The Washington Commanders can get a massive win this weekend without even playing a game
The Commanders still have a lot on the line during their bye week.
The Washington Commanders are on their much-needed Week 12 bye week to regroup before the final stretch of the season, but there’s still plenty to watch for this weekend.
The offseason is already on a lot of people’s minds, and if that includes you, then you’ll be rooting for certain outcomes this weekend. The Commanders’ 7-round mock drafts have started, but they can improve their draft stock even more this week without playing in a game.
Stress-free football on Sunday includes keeping an eye on the outcomes of these important games around the league, which can improve the Commanders’ draft pick order.
The Commanders’ current draft order
Heading into Week 12, the Commanders have the seventh-overall pick with a 3-8 record. The loss to the Miami Dolphins did improve their draft pick, but there are even more matchups this weekend with some bad teams still ahead of the Commanders. Washington might reel off a couple of wins down the final stretch if it gets Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin back soon, so it needs some other teams ahead of them to do the same.
Games to watch this weekend for the Commanders’ draft pick order
New York Jets @ Baltimore Ravens: The Jets made a change at quarterback, and veteran Tyrod Taylor is good enough to steal a couple of wins at the end of the season. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missed practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury, so he might not play, or if he does, he won’t be at 100%. A win for the Jets takes them to 3-8 as well, and the Commanders could jump them if their SOS is still lower after other games’ results. SOS is measured by combining the records of all 17 opponents on the season, which can change week by week, but right now the Commanders have a slightly lower SOS at .511.
Cleveland Browns @ Las Vegas Raiders: This is a perfect matchup between two teams with a top-six pick because somebody has to win. Shedeur Sanders is getting the start for the Browns, and the Raiders are just a really bad team all around. The Raiders have a much higher SOS than the Commanders, so they should technically be the team the Commanders need to win.
Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints: This is another game between two bad teams, even though the Falcons beat the Commanders. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is out for the season with a torn ACL, so Kirk Cousins will get the start. You can look at this game in two ways: the Saints lose, the Commanders’ draft order doesn’t change unless their SOS goes up higher than Washington’s, or the Falcons win and stay behind the Commanders. A loss could have them jumping the Commanders.
Even if the Commanders have their week off, there are still a lot of wins around the league to watch for. There are some others with improbable outcomes, like the New York Giants beating the Detroit Lions or the Cincinnati Bengals beating the New England Patriots. Still, the three games I highlighted have the best odds for a better outcome.