S Nick Cross, sidelined since Week 2 with an internal injury, is among tbe players trending toward a return on Monday night (All-Pro Reels)
When speaking with local reporters in Ashburn this week, Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, offensive coordinator David Blough, and quarterback Jayden Daniels each accepted blame for the end-of-game debacle that led to a 27-27 tie against the New York Giants last Sunday.
Good on all three, because there is no time to waste.
The undefeated San Francisco 49ers are up next, and no team is playing better all-around football than Kyle Shanahan’s bunch. As inexplicable as the Giants game’s ending was, the Commanders must shift their focus to the 49ers, or another embarrassment awaits.
“As a team, we’ve turned the page from Sunday,” Quinn said. “A lot of hard truths to go around, trust me. We have learned these lessons. And now, we’re gearing up for a great challenge Monday night against San Francisco.”
The Commanders are currently 7.5-point underdogs, tied with the Chargers (at Chiefs) and Jets (at Patriots) for the second-largest spread entering the weekend.
Washington has succeeded as an underdog before. Just three weeks ago, the Commanders upset the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, 33-31, for their first victory of the season. It’s the NFL, a week-to-week league where anyone can beat anyone.
So, how can the Burgundy and Gold pull off the upset in Santa Clara? It starts with improvement in the secondary.
San Francisco’s 5-0 start is backed by historic passing-game success. Yes, literally. The 49ers’ passing offense has a 70.8% DVOA through five weeks, per FTN, tied for the 13th-best mark of any passing offense since 1977.
Much of the 49ers’ offensive success comes from stellar play by fourth-year quarterback Brock Purdy. The Iowa State product leads the NFL in passing touchdowns (13) and QBR (85.7) and has the third-highest completion percentage (69%) among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts.
“Kyle [Shanahan] and Brock [Purdy], I thought both are off to a fast start,” Quinn said. “Kyle’s exceptional, especially on the early downs, the run actions, the motions and the shifts that go with that.”
Jayden Daniels’ truth teller on the final-play fiasco, a car ride and moving forward
The 49ers’ start is even more impressive considering their injuries at wide receiver. Ricky Pearsall is out for the season, while rookie De’Zhaun Stribling has been sidelined since Week 1. Veteran Deebo Samuel, who played in Washington last season, suffered a hamstring injury last week and will miss Monday’s contest against his former team.
Prized free agent signing and future Hall of Famer Mike Evans has fit in seamlessly, while tight end George Kittle hasn’t missed a beat since returning from Achilles surgery. Both present matchup problems for Washington’s secondary, which is allowing 255.0 passing yards per game, the fourth-worst mark in the NFL.
The Commanders have surrendered seven touchdowns to tight ends in five games, the second-highest total in the league behind Detroit.
All this goes without mentioning Christian McCaffrey, arguably the NFL’s best running back since arriving in San Francisco midway through the 2022 season. However, Shanahan is using him far less this year to preserve his health. McCaffrey is averaging just 16 touches per game through five weeks.
Ironically, the Commanders’ run defense has been one of the NFL’s best. Washington is allowing just 95.4 rushing yards per game, the eighth-best mark in the league. Keeping McCaffrey in check is a must, but it’s not as daunting a task as in years past.
“We’ll have to play really disciplined,” Quinn said. “It’s gonna be two physical teams for sure. But I think the game within the game is plain, clean and, like, no self-inflicted mistakes that come up on both sides.”
What: Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season
Who: Washington Commanders (1-3-1) vs. San Francisco 49ers (5-0)
When: Monday, October 19, 2026, 8:15 p.m. ET
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
TV/Streaming: ESPN
Series History: 49ers lead series 23-12-1
Quinn ruled out four players for Monday, including RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt. LMS reported Saturday that Washington expected to hold out its leading rusher because of a groin injury. With the bye week immediately following the 49ers game, Bill gets two weeks of rest.
Edge defenders Charles Omenihu (groin/ankle) and Javontae Jean-Baptiste (pectoral), and quarterback Marcus Mariota (knee) are also unavailable.
