NFL Power Rankings: Are the Washington Commanders a Top 5 Team?

The Washington Commanders are on a four-game winning streak and are gaining more national attention with each win. The question of whether the team is serious comes down to this question: How far can they go this season and the postseason? Rookie QB phenom Jayden Daniels got a breather early in the 4th quarter last week, something Washington fans are used to seeing from opposing teams. The victories were relaxing and exciting to watch and a great time to be a fan.

Washington is now 4-1 and they are still sole owners of first place in the NFC East. FanDuel had them at 6 p.m ¹⁄₂ wins this year, and that will give some optimistic fans a nice payday. At the start of the season, Washington was a bottom 10 team, and now they are ranked in the top 5 week to week. Jayden Daniels has given everything fans could expect at this point, and the season is only five games into the season.

High: 4

Low: 16

Average: 8.2

#4

Sports Illustrated (Orr)

A stunning performance over the sleepwalking Browns. Jayden Daniels felt the pressure and dodged defenders and fired up the secondaries in the third period. In this battle between quarterbacks, both faced an onslaught of defenders. One of the two made the defense pay and regretted ever sending an extra rusher. Jayden Daniels, welcome to the MVP conversation. Last week: 5

The Athlete (Kendall)

Even the people who were optimistic about Commanders' rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels weren't optimistic enough. Daniels was taken 99th in the draft order and after five weeks ranks fifth in points per game (22.68) and second in points among quarterbacks. He passed for 238 yards and ran for 82 against the Browns and has now led Washington in rushing in three of his five games and was also the NFL's all-time leader in expected points added per dropback (0.38). Last week: 6

#5

Pro football talk

We'll learn a lot about this team on Sunday when they visit the next team on the list. Last week: 9

#6

NFL.com (Edholm)

In five weeks, the Commanders have reached almost half of their point total of 329 points for the 2023 season. They've already matched last year's win total of four wins and have a chance to make a statement in a Week 6 showdown with the Ravens. Normally non-conference games don't weigh this much, but this is shaping up to be the biggest Commanders game in years. Of course, a defeat won't ruin the dream start to the season. But win this game and who knows what the ceiling is for this club? Jayden Daniels didn't have his best game on Sunday. He was a little off target early on, but he managed a combined 320 passing and rushing yards, shook off the early pick from the red zone, and finished the game with an overall good performance. And what about Washington's defense? This may not be a special unit at the moment, but these are three solid performances in the last four games. Last week: 7

CBS Sports (Prisco)

They're the surprise of the league, but haven't exactly beaten good teams during their four-game winning streak. They get the Ravens in a real proof game this week. Last week: 8

The 33rd Team (Mosher)

The Washington Commanders are no coincidence. Against one of the best defenses in the league, Jayden Daniels lit up the Browns in a game that was never competitive.

Washington's defense is starting to rally as it only allowed six non-garbage time points to the Browns. In five games, the Commanders have to be considered the clear favorite in the NFC East. What a start for Washington. Last week: 11

Sports News (Iyer)

The Commanders have complete control of their run-heavy offensive game plan with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, which always allows them to launch a quick downfield passing game. The latest surprise is that the defense is accelerating Dan Quinn's pass rush. Last week: 10

Fox Sports (Helman)

To be clear: I believe in Washington. The Commanders took on big offenses like Cincinnati's and won. Last week in Cleveland they defeated a strong defense. I firmly believe that they are a good team. This week's trip to Baltimore is less about proving they belong and more about showing us how high their ceiling really is. Last week: 9

Coupling points (Johrendt)

The Washington Commanders continue to surprise, and their easy Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns was just further proof of what Jayden Daniels is capable of, as the Commanders find themselves comfortably near the top 5 of our Week 6 NFL Power Rankings.

Throwing for 238 yards and running for 82 yards, Daniels was exactly what this offense desperately needed. Terry McLaurin appears to be extremely happy to have a good quarterback throwing passes his way, as the veteran hauled in four for 112 yards, including a 66-yard bomb from Daniels. Last week: 10

#7

ESPN

Fantasy surprise: QB Jayden Daniels

Daniels is the No. 2 fantasy quarterback (averaging 22.7 fantasy points) behind them Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield were not expected. Daniels is throwing for 227.0 yards per game and is on pace for 14 touchdown passes and 14 rushing touchdowns. He is also capable of throwing for over 3,800 yards and running for over 1,000 yards. That's quite a combination and a big reason he's become such a good fantasy player and overall dangerous quarterback. —John Keim Last week: 11

