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Athlon Sports
The Washington Commanders are officially headed back overseas.
The Washington Commanders are officially headed back overseas, as team president Mark Clouse confirmed the Commanders will be the designated home team in an international game next year.
Washington and Miami became the first teams to play a regular-season game in Spain earlier this month, with the Dolphins pulling out a 16-13 overtime victory. Next year will be the first time the Commanders have played international games in consecutive seasons.
The NFL is currently scheduled to play international games, including the first regular-season games in Australia. Earlier this year, the NFL confirmed that the Los Angeles Rams will serve as the designated home team at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Barring any unforeseen changes, the NFL is also expected to play games in Brazil, Mexico, Germany, and the United Kingdom next season. With the exception of the 2020 COVID season, London has hosted games every year since 2007. Those games typically take place at Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Mexico City will host an NFL game for the first time since Nov. 21, 2022, when the San Francisco 49ers routed the Arizona Cardinals 38-10 at Estadio Azteca. The NFL has not announced where the game in Germany will take place, though the league confirmed it won’t be in Berlin. Munich (2022 and 2024) and Frankfurt (2023) previously hosted regular-season games.
After playing games in São Paulo for the past two years, the NFL will move its games in Brazil to Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. It remains unclear whether the NFL will hold games in Dublin next season; the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 24-21, at Croke Park on Sept. 28.
The NFL will announce its complete 2026 schedule next spring. As of November 21, the Commanders and Rams are the only teams that have been confirmed to play international games next season. Additionally, the Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to play two games in London next year while their stadium undergoes renovations; the Jaguars have played in London every year since 2013, excluding the 2020 COVID season.
The Athletic (paywall)
Despite their disappointing 3-8 record, the Washington Commanders are raising 2026 season ticket prices by an average of just under 10 percent, citing a continued increase in demand and overall organizational investment from ownership.
Prices in the upper bowl of Northwest Stadium, however, which accounts for nearly 25 percent of Commanders season tickets, will remain flat in 2026, just as they did in 2024 (upper-level season ticket prices went up by about $10 per ticket for 2025).
On average, Commanders season tickets will jump $17.32 per month on annual plans, with the most in-demand seats — those on the lower level near the 50-yard line and the club seats — seeing the largest increases. The maximum increase for any Commanders season ticket next year is around 16 percent, according to a team source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak on the record about the team’s pricing strategy.
It’s the fourth consecutive year of at least some rate increases for Commanders season ticket holders, who were informed of the price jump Friday morning. Those members have a renewal deadline of Jan. 9 and an opt-out deadline of Dec. 12 for accounts on auto-renew.
Washington Post (paywall)
Dan Quinn’s rep as a culture-builder is getting a stress test
It’s easy to talk up the Commanders’ culture when the wins are coming. But a six-game losing streak can pull at the fabric of a team.
“When you’re going through a tough spot, it’s really where the culture can reveal itself,” Quinn said in an interview before Sunday’s overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins.
“Tough spot” might be an understatement for the Commanders as they prepare to return from their Week 12 bye. With that 16-13 loss to Miami in Madrid, Washington (3-8) has lost six consecutive games and ranks 30th in the NFL in turnover margin and 31st in yards per game allowed. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Commanders have a 34 percent chance of earning a top-five pick in April’s draft, while their odds of returning to the playoffs have dipped to zero.
Fred Johnson, a leadership expert who has consulted with six NFL organizations, said losing streaks can provide a particularly valuable window into the culture of a team.
Johnson, who bills himself as a “culture architect,” said moments of hardship have a way of exposing the “under-the-table” issues within a locker room — all the amorphous interpersonal legwork that is not easily discernible otherwise. A tough stretch could prompt star players to check out and lead to heated players-only meetings. Or it could provide positive glimpses of key players leaning in and what Johnson calls “sideways accountability.”
“The great teams don’t need those players-only meetings,” he said, “because they’re having those meetings in little snippets all the time with each other.”
Quinn acknowledged that part of evaluating the Commanders’ culture during this losing streak has been about focusing on the responses and characteristics of individual players. He referenced a moment late in the team’s blowout loss to Detroit when he pulled safety Jeremy Reaves out of the game.
