Are Commanders a top-10 team heading into Week 3?

Adam Schultz

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Are Commanders a top-10 team heading into Week 3? image

The Washington Commanders, through two weeks, are a little tough to get a read on as Dan Quinn's team sits at 1-1.

The 21-6 win over the New York Giants wasn't the blowout many expected, with Brian Daboll's team only down eight points entering the fourth quarter, and then we have the loss to the Green Bay Packers.

You could make the case that Washington was easily beaten, despite the 27-18 scoreline.

Jayden Daniels has looked fine, but he's been sacked seven times in two games, and with the reinforcements along his offensive line, that isn't ideal.

But as things stand, should the Commanders be seen as a top-10 team in football?

In Eric Edholm's latest power rankings for NFL.com, Washington comes in at No. 8.

"If Daniels’ injury is a one-week thing, perhaps the panic meter remains low," Edholm writes. "But Washington has four out of five games on the road thereafter, and the team is dealing with multiple offensive issues."

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Are Commanders regressing?

After just two games, it's hard to tell, but C.J. Stroud didn't look as good in his second year as he did in his rookie year, and Daniels hasn't gotten off to the best of starts, and now he is injured, with his status for the Las Vegas Raiders game in doubt.

Many surely weren't expecting that feel-good story from last year to truly carry over in the same devastating manner, were they? 

Teams had a full offseason to dissect Daniels and the Washington game plan on both sides of the ball and to work out its weaknesses and exploit them. Of course, we are only eight quarters into the year, so there will be no definitive statements made.

But if things don't correct themselves over the coming weeks against the Raiders and Atlanta Falcons, two teams Washington "should" beat, then a conversation might need to be had.

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Adam Schultz

Adam Schultz is a freelance writer at The Sporting News. An Australian journalist with years of experience covering the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL, Adam has interviewed several high-profile athletes in Australia for various sites and brings a unique view on the NFL.