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The Washington Commanders' official 2024 schedule is here and now, we have the road map to the regular season.
So, naturally, that means it's time to make some way-too-early predictions regarding the entire 17-game schedule. For context starting out, I do think Jayden Daniels wins the Commanders' starting quarterback job over the summer and is the main guy come Week 1.
Right now, BetMGM has the Commanders' 2024 win total set at 6.5 - so can they surpass that? Let's stop wasting time and have some fun predicting Washington's 2024 schedule.
Week 1: Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucs win 31-20: Starting on the road against a team looking to win its fourth straight division title isn't the easiest task. Unfortunately for Washington, Tampa Bay is a team that's building off last year, whereas the Commanders are trying to find their identity. That's an inherent disadvantage in Week 1, even if the Bucs don't have a true gauge on what they're prepping for, and vice-versa with Washington.
Commanders record after Week 1: 0-1
Week 2: Commanders vs New York Giants
Commanders win 24-17: The Commanders-Giants series has been so weird ever since Daniel Jones entered the league in 2019: Since then, Washington is 2-7-1 against even non-Jones led Giants squads. Well, with a new change of direction in both ownership, management, coaching, and at quarterback - that's sure enough to break the trend, right?
Commanders' record after Week 2: 1-1
Week 3: Commanders at Cincinnati Bengals (MNF)
Bengals win 27-13: The Bengals the the second playoff contender in the Commanders' first three games, so we'll get an early idea of how they stack up against the better teams in the league. Unfortunately, Joe Burrow and co. are too much to handle, which drops Washington below .500.
Commanders' record after Week 3: 1-2
Week 4: Commanders at Arizona Cardinals
Commanders win 31-17: Kliff Kingsbury gets some revenge on the franchise that fired him by drawing up an excellent game plan that allows Jayden Daniels to have his first big performance of the season. The Cardinals are building their roster the right way, but there are still way too many holes, and a lack of talent, for them to keep up with the Commanders.
Commanders' record after Week 4: 2-2
Week 5: Commanders vs Cleveland Browns
Browns win 19-10: Cleveland's defense is elite. It remains to be seen if Deshaun Watson can ever get back to his 2020 form, but the offense is still very good on paper, regardless. Kevin Stefanski, the reigning Coach of the Year, will have enough offense to complement a dominant defensive performance en route to handing the Commanders a tough home loss.
Commanders' record after Week 5: 2-3
Week 6: Commanders at Baltimore Ravens
Ravens win 30-21: A tough back-to-back stretch against two playoff contenders results in consecutive losses for the Commanders. The Ravens underwent a good amount of change during the offseason, including losing defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. However, they seem to always find a way to quickly restock and Lamar Jackson is still on team. The new-look passing attack takes advantage of a Commanders secondary still finding its way and that's the key behind another Washington road loss.
Commanders' record after Week 6: 2-4
Week 7: Commanders vs Panthers
Commanders win 31-30: A matchup against the NFL's worst team could not come at the more perfect time. Daniels has another big game, and, Bryce Young shows off some skills, as well. A last-second field goal from Brandon McManus gets the Commanders one step closer toward getting back to .500.
Commanders' record after Week 7: 3-4
Week 8: Commanders vs Chicago Bears
Bears win 38-30: The Caleb Williams vs. Jayden Daniels billing totally lives up to the hype and completely wipes away the stench from last year's matchup between the first two picks of the 2023 draft in Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud. The Bears simply have more talent, which ends up being the deciding factor, at the end of the day.
Commanders' record after Week 8: 3-5
Week 9: Commanders at Giants
Giants win 20-9: If Daniel Jones can get it together, the Giants could surprise some people. He does that, for this week, and the Giants defense shows up big against Daniels and the Washington offense. Brian Burns and co. wreck the offensive line and it ends in a disappointing divisional loss.
Commanders' record after Week 9: 3-6
Week 10: Commanders vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Commanders win 16-14: A tough, gritty win in typical Dan Quinn fashion marks a big pivot point for the Commanders' ultimate outlook. The defense, led by Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, shuts down either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields and the Steelers offense and a stout rushing attack led by Brian Robinson Jr. gives the Commanders enough juice for a big win.
Commanders' record after Week 10: 4-6
Week 11: Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles (TNF)
Commanders win 26-23: It's a road game in a hostile environment on a very short week, but the Commanders are still riding high from their big win over Pittsburgh and the short week actually allows them to just run straight into the action. The defense isn't as impressive, this week, but the offense looks great and Terry McLaurin has a big day against an Eagles secondary that has a lot to prove after a down 2023 season.
Commanders' record after Week 11: 5-6
Week 12: Commanders vs Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys win 24-17: Dallas may be a safe bet to flounder in the playoffs, but it's also a safe bet to say it'll be a tough team during the regular season. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Brandin Cooks run wild through an improved, but still below-average, Commanders secondary en route to a dominate win.
Commanders' record after Week 12: 5-7
Week 13: Commanders vs Tennessee Titans
Commanders win 32-21: The Titans did improve over the offseason, but the offensive line still has questions and so does the secondary. Daniels' legs allow him to keep the defensive front seven honest, which opens things up in the passing game against a vulnerable Titans secondary. The defensive line, along with a blitzing Frankie Luvu, keeps the Titans offense in check and once again, the Commanders are a win away from reaching .500.
Commanders' record after Week 13: 6-7
Week 14: BYE
A bye this late in the season isn't ideal, but the advantage, here, is the team has plenty of tape to review and it knows its strengths and weaknesses, by now. It's a lot different than let's say, a Week 5 bye, when things are still early and teams are still figuring themselves out, to an extent.
Week 15: Commanders at New Orleans Saints
Commanders win 28-23: Daniels tears up the Caesars Superdome and finally gets the Commanders back to .500, thanks mostly to his legs. The Saints defense tends to struggle against dual-threat QBs because of the type of system Dennis Allen deploys and it's the same song with Daniels, who continues to impress during his rookie year.
Commanders' record after Week 15: 7-7
Week 16: Commanders vs Eagles
Eagles win 27-24: Philly gets some big revenge in Commanders Stadium. Jalen Hurts does his thing through the air and the ground and A.J. Brown is his direct partner-in-crime. Daniels and the Commanders offense fights back, but it's a losing effort as Jake Elliott smashes a heart-breaking, game-winning field goal at the end of the game.
Commanders' record after Week 16: 7-8
Week 17: Commanders vs Atlanta Falcons
Commanders win 34-28: Kirk Cousins' return to Washington is spoiled by another big Daniels performance. The rookie and former Heisman winner isn't going to let a former Washington QB show him up on his home turf and the defense gets a stop late in the fourth quarter to preserve the win and send the Commanders into the final week of the season with a shot at making the playoffs, since nine teams have made the playoffs with a 9-8 record or worse since the schedule went to 17 games in 2021.
Commanders' record after Week 17: 8-8
Week 18: Commanders at Cowboys
Cowboys win 27-21: Dallas ruins the party thanks to another big game from Prescott. While it's disappointing, it doesn't take away from the fun that was the 2024 season and the promising outlook that is 2025.
Commanders' record after Week 2: 8-9
Final Record: 8-9
It's a losing season, but the fact the Commanders were 8-8, with a shot at the playoffs heading into the final week of the regular season is a total win in Year 1 under Quinn and general manager Adam Peters.
An improving Jayden Daniels, along with some big wins and development in other areas, puts a nice bow on a fun season and has everyone fired up for what could happen in 2025 and beyond.
More must-reads:
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