Commanders try to avoid record run of 20-point losses

Last year, Commanders coach Dan Quinn was the toast of the town. This year, his team is regularly getting toasted.

Here's how bad it has gotten for a team that had plausible Super Bowl aspirations. Starting with Week 7 in Dallas, the Commanders have lost four straight games by 20 or more points.

Don't take my word for it, as if you ever would. The Commanders lost to the Cowboys, 44-22. Then to the Chiefs, 28-7. Then to the Seahawks, 38-14. And then to the Lions, 44-22.

The Commanders are currently one game short of the all-time record for consecutive losses by 20 or more points. The Buccaneers accomplished that feat five straight times in 1986.

It happened to Tampa Bay solely against rivals in the old NFC Central, from Week 10 through Week 14: 23-3 to the Bears, 31-7 to the Packers, 38-17 to the Lions, 45-13 to the Vikings, and 48-14 to the Bears.

And while the Dolphins are hardly a powerhouse, they beat the Bills by 17 in Week 10. And Miami has far more to play for at this point, in the form of potentially avoiding major roster changes that would come from having both a new G.M. and a new head coach next year.

The Commanders, in contrast, know their chances of getting to the playoffs are wafting somewhere between slim and none. Even if they turn three wins into 10 (like they did in 2012), seven losses may already be one too many in an ultra-competitive NFC playoff field.

Lose on Sunday, and it really is over for the Commanders in 2025. Lose by 20 or more, and it will be interesting to see what changes ownership may make for 2026.