NFL Power Rankings: Washington Commanders Positioning For Playoffs Or Caleb Williams?

The Washington Commanders season could go one of two ways after starting 2-3.

The Washington Commanders' season couldn't have gotten off to a better start after winning their first two games. 

After the last three weeks, things couldn't have gone much worse. 

Washington is on a three-game losing streak and its season hit a low when they were blown out at FedEx Field by the Chicago Bears 40-20 on Thursday Night Football. With the Commanders' recent struggles, they dropped to No. 24 in Sports Illustrated's Power Rankings. 

"Some team was going to take the brunt of Chicago’s built up angst and frustration," SI writes. "That team ended up being the Washington Commanders, who are 2–3 coming off the mini-break from playing Thursday. With a pair of road games coming up against the Falcons and Giants, we could easily see Ron Rivera’s club at 4–3, positioning themselves for the playoff race, or 2–5, positioning themselves for Caleb Williams." 

Could Terry McLaurin have another quarterback change during his tenure with the Washington Commanders? / USA Today Sports

Sam Howell has been the least of the Commanders' issues during their three-game skid. Their defense has allowed an average of 37 points and 417.33 yards per game. Through five games, Howell has thrown for 1,349 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions. He's also been sacked 29 times, which is the second most in the NFL.

If Washington's struggles continue, it'll be tough to ignore the possibility that they could be looking at the quarterbacks in the upcoming draft. Ron Rivera would likely get the boot if the Commanders are in position to draft a quarterback, and whoever replaces him may want a fresh start at the game's most important position. 

USC quarterback Caleb Williams is the crown jewel of the upcoming draft. Any team that finds themselves in a position to take Williams will likely take him no matter who they have at quarterback. That's how good of a prospect he is and if Washington's season continues to go down the drain, they could be positioned to land him.

The Commanders' trajectory for this season will likely come down to these next two weeks. Washington's two road games against the Atlanta Falcons (3-2) and New York Giants (1-4). Going 2-0 or 1-1 is a step in the right direction, but going 0-2 would be nothing short of disastrous. 

With a brutal eight-game stretch to end the season that begins on Nov. 12 against the Seattle Seahawks, change will seemingly be inevitable for Washington if they don't get back on track soon.