Though it was a precautionary move because Reaves’s hand had been bothering him, Quinn said the veteran was visibly “crushed” to be taken out, almost to the point of tears. The coach viewed it as a sign of Reaves’s emotional investment.
2026 NFL offseason: Early team needs for free agency, draft
Washington Commanders (3-8)
Chance to make playoffs: <1%
Projected first-round draft slot: No. 7
Biggest positional needs: Linebacker and edge rusher. Bobby Wagner will be 36 next season, and there isn’t a lot of depth at this position on the roster. Von Miller (who will be 38 next season), Jacob Martin and the injured Deatrich Wise Jr. will be free agents in 2026. -- Schatz
Pending free agent to watch: Deebo Samuel, WR. He has been Washington’s most productive pass catcher, as injuries have sidelined Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown for a combined 16 games. Samuel has a team-high 53 receptions (37 more than the next receiver), 470 yards and five touchdowns. A bruised heel caused him to miss one game, but Washington lacks quality receiver depth and a return for Samuel would make sense. The question is at what cost? McLaurin will count for $18.35 million on the cap in 2026, so the Commanders could afford another year of Samuel if they wanted. -- John Keim
One draft prospect who could help: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State. He plays one of the positions Schatz mentioned, and it’s easy to see him fitting into Dan Quinn’s defense. At 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, Styles is a tall and agile second-level defender. -- Reid
A to Z Sports
Games to watch this weekend for the Commanders’ draft pick order
New York Jets @ Baltimore Ravens: The Jets made a change at quarterback, and veteran Tyrod Taylor is good enough to steal a couple of wins at the end of the season.
Cleveland Browns @ Las Vegas Raiders: This is a perfect matchup between two teams with a top-six pick because somebody has to win.
Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints: This is another game between two bad teams, even though the Falcons beat the Commanders. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is out for the season with a torn ACL, so Kirk Cousins will get the start. You can look at this game in two ways: the Saints lose, the Commanders’ draft order doesn’t change unless their SOS goes up higher than Washington’s, or the Falcons win and stay behind the Commanders. A loss could have them jumping the Commanders.
Riggo’s Rag
6 Commanders longshots who could see expanded roles with nothing left to lose
It’s time to see what the kids can do.
Ja’Corey Brooks - Commanders WR
It would be easy to write off wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks as a prospect who entered college with a world of potential but never produced enough to move ahead with his career. But if you watched him during the preseason, he was the best receiver the Commanders had.
Like Barber, Brooks signed as a UDFA this offseason, and it seemed for a while that he might threaten for a roster spot. He has good size and makes tough catches look easy. One of the knocks on him is that he lacks the speed to really challenge professional corners, and he does lack the suddenness that defines so many great receivers.
Still, he has enough talent, including strong special teams play, to merit a look. Plenty of receivers have overcome a lack of blazing speed by becoming strong route runners. It’s time to see if Brooks can do that.
Nobody knows how far along Brooks is. The fact that Jacoby Jones — another undrafted rookie — was signed to the active roster before Week 11 ahead of him doesn’t bode well. But the Commanders could get the wideout involved down the stretch to see if he has a future in Washington.
Tim McKay - Commanders OL
Tim McKay would have almost certainly been selected had he not torn his pectoral muscle while preparing during the run-up to the 2025 NFL Draft. As it turns out, Adam Peters jumped on the undrafted free agent quickly. Washington has a lot of players who can play guard on the roster, but several will likely be gone next year.
It will be interesting to see what kind of interest Chris Paul draws in free agency, and if Peters makes a strong effort to re-sign the team’s starting left guard. He has taken a long time to blossom, but seems to have developed into a serviceable lineman at this point. Ideally, Brandon Coleman will grow into a starter at guard. However, the Commanders need more young players to provide depth.
Podcasts & videos
“I played like s****” - Josh Conerly Jr. + Roy Helu Jr.‘s faith | Next Man Up | Commanders | NFL
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles vs. Cowboys Game Preview: 5 questions and answers with the Week 12 enemy
What are some of the biggest differences about the Cowboys now from when they last played the Eagles in Week 1?
