The Washington Commanders are a putrid 3-8 at their long-awaited bye week. Their most recent one, to the Miami Dolphins in Madrid, officially put the final nail in the coffin of any late rally hopes this season.
Even if Washington's star quarterback and wide receiver duo of Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin return after the bye, there is too much ground to overcome. But despite the laundry list of injuries the Commanders have faced this year, it didn't have to go down like this.
Their defeat to the Dolphins exposed that in a bad way. The Commanders should have won, but they didn't because a decision wasn't made when it needed to be.
Commanders gave Matt Gay too many chances, and it cost them at the worst time
Over the offseason, Adam Peters signed kicker Matt Gay to the largest one-year deal for a kicker in NFL history. He was supposed to solve Washington's field goal problems after Cade York, Austin Seibert, and Zane Gonzalez were all inconsistent in 2024.
Instead, Gay became a problem, one that established itself early in the season. In Washington's three preseason outings, he went only 3-for-5. Then, during the first three weeks of regular season action, he was 3-for-6.
Gay should have been cut no later than after Week 3. Ideally, his 1-for-3 performance against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 would have been the last straw. It only took one game for the Commanders to show York the door after he went 0-for-2 in Washington's 2024 season opener. But he wasn't signed to the type of deal the organization needed to validate itself.
Let's make this clear: Gay isn't why the Commanders have failed to meet expectations this season. It was going to be a long year regardless, given the injuries, the schedule, and the harsh realities that had to be faced regarding both the roster and the coaching staff. But hanging onto him too long was a costly mistake.
If the Commanders had beaten the Dolphins — a game Gay was ultimately the reason they lost — they'd have entered the bye week with some momentum finally on their side and a manageable schedule ahead. Best-case scenario, Daniels and McLaurin both return, and Washington strings together a few wins to somehow climb back into the playoff picture. Crazier things have happened.
That's no longer on the table. It probably wouldn't have, regardless. But the bottom line is that Gay is a kicker. His position is the most expendable in football. There's no time to wait for a player like him to figure it out when you can sign someone off the street and get better production.
The Commanders made the right move by cutting ties with Gay, though he left them little choice. But it's too late to save their season.