Commanders' Bobby Wagner Sheds Light on How to Rebound from Losing Streak

The Washington Commanders are experiencing their first losing streak as a group. Fortunately, they have some experienced leaders to help them through it.

Sep 29, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. / Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA -- The Washington Commanders have been on streaks before this season, but not like the one they're on now. Of course, no team wants to be on a losing streak, but that's exactly the wave this one is riding after falling 286-18 to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.

For some Commanders like quarterback Jayden Daniels and cornerback Mike Sainristil, it's the first losing streak of their young careers.

The fact that the NFL is the premier league when it comes to creating parity means it won't be their last, just like it's not Washington linebacker Bobby Wagner's first.

Sep 29, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. / Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Despite the fact that Wagner is a Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Famer, he's been through plenty of lows to pair with his highs in the NFL. And he knows that to get through this low, he and his teammates, "Got to figure out what we can do better and get back to the drawing board," which is what he said to the media following the Commanders' first divisional loss of the year.

Many will come out of Week 11 looking at this loss as a more one-dimensional one than the Week 10 defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers. After all, Wagner and his teammates held one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league to just 12 midway through the fourth quarter.

"I think we just made our tackles," Wagner said of the effort. "We were able to get a good beat on some of the things they were going to do and they did a good job of adjusting."

Sure, the Eagles adjusted. But the Washington defense also ran out of gas. As a result of being on the field just under 33 of the game's first 55 minutes.

Wagner, the pro that he is, wasn't willing to put any blame on the amount of time he and his teammates spent on the field. But it was evident to everyone watching the events unfold on Thursday night that if the Commanders' offense didn't figure out a way to sustain some drives and score some points the valiant defensive effort would be lost. Eventually, it was.

It's not the first time this team has lost, of course. The two games lost on this streak aren't even the first two Washington has dropped this year. But the previous two were different. They were defeats at the hands of better teams.

To a certain extent, there's a level of acceptance that comes with a generally brand new team losing to a playoff - and in Week 1 a healthy - team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even losing a hard-fought game against the Baltimore Ravens who factor to challenge the Kansas City Chiefs for AFC supremacy this postseason brought a certain level of acceptance and even increased respect for the Commanders who fought so well against a juggernaut in the current NFL ecosystem.

But losing to the Steelers and Philadelphia, those are different. Because this Washington team is one that they themselves believe, as do others, they have the requisite talent to beat other playoff-contending teams.

Wagner says, however, that these losses are part of being and becoming a good team.

"I mean every team, every good team, is tested at some point," he says. "And how you bounce back and how you show resilience is your definition of what team you'll be."

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