Week 4 Preview - Washington Commanders at Atlanta Falcons

By: Sam Myer 9/25/25

The Washington Commanders will travel to Atlanta in week four to attempt to build on their momentum from the big win in week three against the Raiders. The Falcons on the other hand couldn’t be more ready to return home to get their offense figured out in week four. These two teams are coming off of completely opposite performances in every possible way from week three. The Commanders dominated on all three phases with over 400 yards on offense, 245 yards in the return game, and 5 sacks on Geno Smith. The Falcons on the other hand, lost to a widely considered bottom 10 NFL team, the Carolina Panthers, by an embarrassing score of 30 – 0. The Panthers had one of the worst defenses of all-time in 2024 and yet handled the Falcons offense with ease on Sunday. It’s a fascinating matchup in Atlanta in week four with two teams seemingly headed in different directions despite both having second-year quarterbacks.

For the third straight week, the Commanders defensive line was the best unit on the field and proved it drive after drive. They sacked Geno Smith five times in week three and they are getting ready to face off against a Falcons offensive line that is struggling. Michael Penix looked like a backup against Carolina in week three, consistently checking down to the flats or the short middle area where the tight ends lived. Nothing threatened the secondary at any point in week three, which is a trend I don’t expect to continue against Washington.

Speaking of the Washington Commanders secondary, they are going to be without starting safety Will Harris after he suffered a broken fibula in week three. Jeremy Reaves will start in his place, which is a long-awaited opportunity for the special teams ace. Luckily, Harris is likely going to be the only absence on the back end for the Commanders after three starters left the game early against the Raiders. Marshon Lattimore has already cleared concussion protocol and Trey Amos is trending towards being able to suit up.

Unfortunately for Washington, the injury bug isn’t limited to the defense as the offense is even more banged up. Jayden Daniels is trending towards being able to play after logging limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday. During his press conference after practice on Wednesday, he seemed quite annoyed by every question directed towards his injury. He clearly wants to get back out there on the field so he can stop fielding all the knee-related questions. In case Daniels doesn’t end up playing, backup Marcus Mariota would be set for a second straight revenge game in Atlanta. Given how well he performed against the Raiders, it can be expected that the offense will still be functioning at a high level against the Falcons.

The injury news for Washington doesn’t end there, as star wideout Terry McLaurin has been absent from the first two days of practice this week due to a quad injury that caused him to exit the Raiders game in the third quarter. According to Ian Rappaport and Adam Schefter, McLaurin went to Philadelphia to receive a second opinion from a core muscle specialist. Dan Quinn stated in his press conference on Wednesday that we would know more about McLaurin’s injury status on Friday. At this point, it would be a surprise if the Commanders’ top pass catching option was available in Atlanta. The number two outside receiver, Noah Brown, has also yet to practice in any capacity this week and isn’t expected to play. If neither Terry nor Noah can go on Sunday, the available receivers will be Deebo Samuel, Jaylin Lane, Luke McCaffery, and Chris Moore. It can also be expected that Zach Ertz will see an uptick in targets in the absence of those two receivers. One break that Washington will get in the passing game comes from the absence of AJ Terrell, who’s sidelined due to a hamstring injury.

The last thing to note on the injury report is the addition of Bill-Croskey Merritt, who was a DNP on Wednesday then logged a limited session on Thursday. According to the beat reporters, Bill was seen working out individually on a side field for his limited session. It is expected that he will suit up against the Falcons, but if he’s unable to go, the bulk of the carries will be handled by Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. Deebo Samuel could also see an increase in carries to go along with any designed runs by the quarterback.

As for the actual product on the field, it will be a clash of strength versus strength with the Commanders running attack and the Falcons run defense. Washington ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards with two games where the team surpassed 200 yards rushing. Atlanta, on the other hand, has allowed the 10^th fewest rushing yards through the first three weeks. Luckily for Washington, their strength comes from blocking scheme instead of from a stud in the backfield. No Commanders running back has surpassed 100 yards rushing in a game yet this season, and despite this they have the second most rushing yards in the league through three games. Washington will cycle through all their available backs, Deebo Samuel, and whoever starts at quarterback to ensure they have fresh legs running the ball.

On the other side of the ball, Washington will try to emulate the Panthers performance from week three as best they can. Carolina absolutely dominated the Falcons by forcing them to keep everything underneath and putting consistent pressure on Michael Penix. Forcing everything underneath and to the edges of the field worked like a charm for Carolina, but Washington has struggled preventing big plays in their last two games. The Packers ripped their secondary to shreds and Geno Smith threw three touchdowns including a 60-yarder to Tre Tucker. If Washington is able to make Penix uncomfortable and can force a couple of turnovers, they’ll be in great shape to come out of Atlanta with a victory.