Minnesota and Washington can be eliminated from the playoffs Sunday, five weeks before the postseason begins.

It's a sobering pivot from 2024 when they won an equal number of games (14 – if you include the Commanders forging a path to the NFC Championship Game) and therefore entered 2025 with huge expectations. This year, injuries have battered both organizations and spoiled similarly lofty missions.

The woes, though, however painful and plainly seen as they've been when they derail winning efforts from one or two but rarely all three phases, shouldn't completely overshadow positive performances.

Although it's less enjoyable when losses stack up, and rightfully not the club's focus when times are tough, it's still important to highlight good things happening – i.e. big games from undervalued players.

That's what Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic did this week, shining light on Commanders stepping up amidst their seven-game losing streak – just like we've tried to do in promoting the play of DL Jalen Redmond, LBs Eric Wilson and Blake Cashman, and K Will Reichard and P Ryan Wright during the Vikings skid. We think Jhabvala’s article is worth reading because Washington's 3-9 record can be misleading.

In other words, the Commanders are talented; like Minnesota, they've just not played to their potential.

Jhabvala started her story with praise for Washington's offensive line, which regained right guard Sam Cosmi in Week 7 and kept QB Marcus Mariota remarkably clean against a fierce Broncos pass rush in Week 13. The Broncos entered with a 41.3 percent season pressure rate, but managed to affect Mariota on just 17.9 percent of his drop backs. It was Denver's lowest QBP rate in a game since allowing 70 points to Miami in Week 3 two years ago. Cosmi gave up one pressure on 55 pass blocks, per Next Gen Stats.

Next, Jhabvala appreciated 29-year-old RB Jeremy McNichols' pass protection and pinball running style, and 2023 sixth-round RB Chris Rodriguez, Jr. 's, consistency in the backfield. Both players boast fewer rush yards than 2025 seventh-rounder Jacory Croskey-Merritt, a.k.a. Bill, but gain more yards per attempt. McNichols' 6.6 average and 5.25 yards after contact rank second for RBs with at least 30 rushes.

More about Washington will be included in our game preview for this week, which rolls out Friday.

For now, here's the full story on less heralded Commanders and another about their improving defense.

Best at [fill in the blank]

Reflecting on "Senior Superlatives" is one way to make small talk fun at a high school reunion.

What a random way to introduce the second item of this article: 2025 Season Superlatives for the NFL.

Matt Bowen of ESPN on Wednesday delved into 109 different skills and picked the No. 1 player in the league at each, based on tape study and underlying numbers. It's a catalog of the tippy top right now.

The best touch and timing on passes belongs to Patriots QB Drake Maye. The best deep-ball thrower? Seahawks QB Sam Darnold. The best at bringing down 50-50 balls? Cowboys WR George Pickens. The most physical DL? Rams OLB Jared Verse. And the best closing speed on QBs? Packers DE Micah Parsons.

Let's just cut to the chase. … The premier route runner in Bowen's eyes is Vikings WR Justin Jefferson.

Bowen noted Jefferson's statistical reduction in his evaluation – directly related to Minnesota's subpar QB play – but the 26-year-old remains the greatest player at setting up and manipulating man coverage.

Jefferson's mention is a good excuse for us to draw attention to some in-the-weeds numbers that accent the receiver's dominance in tough circumstances. Firstly, Jefferson is one of 14 wide receivers this year with 100 routes against press coverage, according to Next Gen Stats. He's run 146 of them, the fourth most behind Cincinnati teammates Tee Higgins (161) and Ja'Marr Chase (151), as well as Pittsburgh's DK Metcalf (153). On those routes, "Jets" has averaged 2.6 yards of separation – that's where he really pops.

Among the 14 players at his position with comparable usage, no one is better at separating than Jefferson – and very few are even in the same stratosphere. Panthers Top 10 pick Tetairoa McMillan, who ranks eighth in the NFL with 826 receiving yards and needs 183 more to shatter Carolina's rookie receiving record, is closest to the Vikings phenom, averaging 2.3 yards of separation vs. press coverage.

Only three other wideouts with a minimum of 100 routes run with defenders aligning in their face sit at or above 2.0 yards: Denver's Courtland Sutton (2.2), Pickens (2.1) and Arizona's Marvin Harrison, Jr. (2.1).

In the same group, Jefferson reigns supreme with 14.9 air yards per target; Cleveland's Jerry Jeudy and Harrison rank second (14.6). Jefferson's deep-target rate (20-plus air yards) of 21.6% is fifth, by the way.

We digress. All that to say Bowen aced his choice of Jefferson, who has now three-peated as the best route runner in Bowen's season superlatives, which were chronicled for the first time in December 2023.

Here are a few other winners of super specific qualities: Best OL play demeanor? Colts G Quenton Nelson. Best bend/flexibility? Giants OLB Brian Burns. The best spin move? Texans DE Danielle Hunter.

You can find the rest of Bowen's 109 selections right here.

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