The NFL scheduled the Washington Commanders’ eight standalone games for the 2025 season. The league wants to showcase the Commanders every chance they get, which means not only do they think the team will build on last year, but that the league thinks the quarterback has pushed his way into superstardom.

NFL Schedules Commanders for Eight Standalone Games

A lot can change in a year; look no further than the turnaround the Commanders organization has had. After being in NFL purgatory for the better part of the last 15-20 years, a change in ownership, front office, and quarterback has brought the Commanders back to relevance in just one year.

After going 4-13 in 2023, the Commanders went 12-5 in 2024, earning an NFC playoff spot. Washington would make it all the way to the NFC Championship game, knocking off the third seed and first seed on the way to the championship game. The play from Jayden Daniels took the league by storm, and the NFL has taken notice and is going all in to capitalize on it.

Daniels looked like one of the league’s best quarterbacks as a rookie, which earned him a Pro Bowl selection and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He passed for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He added 891 yards rushing and six touchdowns, and he undoubtedly had one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history. They won eight one-score games last season and converted a historic 87 percent of their fourth downs.

Washington has primetime games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, and Denver Broncos. They have standalone games against the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Miami Dolphins. The Cowboys game will be played on Christmas Day, while the Dolphins game will be played internationally in Madrid.

The Chiefs’ matchup in a primetime window could foreshadow a potential Super Bowl matchup, while the Cowboys game will have the attention of the whole country as it is a Christmas Day game. The NFL is sending a clear message that it believes the Commanders will be not only good but one of the best teams in the league.

The Commanders will be a popular Super Bowl pick this offseason. According to Fanduel Sportsbook, Washington has the eighth-best odds to win the Super Bowl. Daniels will be a popular pick for MVP.

Will Washington build on last season or take a step back?

It is a fair assumption to believe that the Commanders will build on their 2024 season if, for no other reason, the league thinks they will. However, people who are more skeptical about how good the Commanders will be this season point to the Houston Texans’ 2023 and 2024 seasons.

After drafting C.J. Stroud second overall in 2023, the Texans took the league by storm by winning their division and a playoff game behind the playoff Stroud. The Texans were preseason Super Bowl picks last season, and Stroud was getting a lot of preseason hype just like the Commanders and Daniels have been this offseason; however, a less-than-stellar season followed the Texans in 2024. They won a playoff game once again, but things didn’t quite click the same way they did in 2023, and that’s what the Commanders will try to avoid in 2025.

This offseason, they have retooled around Daniels and have traded for big-name veterans such as Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel to make sure they avoid a step back.

What a strong sophomore season could mean for Daniels?

If Daniels duplicates what he did in 2024 or if he is even slightly better, he will officially cement himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in just two years. The NFC needs to have a quarterback in the top-five conversation. The best quarterbacks in the NFL belong in the AFC, and though the NFC has quarterbacks such as Jalen Hurts, Matthew Stafford, Brock Purdy, and Jordan Love, Daniels has the highest season of each of those quarterbacks.

Main Image: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images