The biggest differences are basically on the defensive side of the ball. The Cowboys defense had been abysmal this year, but through trades and players coming back from injury, there is finally hope that they can do enough to allow the high-powered offense to win games. The good thing is that there were significant moves at all three levels of the defense. On the defensive line, the most-important change has been the addition of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. He came in with a reputation as one of the best and he surely looked like that against an over-matched Raiders offensive line. The Cowboys pass rush looked about as good as it has all year.
Additionally, the Cowboys got back DeMarvion Overshown and traded for Logan Wilson at linebacker. Overshown is a rising star, and would probably already be one if not for his string of injuries. He is excellent at running down ball carriers who stretch plays to the edge, and his pass rush ability is top-notch. He just needs to be healthy and he’s only had one game back this season (Raiders game). Wilson was brought in to give us some leadership on the defense and to upgrade the all-around talent level. He’s not spectacular, but he helps.
Blogging the Boys
Dallas Cowboys scouting report: Eagles schemes coming under scrutiny
The offense has completely fallen off, and fans are calling for first-year coordinator Kevin Patullo to lose his job. It’s not exactly groundbreaking news that Eagles fans are directing their hatred at someone after a few down weeks, but the decline has been stark.
Over the first eight weeks, when the defense was having trouble stopping a nosebleed, the offense was in a groove. They ranked eighth in EPA/play and fourth in EPA/rush, with Saquon Barkley doing what he often does.
Since then, though, the Eagles are 26th in EPA/play and 31st in success rate, ahead of only the Browns. Most concerning is their run game, which has always been the thing that Nick Sirianni resorts to when the offense isn’t humming. These last two weeks, Philly is 29th in EPA/rush, a shockingly low result for them.
Perhaps the biggest concern for the Eagles is that the problem seems to be their offensive line. Only two other teams are getting stuffed on a higher rate of runs for the year; it doesn’t help that they’re 30th in yards after contact per attempt, either.
In the pass game, Jalen Hurts is seeing more pressure than he usually does, and his pressure-to-sack ratio of 21.3% is fifth among starting quarterbacks, just behind the last quarterback the Cowboys faced, Geno Smith. The Eagles offense is cratering right now.
That’s ideal timing for the Cowboys, because their defense just got a huge boost. Quinnen Williams dominated the Raiders and helped open things up for others on that defensive line, while DeMarvion Overshown and Logan Wilson represented tangible upgrades in both run defense and pass coverage of intermediate lanes. Even Malik Hooker, who returned from injury, provided a noticeable bump in production.
Big Blue View
NY Giants’ rookie Abdul Carter isn’t sacking the quarterback: Why not?
Abdul Carter struggled against Green Bay in Week 11. What is going on with the young pass rusher?
Carter rushed a total of 28 times — 11 of those rushes were inside moves. Four of those 11 were with either tight end chips or with guard help on the inside. Three were one-on-one and two were on designed twists. Carter blew containment on one of his inside moves and lost containment with seemingly no help on one outside rush up the arc. One of his total pass rushes was not on the edge.
Carter had two pressures and a quarterback hit against the Packers — the hit did come on an inside move. Still, it was evident that Carter struggled against both tackles, but specifically Zach Tom. Carter aligned with Tom on the left side through 29% of snaps; he’s averaged a 43% snap-share on that side this season. It appears like the Giants saw the first two reps against Tom and decided NOT to do that. Carter would only rush against Tom twice after those two failures, and neither were near wins for the rookie.
To Carl Banks’ point, Carter does rely on the inside move often, especially if he senses an over-set. Carter attempts to force that with a hard outside jab foot that quickly follows a prompt timing of the snap. Carter was washed down the line of scrimmage on the plays that are not included above, where he did attempt to go inward. Carter’s other moves consist of trying to win high-side with quickness and bend or a straight bull-rush.
He does not string moves together consistently, and it appears he’s guessing while rushing. Carter is talented enough to impact games without an actual pass-rush plan, but the Giants did not draft Carter to be a contributor — they drafted him third overall to be a game-changing difference maker.
