Unfortunate trend could spell bad news for the Washington Commanders

Even after dropping their last two games, the Washington Commanders are still enjoying a highly impressive 2024 NFL season as they sit 7-4.

All in all, there's not too much for Washington to be concerned about. There is one red flag that seems to be rearing its head, though.

Against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night, the Commanders' offense looked anemic. It lacked deep passes or much of any creativity from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, which means it must be November.

Though the tweet linked above is from December of 2021, it remains true three years later. In 2022, Kingsbury's Cardinals started the year 3-4 before finishing with a 4-13 record. Even last season, when Kingsbury was an offensive analyst at USC, the Trojans went 6-1 in their first seven games before skidding to 8-5.

Now in Washington, Kingsbury's offense appears to have hit a wall again. The Commanders were 5-2 after seven games and are now 7-4, and without a miracle last-second Hail Mary in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears, they'd be 1-3 in their last four.

Of course, there is likely a bigger reason behind the regression of Washington's offense. QB Jayden Daniels has been nursing a rib injury ever since that Chicago game, and has not been as explosive in the pocket as either a passer or a runner in the past month.

Getting Daniels back to 100 percent is Washington's main priority, which the team's 10-day rest period following Thursday night should provide an opportunity for. With four of the Commanders' final six games coming against sub-.500 teams, they should have no problems treading water enough to at least make the playoffs.

Still, if Washington is going to end the season strong, it must beware the Kingsbury second-half collapse.