The Washington Commanders entered their Week 10 matchup as a dark horse Super Bowl-contending squad. They added four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore at the trade deadline, though he was dealing with a hamstring that delayed his debut with the team.

With a matchup against another dark horse Super Bowl contender and one of the hottest teams in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Commanders were able to put 27 points on the board, but it wasn’t enough as they suffered a 28-27 loss.

Bleacher Report released their Week 11 power rankings roundtable from their expert analysts, and the Commanders stood pat ranked No. 7 in the NFL.

“Week 10 was a litmus test for the Washington Commanders—a matchup with one of the AFC’s hottest teams in the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of a critical NFC East showdown with the rival Eagles in Week 11,” Bleacher Report wrote. “The 27 points Washington scored were fine, but the Commanders logged fewer than 250 yards of offense and Jayden Daniels completed just half of his 34 pass attempts for 202 yards without a touchdown.”

To this point in his young career, data certainly suggests Jayden Daniels will bounce back from his performance. The rookie quarterback was definitely humanized in the loss — as the Steelers’ pressure was too much for him and proved he’s capable of being stopped. However, the LSU product also got a look at a great defense, and hitting the film room can help him prepare for the way the next team will pressure him.

The fact that Washington still nearly came away with a victory proves that they’re a very capable contender this season and are a well-rounded team. It’d be much easier to judge their loss had they had Lattimore or star running back Brian Robinson Jr. healthy.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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• Commanders Shouldn’t Panic After Steelers Loss

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A domestic assault report led the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office to discover a cache of weapons last week, and authorities continue searching for the suspect.

Officers responded to the domestic assault report at 9:23 p.m. Thursday in the 2000 block of Goddard Road in Lexington Park. The suspect, 39-year-old Jerod Adam Taylor, left the scene before law enforcement arrived.

During the investigation, officers learned Taylor reportedly possessed multiple firearms, which were found in plain view in the residence, despite him being legally prohibited from owning them due to previous convictions. Taylor also is wanted on an outstanding warrant for theft.

Detectives executed search warrants for the residence and nearby vehicles Friday and found an “extensive” collection of more than 80 weapons, according to the sheriff’s office.

Items law enforcement recovered included multiple 3D-printed “ghost guns” without serial numbers, semi-automatic rifles, handguns, shotguns, an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle, 1,300 rounds of ammunition and an assortment of firearm components.

Taylor faces more than 10 charges, including second-degree assault and illegal possession of a regulated firearm.

Taylor should be considered armed and dangerous, and law enforcement urges anyone who spots him to not approach and immediately call 911, the sheriff’s office said.

The Washington Nationals have taken great strides in their player development over the last couple of seasons and could be on the brink of their rebuild being complete and their window for playoff contention once again sliding open.

As with any rebuild, a key free agency acquisition is generally the move that kicks the culmination of the rebuild into overdrive, and with reports dropping late last night, the Nationals may have their eyes on just who they want that acquisition to be.

In a report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Washington is among “at least six teams,” that “plan to aggressively pursue” free agent first baseman Christian Walker this offseason.

Walker was described by Nightengale as the “hottest name among free agent players not named Juan Soto,” as the three-time Gold Glove Award winner is believed to come at less than half the price of Pete Alonso while providing better production on both sides of the ball.

Walker spent the past eight seasons of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, batting .251/.331/.464 in that time with 146 home runs, 442 RBI, and a 114 OPS+ across 3,239 plate appearances in 819 games.

The veteran has really turned it up a notch at the plate over the last three years, batting .250/.332/.481 with 95 home runs, 281 RBI, and a 123 OPS+ across 1,880 plate appearances in 447 games.

A few of the other teams in the mix for Walker include the New York Yankees, the Diamondbacks, and the New York Mets.

Adding a veteran like Christian Walker to the mix would be a fantastic addition to Washington’s young roster as he would provide leadership in the clubhouse along with stellar defense.