Sure, it’s still his rookie season, and I by no means want to insinuate that Carter is irrelevant or a bust; that social media narrative is silly. But it’s still safe to say that we can expect more from the young man.
Giants QB Jaxson Dart (concussion) ruled out vs. Lions; Jameis Winston to make second straight start
The Giants quarterback remains in concussion protocol and will not play in New York’s Week 12 road game against the Detroit Lions, interim coach Mike Kafka announced Friday.
Dart suffered the concussion in the Giants’ 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 10, prompting New York to replace him with veteran Russell Wilson, who was ultimately benched in favor of Jameis Winston entering Week 11.
Winston should be expected to start again in Week 12 after completing 19 of 29 passes for 201 yards and an unfortunate, game-ending interception in the Giants’ narrow loss to the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
Dart returned to practice this week and initially began Week 12 with his sights on returning. Outside of this recent concussion-caused absence, Dart has enjoyed a successful rookie campaign, taking over as the starter in Week 4 and quickly proving why since-fired coach Brian Daboll believed in him enough to hand him the keys before the end of September.
Cowboys’ Stephen Jones says Pickens benched for missing bus
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens missed the team bus to Monday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, leading to him getting benched, executive vice president Stephen Jones told Dallas’ 105.3 The Fan on Friday.
Pickens and CeeDee Lamb were benched for the first series of the game by coach Brian Schottenheimer for disciplinary reasons.
Lamb told reporters Thursday that he and Pickens were benched for missing the team’s 10 p.m. curfew Sunday night after having dinner and drinks at a casino.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said in a separate interview on The Fan on Friday that he had a problem with players partying the night before a game.
“Yes, I do,” Jerry Jones said. “I don’t have any problem with partying, but when we’re rolling in there and we have our special teams meetings, which usually has most of the team, but still, the idea is this is a business trip.”
NFL league links
The Athletic (paywall)
49ers preparing for stunning split with star receiver Brandon Aiyuk
Aiyuk, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in October 2024, was placed on the physically unable to perform list in July and has yet to be activated. It’s now likely that the 27-year-old has played his last game with the franchise, according to numerous sources briefed on the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation. Some in the organization are holding out hope that the relationship can be salvaged enough for him to return this season. However, multiple sources believe that a reconciliation is unlikely.
Aiyuk, sources say, has failed to attend meetings and declined to participate in other team activities in recent months, and the 49ers have grown increasingly frustrated with the receiver’s lack of communication.
The 49ers, sources say, responded by voiding the guaranteed money in Aiyuk’s contract for 2026, asserting that the absences amounted to a failure to fulfill his contractual obligations. Aiyuk, according to multiple league sources, told NFL Players Association representatives that he did not want to fight the move via an official grievance. That would clear the way for his expected release at season’s end.
Aiyuk, a second-team All-Pro in 2023, would hit the open market with uncertainties about the health of his right knee. He tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus during an Oct. 20, 2024 game against the Kansas City Chiefs and underwent major reconstructive surgery in mid-November.
It was expected that Aiyuk could return for the latter part of this season, but he has remained on the PUP list. His presence at the team’s training facility has become scarce; sources say Aiyuk typically works out early in the morning and departs before other 49ers players arrive. Numerous members of the organization — including some 49ers players — have reached out to Aiyuk in recent weeks in an unsuccessful attempt to bring him back into the fold, one source said.
In late August 2024, Aiyuk — a first-round selection in 2020 — signed the four-year extension, which included $76 million in guarantees.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta (back surgery) unlikely to return this season
Detroit Lions TE Sam LaPorta is unlikely to return this season after undergoing back surgery, according to head coach Dan Campbell.
Campbell called it a “slim” chance that he returns this season following the procedure.
“I think we would be fortunate to have a chance to get him back for the rest of the season,” Campbell said. “I think that’s very, very slim.
“The good news is the procedure went really well long-term.”
LaPorta, 24, was ruled out of Sunday’s game against Philadelphia and placed on the injured reserve list last week.
The 2023 Pro Bowler is third on the team in receiving yards (489) with 40 receptions and 3 touchdowns, behind All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
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