ASHBURN, Va. -- The start of the Washington Commanders' 2024 season could be summed up with one question: Where did this come from? Their last four games, however, have led to quite another: What's happened to the offense?
In those four games, the Commanders have not exhibited the same explosive attack that helped them build up a 7-2 NFC-East leading record. And after suffering consecutive losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles, Washington faces questions about where the unit is headed.
Over the first seven games of the season, Washington ranked third in scoring at 30.1 points per game and fourth in yards at 384.1. Over the past four, the Commanders are 14th in points (22.5) and 19th in yards (336.3). In between, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels injured his rib in the first quarter of the Commanders' Week 7 victory over the Carolina Panthers. He didn't return until the following game, an 18-15 victory over the Chicago Bears.
"I don't think anyone is hitting the panic button, but at the same time there's a lot to improve on," said tight end Zach Ertz. "There's a lot of urgency that goes with that."
The good news for the Commanders: Of their final six games this season, five are against teams that rank 20th or worse in scoring defense. The only game that doesn't fall into this category is their rematch against Philadelphia.
Thus far, Washington has played five games against teams ranked 23rd or worse. The Commanders have averaged 31 points in those games; they also scored 42 against Arizona, which currently ranks 11th in scoring.
"In the NFL, that's what happens around this time. Once you reach the midpoint, teams figure out a little bit and you're not a surprise to anybody," right tackle Andrew Wylie said. "We've got all the confidence in the world in the staff and players. We'll continue to dial it up and get it done."
The Commanders (7-4) need to generate more offense if they want to continue their surprise season, starting Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys (1 p.m. ET, Fox). Here are three key factors that could be contributing to their recent offensive struggles.
Daniels' injury
The numbers tell a story of pre- and post-injury success. In Weeks 1-7, Daniels ranked first in the NFL in completion percentage. He ranks 28th since the injury.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Commanders coach Dan Quinn reiterated what he's been saying for a week -- that Daniels is not injured.
But while Daniels has not been on the injury report the past two weeks and was a full participant in practice, he was still limited in practice two weeks after the initial injury leading into a Week 9 game at the New York Giants. And that's where Quinn said the injury has impacted Washington.
"We did lose valuable practice time," Quinn said.
Washington had an abbreviated week leading into the Eagles game Thursday, which included no full pad work and shorter practices as players recovered from a physical game against Pittsburgh the previous Sunday. So, in essence, Daniels has had one full week of practice since his injury.
"I would say the rhythm and timing is a big piece of it," Quinn said. "You have to be able to run things full speed. Walkthroughs are good to help where you do a line and where do you target, but you need the practice, you need the full speed reps to really let it rip and go. We'll look forward to getting into some full weeks for sure.
"If there's a silver lining of having a couple extra days after a short week, maybe it's getting back into some full practice sessions."
In games, Daniels has landed some of his throws at the intended receiver's feet. Against the Eagles, some of his throws didn't have a lot of zip either. But after the game -- a 26-18 loss in Philly -- Daniels, who two weeks ago said of the rib injury "it's still there," said he was fine.
"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be on the field," he said.
The defenses
Over the past four weeks, Washington has faced three of the NFL's top-7 scoring defenses in Chicago, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The Eagles also rank first in yards allowed per game while the Steelers are eighth.
The Steelers' blitzed Washington a season-high 19 times and were able to contain Daniels in the pocket with their five-man rushes and the game marked the first time Daniels recorded no scramble yards all season.
"We have a mode of operation when we face extreme quarterback mobility and that's what he has," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the game. "He also can throw it really well. But being in the [AFC] North facing guys like [Lamar] Jackson is somewhat familiar to us."
Against Jackson's Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Pittsburgh blitzed 15 times and held him to 16-of-33 passing for 205 yards -- though he did run four times for 46 yards. The Ravens, who entered with the NFL's top-scoring offense at 31.2 points, were held to 16 in a two-point loss.
Against the Commanders, the Eagles rotated coverages post snap frequently, which impacted the rhythm of the passing attack, one league source said. The Eagles sent an extra defender on only four plays, which allowed them to consistently play seven in coverage and take away deep shots. As a result, Daniels attempted one pass for more than 20 yards against Philadelphia.
The games against Pittsburgh and Philly were also the first time Daniels had played two games in five days. But he says his focus wasn't on the opponents or what they did. It was on himself.
"I've got to play better," he said.
The O-line
The unit is banged up. Right tackle Andrew Wylie missed the game against the Steelers with a shoulder issue. Rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman is also dealing with a shoulder injury, and center Tyler Biadasz has been playing through an ankle injury.
In Washington's last three losses, the running game has failed to produce, averaging 3.0 yards per carry compared to averaging 5.2 yards in their wins.
That dip in production could be due to running back Brian Robinson missing two of the losses this season (Steelers and Baltimore Ravens). But the linemen pointed to themselves as the key.
"Us up front, we just got to do our jobs," Wylie said. "The better we do our jobs, the better the team performs."