USA Today (Davis)

There are a lot of firsts here. First place. First team with 13 rushing TDs in the five weeks since Gerald Ford was president. First rookie (Jayden Daniels) to start his career with 1,000 passing yards and 250 rushing yards in five games. Soon their fans will be pondering the possibility of their first Super Bowl trip to Joe Gibbs. Last week: 9

New York Post (Dunleavy)

No team has scored more points this season than the Commanders, who defeated the Browns 34-13 for their fourth straight victory. Daniels threw a 41-yard touchdown pass and was one of four rushers – along with Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols – who combined for 31 carries for 211 yards. Daniels also scored on the ground. Last week: 10

Bleacher Report

For the first time in a long time, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels looked like a rookie on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Daniels threw an early interception at the goal line and completed just 14 of 25 passes.

It didn't matter at all – thanks to over 200 yards on the ground and a second straight strong defensive performance, the Commanders outlasted the Browns and won their fourth straight game.

After the win, Daniels told reporters that he was doing his best to maintain a balanced record despite this early success.

“Stay the course,” he said. “Don’t go too high, go too low. Everything will work out. I just missed a few throws. That's it. I wish I had some throws back, but we were able to capitalize on some plays.”

Daniels managed over 300 yards of offense against the reeling Browns. And while it seemed incomprehensible to say this just a month ago, Knox believes the Commanders may be the best team in the NFC East.

“Rookie phenom Jayden Daniels didn’t have his cleanest game as a pro in Week 5, but that didn’t matter,” Knox said. “For the second week in a row, Washington's defense showed up and helped the Commanders to a decisive victory. This should affect the rest of the NFC East. Daniels is playing like the best quarterback in the division, and Washington may have the deepest roster.”

We may find out how good the Commanders really are next week when Daniels and Washington make the short road trip to Baltimore to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Last week: 14

#8

Yahoo Sports (Schwab)

Jayden Daniels is playing so well that he deserves to be in the early MVP conversation. It's harder to know what to do with the commanders. Is this the level we can expect all season? Philadelphia is still the favorite to win the NFC East, and that seems right. Perhaps. Last week: 12

The score

Jayden Daniels continues to push forward with a revamped command unit. Washington ranks second in the league with 31 points per contest and is averaging 178.4 rushing yards per game during its four-game winning streak. Last week: 12

WalterFootball

Jayden Daniels has been incredible, but Washington's defense has also been incredible the last two weeks. Is that a coincidence? I'm not sure, but Washington has pressured the Cardinals and Browns in back-to-back games. Last week: 9

Quota shark

Last week: 15

#9

Pro Football Network (Cannata)

The commanders' offensive remains unstoppable and it doesn't look like they'll be slowing down any time soon.

During their four-game winning streak, the Commanders averaged 416 yards per game and established themselves as one of the most explosive units in the NFL.

While Jayden Daniels finished the game with a season-low completion percentage, (

Defensively, Washington had a breakthrough against the Browns, who managed just 212 yards of offense and 13 points. However, that type of performance is unsustainable against non-Watson-led offenses.

After winning by 21 or more points two weeks in a row, the Commanders face their biggest test of the short season in Week 6 against the Ravens. But if Washington can keep up their offensive production, they could have the edge to win the NFC East. Last week: 10

Sportsnaut (Johnson)

The beauty of Jayden Daniels under center is that even when he's not as sharp as a passer – 14 of 25 with a 1-1 TD-INT on Sunday – he can still make an explosive play through the air and you the floor can give a great performance. Daniels is playing well and thanks to run game coordinator Anthony Lynn, the Washington Commanders run game is really getting going. We wouldn't bet on the Commanders beating the Baltimore Ravens next week, but it should be a great game. Last week: 13

Sharp football analysis

Last week: 15

#11

NumberFire

Last week: 21

#12

The lines

Jayden Daniels and the Commanders can undoubtedly prove that they are legitimate contenders when they face the Ravens next week. Last week: 18

#14

NFL Trade Rumors (Woodie)

Washington completely defeated the overwhelmed Browns and maintained its lead in the NFC East. First-round QB Jayden Daniels had a difficult first half, but the rest of the roster came to help him when he needed it. It was an important note for this Commanders team as it appears that overall this team is much better than we originally thought. Last week: 16

#15

The Wrestler (Lee)

Last week: 21

#16

Team rankings

Last week: 21