Washington must designate at least one more player as inactive to meet the game-day roster limit, with an additional inactive required for each practice squad player elevated for the game, assuming no other roster moves.
They won’t be short on options.
Saturday’s injury report lists nine players as questionable.
Safety Nick Cross (internal injury) practiced in full this week. It would be surprising if Cross, out since Week 2, were not active.
Cornerback Trey Amos has not played in a regular-season game since fracturing his fibula in the November 9 loss to the Lions. The rookie starter also missed nearly the entire offseason program, joining teammates on the field for just two days midway through.
No hobbies, no distractions. Trey Amos just wants his football life back
On the first day, the story was his long-awaited return. On the second, attention shifted to his ankle injury. Amos resumed practice only on October 7. Like Cross, he practiced in full all week.
One to watch is defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, who was a surprise DNP on Friday with ankle and knee injuries. A late addition to the injury report can cause a tinge of angst, but we still don’t know what happened.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs (hamstring) finished the week with two limited practices. He appeared to move normally during the few minutes open to the media.
Projected inactives, elevations and roster moves
Ben continues the tradition of guessing the inactives and practice squad elevations. There are also potential IR activations, which would require corresponding roster moves.
Inactives: OL Tanoa Togiai, CB Isaac Yiadom, WR Luke McCaffrey
Elevations: DT Byron Cowart, RB Craig Reynolds
IR activation: CB Trey Amos
Corresponding transaction: EDGE Javontae Jean-Baptiste to IR
Ben: OK, this gets rather nerdy. Feel free to skip ahead to the running back plan and a certain coaching reunion if you need an escape. We’re good.
Togiai hasn’t played this season. One corner sits with Amos back. Having Diggs available would mean five active receivers even with McCaffrey sitting.
Assuming Kinlaw is active, Cowart could absorb some of Omenihu’s snaps.
The difference between elevating Reynolds and activating Jeremy McNichols is that the latter requires making another roster move. McNichols is the straightforward call.
Fingers crossed on Amos. It would be cool to see him back after all this time away.
I don’t know the details of Jean-Baptiste’s pectoral injury, other than that he’s out this week and missed the final 13 games last season following pectoral surgery.
LB Austin Keys is likely in danger of being released (and re-signed to the practice squad if he clears waivers) whenever Jordan Magee is activated off IR. If active, Keys helps on special teams.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 10 years since Shanahan was Quinn’s offensive coordinator in Atlanta when the Falcons reached the Super Bowl. It’s even harder to believe the two have faced each other only once as opposing head coaches — and not since 2019, when Quinn’s Falcons beat Shanahan’s 49ers, 29-22.
Shanahan and Quinn have gone in different directions since that Super Bowl run. Shanahan has been the 49ers’ head coach for 10 seasons, winning four NFC West titles and reaching two Super Bowls.
After Shanahan departed, Quinn went 24-29 over the next three-plus seasons in Atlanta before being fired following an 0-5 start in 2020. He spent the next three years as Dallas’ defensive coordinator before the Commanders hired him as head coach in 2024.
Monday’s meeting will mark just the second time Quinn and Shanahan square off as head coaches. Shanahan also posted a 3-0 record against Quinn during the latter’s time in Dallas, including a playoff victory in 2022.
Rachaad White is the logical lead back. I could see him receiving two-thirds of the running back snaps. Austin Ekeler’s production varies widely. We don’t know whether Jeremy McNichols, Craig Reynolds or Devin Neal will be on the game-day roster, but one of them will. This will be an interesting position to watch Monday.
Since their miraculous run to the NFC Championship Game in 2024, the national TV spotlight has not been kind to the Commanders.
Last year, Washington went 0-5 in primetime contests, not including losses to the Cowboys on Christmas and the Dolphins in London, both also nationally televised games.
Washington has played just one game this season during a standalone TV window: a 30-13 loss to Indianapolis in London in Week 4.
So, for those keeping track, Washington has lost its last eight games in standalone TV windows.
Not great.