The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.
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Each and every game is important in the NFL, but there are certain ones that probably carry more weight than others for the Washington Commanders. With one of the toughest schedules in the league — ranked 8th most difficult by Sharp Football ***** ysis; 9th by Sports Illustrated — the Commanders will face many challenging opponents this year. ***** uming that the team doesn’t repeat the 2025 meltdown, any given game could be the difference between making the playoffs or not.
With that in mind, I decided to identify what I see as the four most intriguing games on Washington’s schedule this year, excluding NFC East division rivals. Each one of these teams could be playoff contenders, and as such, should be tough matchups for the Commanders with playoff hopes hanging in the balance. That makes each game important; to make the intriguing list, however, I looked for something a little “extra” in the particular game or matchup.
The obvious factor here is that the Seahawks are the reigning Super Bowl champs, and they return their roster and coaching staff largely intact, but not entirely so. The Super Bowl MVP, RB Kenneth Walker, left in free agency, as did CB Riq Woolen (to Philadelphia), among at least a couple of others. The Seahawks used their first-round pick on a RB to replace Walker, selecting Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price. Last season’s offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was hired as head coach of the Raiders and is replaced by former 49ers coach Brian Fleury.
CLICK HERE to see the full 5 o’clock club archive
Each and every game is important in the NFL, but there are certain ones that probably carry more weight than others for the Washington Commanders. With one of the toughest schedules in the league — ranked 8th most difficult by Sharp Football ***** ysis; 9th by Sports Illustrated — the Commanders will face many challenging opponents this year. ***** uming that the team doesn’t repeat the 2025 meltdown, any given game could be the difference between making the playoffs or not.
With that in mind, I decided to identify what I see as the four most intriguing games on Washington’s schedule this year, excluding NFC East division rivals. Each one of these teams could be playoff contenders, and as such, should be tough matchups for the Commanders with playoff hopes hanging in the balance. That makes each game important; to make the intriguing list, however, I looked for something a little “extra” in the particular game or matchup.
The obvious factor here is that the Seahawks are the reigning Super Bowl champs, and they return their roster and coaching staff largely intact, but not entirely so. The Super Bowl MVP, RB Kenneth Walker, left in free agency, as did CB Riq Woolen (to Philadelphia), among at least a couple of others. The Seahawks used their first-round pick on a RB to replace Walker, selecting Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price. Last season’s offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was hired as head coach of the Raiders and is replaced by former 49ers coach Brian Fleury.
5 months ago
