The Washington Commanders had a long slog up until their bye week. Dan Quinn's squad had to navigate 13 straight games before their extended rest period, which was a lot to ask of a relatively young group — most of whom were new to the organization after wholesale changes from general manager Adam Peters this offseason.
Quinn deserves enormous praise for having the Commanders in a position to make the postseason in Year 1 of his tenure. There was a difficult stretch of games as expected, but the resolve displayed to easily dispose of the Tennessee Titans in Week 13 leaves reasons for optimism.
The Commanders have the seventh seed right now. They are one game behind the Green Bay Packers for the sixth seed. However, they are also nervously looking over their shoulders with the Los Angeles Rams one game back following their surprising win over the Buffalo Bills.
Having a late bye week isn't ideal. At the same time, the Commanders should be fresh, well-rested, and ready to take on their four remaining games to cement playoff football in Washington once again. That was beyond any realistic expectations before the campaign.
With this in mind, we took a look at how the Commanders could fare over their final four contests of the campaign with the team sitting at 8-5 right now.
Commanders at Saints - Week 15
The Washington Commanders begin their stretch run with a trip to the New Orleans Saints. This game has extra meaning for stud cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who's set to make his debut against the team that traded him before the deadline.
Lattimore passed the most strenuous part of the testing process in his recovery from a hamstring problem. Having some extra time to recuperate during their bye also helped. It'll be an emotional occasion for the four-time Pro Bowler, but his elite mindset and competitive nature suggest it'll be all business when the whistle blows.
The Commanders also got a boost — albeit an unfortunate one for quarterback Derek Carr. He fractured his non-throwing hand and is expected to be on the shelf for weeks. This means Washington will be up against either Jake Haener or rookie Spencer Rattler at the Caesars Superdome.
Remaining professional and taking care of running back Alvin Kamara should be enough to achieve success. Fans can also take great heart from the fact Washington has ruthlessly handled inferior opposition throughout the campaign so far.