone entirely off the rails for Washington. After an impressive 2024 campaign that saw the team finish 12-5 and advance to the Conference Championship before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles, expectations were high for Quinn and sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels. Instead, the Commanders have stumbled to a 3-7 record through 10 weeks, leaving them third in the NFC East and with fading playoff hopes.
The team’s alarming performance has not gone unnoticed, and a former NFL quarterback took to social media to call out the defense’s poor play. Dan Orlovsky, a former quarterback who played for several teams, including the Lions, had this to say about what he saw on film:
It’s shocking to see how bad the Washington defense tape it
A lack of discipline
Poor spacing
PhysicalityTalent has been an issue all season—but this tape was odd to see from a DQ unit. Not much between the whistle fight.
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 10, 2025
Orlovsky’s observations about a lack of discipline and physicality are strongly supported by the numbers, which show the defense has been a bigger problem than the offense. According to PFSN’s Defensive Impact rankings, the Commanders’ unit sits at 30th in the league. In stark contrast, the offense ranks near the upper third of the league at 11th in PFSN’s Offensive Impact rankings.
The defense has been abysmal this year, ranking near the bottom of the league in nearly every major category. This season, they are giving up 28 points per game, 260.2 passing yards per game, and 134.4 rushing yards per game. The unit has also struggled to create opportunities, managing just 0.6 takeaways per game while surrendering 32 offensive touchdowns on the season.
This performance marks a stunning drop-off from the 2024-2025 season, when the defense was a clear strength. That group gave up only 23 points per game, allowed just 189.5 passing yards per game, which ranked third in the league, and secured one takeaway per game.
Despite their disappointing 3-7 record, the Commanders are not yet mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. However, if the team hopes to turn its season around, it will need its defensive leaders, such as Bobby Wagner, Marshon Lattimore, and Payne, to step up and restore discipline to the struggling unit.
