The Washington Commanders just can’t catch a break.
The team entered Week 11 on the heels of five consecutive losses. As a result, head coach Dan Quinn decided to shake things up before the team headed to Madrid. Quinn announced that he would take over playcalling duties on defense, demoting defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.
The Commanders have struggled on defense all season and allowed at least 25 points in each of the last five games heading into Week 11. It made sense that the coach wanted to make a change, and the results were better against the Dolphins.
The Commanders had probably their best defensive performance of the season. The team only allowed 16 points and didn’t allow a single touchdown pass. One of the bright performers on the unit was linebacker Jordan Magee, who has gotten a larger role as the season has progressed.
After the game, Magee talked about the differences (or lack thereof) in the defense this week.
“It was a similar defense,” Magee explained. “Same thing we were running, there were a couple of extra blitzes in there, but really similar. We just really wanted to come out and get the win and play hard.”
Jordan Magee says the defense was pretty similar today but w some extra blitzes pic.twitter.com/Tk74pd7eUV
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) November 16, 2025
The unit was able to generate more pressure this weekend. The team racked up three sacks and six tackles for loss, and Magee contributed five tackles.
It will be interesting to see how the linebacker rotation is handled going forward. Bobby Wagner is still a serviceable player, but it’s clear he doesn’t need to play every snap. Magee is younger and faster and should see more and more snaps at the MIKE.
The Commanders will now regroup over their bye week and prepare to take on the Denver Broncos in Week 13.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: What did Jordan Magee think of changes?
