2025 NFL power rankings roundup: How Commanders fare entering Week 6

The Washington Commanders got their starting quarterback back on the field on Sunday, and it was a little touch-and-go at first, but the Commanders rebounded and came away with a 27-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers came out hot, scoring 10 points in the first quarter with none scored by the Commanders. However, the defense apparently didn't want to hear about how poorly they had performed after the loss to the Atlanta Falcons anymore, and they prevented the Chargers from scoring any points after the first quarter.

Daniels looked great in his return, but the breakout of Jacory Croskey-Merritt was the real story of the game. He had 14 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns, plus two receptions for an additional 39 yards. This is the reason the Commanders were comfortable trading Brian Robinson Jr. ahead of the season. After Wild Bill impressed during the offseason, the Commanders viewed him as the running back of the future, and he's proving to be just that.

This week, the Commanders host the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. The Bears are coming off their bye week, but the Commanders will be riding the momentum they built in their win over the Chargers.

As we enter Week 6, here's a look at where the Commanders place in a multitude of power rankings.

Nate Davis, USA TODAY: 11 (+2)

QB Jayden Daniels returned to action and summarily became the first player to with at least 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in his first 20 NFL games. Good thing he's right given Washington will play in prime time three of the next four weeks.

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: 12 (+4)

Rookie Bill Croskey-Merritt’s metrics had looked very good, but the team seemed hesitant to make him Washington's featured back. After his outburst Sunday, with 150 total yards and two touchdowns, it seems like he’s ready to take on a bulk of the work at running back. That could be great for Washington’s offense.

Diante Lee, The Ringer: 12 (+4)

When you've spent enough time around football, it's easy to develop a cynical outlook. Data and lived experience will tell you that success if fleeting in this sprot, and utliers rarely last. The Commanders have been a popolar pick to regresse in 2024 for those reasons, yet Washington is winning games the exact same way it did last season, but without having to rely on fourth-quarter comebacks or a historic rate of fourth-down conversions.

This team wins by running defenses off the field, and quarterback Jayden Daniels, now that he's back in the lineup, looks just as efficient as he did during his breakout rookie season.

Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: 12 (+3)

The Commanders got revved up by the return of Jayden Daniels and their defense needed that busy swarming performance in L.A. to rebuild confidence under Dan Quinn.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 12 (+3)

Coming from behind to beat the Chargers is a big-time victory. Jayden Daniels was cooking in the second half in his first game back after injuring his knee.

Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated: 7 (+5)

While the Chargers are a tough opponent to gauge right now, having lost to the hapless Giants the week prior, Jayden Daniels looked phenomenal in his return and had two of the best throws of the weekend—one to Luke McCaffrey and another to Deebo Samuel. Tying in the run game will pay dividends against the tougher opponents.

Josh Kendall, The Athletic: 11 (+9)

Sunday was more like what we expected from the Commanders this season. With Jayden Daniels back in the lineup, Washington cruised to an easy win behind a dominant running game led by Jacory Croskey-Merritt (14 carries, 111 yards, two touchdowns). The Commanders’ running game has quietly been the third best in the NFL based on both expected points added per rush and success rate.

Barry Werner, List Wire: 7 (+9)

All the Commanders needed to get the offense in high gear was the return of Jayden Daniels. They throttled the Chargers and the offense ran smoothly with the quarterback returning.

Walter Football: 7 (+1)

I thought Jayden Daniels would be rusty in his first game back from his knee injury, but after a slow start, he looked like his usual, amazing self. Terry McLaurin isn’t even playing yet, so the sky is the limit for Washington.

NFL Nation, ESPN: 14 (+2)

Samuel ranks seventh among all receivers in fantasy points (88.6). Some of that stems from receiver Terry McLaurin missing two games because of a quad injury. Samuel has 30 catches for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he also has seven carries for 46 yards. Washington wants to use him a lot, so his productivity shouldn't diminish too much when McLaurin returns. In the three games they played together, Samuel caught 16 passes.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: How do they in the Week 6 NFL power rankings?