Week 5 Preview – Washington Commanders at Los Angeles Chargers

By: Sam Myer 9/30/2025

The week 5 matchup between the Washington Commanders and the LA Chargers will inevitably be a huge bounce-back game for the victorious squad. In week four, the Commanders travelled to Atlanta and got dominated on the defensive side of the ball allowing two Falcons to eclipse 100 yards receiving. The Chargers on the other hand travelled to New York for Jaxson Dart’s first start as a Giant and suffered their first defeat of the year. Both teams have endured copious injuries throughout the first month of the season but remain firmly in the playoff hunt.

The Washington Commanders left their first month of the season with many questions, most notably on the defensive side of the ball. While the defensive line has been solid to very good at times through the first four games, their secondary has been a notable weak point. This was put on full display in week four when the defensive line did not have a big impact and did not push Michael Penix Jr. into uncomfortable throws. The lack of difference-making pressure exposed the secondary throughout the game and produced several big plays from the Atlanta passing game. The coverage woes came from a combination of poor communication, poor execution, and an apparent lack of speed throughout the secondary. Lastly and possibly most concerning, was the poor tackling from the Washington second level in the run game. The Commanders defensive backs seemed to bounce off ball carriers all afternoon, which was an unfamiliar trend for them through four games this season. These are both issues that defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. will be looking to get cleaned up immediately in practice this week.

On the other hand, the Washington offense put up a respectable 27 points on the road without their starting quarterback and outside receivers. This performance goes to show how prolific this offense can be once healthy and goes to show how Kliff Kingsbury has finally found his playcalling rhythm. Deebo Samuel has been the biggest bright spot of the first month of the season as he has seemingly returned to his All-Pro form that he displayed with the 49ers. Once Daniels, McLaurin, Brown, Bates, and Cosmi all return from injury, the Commanders offense is expected to become one of the best in the entire league once again. For now, in week five, Washington is expected to get back Daniels, Brown, and Bates will be a huge boost as they face a great defense in LA.

The Los Angeles Chargers finished their first month of the season on a sour note, despite being the talk of the league through three weeks. Their offense was high-flying and explosive after taking on a pass-heavy mindset as opposed to the run-first mentality taken through the first half of last season. The return of Keenan Allen and the emergence of Quentin Johnston have taken this offense to a level that they were incapable of reaching in 2024. Despite losing their power back in Najee Harris to an Achilles tear, the silver lining was the breakout of 1^st round rookie Omarion Hampton in week four. Hampton totaled 120 rushing yards and 37 receiving yards on only 17 touches against the Giants and added his first career rushing touchdown. The rookie looks to continue his breakout campaign against a Washington defense that was gutted by Bijan Robinson in week four. One downside to this prolific Chargers offense is that they are now without both of their star offensive tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, until Alt recovers from a high-ankle sprain.

The Chargers defense has also been a prolific unit, allowing 21 points or less in all four of their games so far this season. Third-year linebacker Tuli Tuipoltu has accumulated four sacks and six tackles for loss so far this season. His continued impact will be necessary with the absence of Khalil Mack for a few more games. The best unit of the Chargers defense so far this year has by far been the secondary. They’ve already got three interceptions this season along with an absurd 24 passes defended. Los Angeles is currently boasting a top 10 pass defense to go with an above average rush defense.

This is going to be a fiercely contested showdown in the city of Angels where both teams match up very well against each other. Washington has an elite rushing attack led by their blocking scheme and dual-threat quarterback, but their passing game hasn’t quite found their full rhythm without Jayden Daniels and their top two outside receivers. On the other hand, the Chargers have an elite passing attack led by three great receivers; however, their running game has been below average to start. On the defensive side, the Washington run defense has been above-average while their pass coverage has been bottom-10 in the league. As for the Chargers, their run defense has been average at best; however, the pass defense has been elite, ranking 5^th through the first month of the season. The way these two squads match up could make for quite the back-and-forth affair on Sunday.