Trevor Lawrence chases a historic division title repeat while Washington’s revamped defense looks to play spoiler as these interconference foes collide in a pivotal late-season showdown.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are playing the Washington Commanders at a time of the year when the game could mean absolutely nothing for at least one of the participants.
If the Jags are close to what they were last year (13-4), they’ll be fighting for a division title, or at least a wildcard spot, meaning they’ll go into Week 17 in January with something to play for.
If the Commanders are close to what they were last year, all they’ll be playing for is pride.
For most teams, a long-term injury to the starting quarterback spells doom. Last year’s Commanders were no exception. Jayden Daniels played in just seven of Washington’s 17 games, and as a result, a team that made it to the NFC Championship Game the year before finished 5-12.
The Commanders also weren’t good in the games Daniels did play in, going 2-5, which suggests the team had more than just one problem.The team’s top receiver, Terry McLaurin, also dealt with injuries, missing seven games.
Running back Austin Ekeler missed all but two.
But even if the Commanders’ offense were healthy, a defense that allowed more points than all but five teams would have made it difficult for the team to do much.
Washington addressed that defense both in free agency, signing edge rusher Odafe Oweh from the Los Angeles Chargers and linebacker Leo Chanel from the Kansas City Chiefs, and in the draft, taking Ohio State LB Sonny Styles seventh overall.
Washington also added a new defensive coordinator in Daronte Jones, who had been the defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings from 2023-2025. The Vikings allowed fewer passing yards than every other NFC team last season and every NFL team besides the Buffalo Bills (Washington finished 28th in that department).
That speaks well to the job Jones did in Minnesota, but now, he’ll be running the show defensively, along with head coach Dan Quinn, a defensive mind who called Washington’s plays toward the end of last year. The Jaguars haven’t played the Commanders since Week 1 of the 2022 season. Back then, Trevor Lawrence was entering his second NFL campaign.
Since then, Lawrence has led the Jags to the playoffs twice and, last year, led Jacksonville to one of its best seasons ever. Now, he’ll look to be the Jags' first QB of the millennium to win two straight AFC South titles.
