The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team unless specified by a direct quote.

The Washington Commanders are still on a bit of a roller coaster to start the season, as they suffered their second loss of the season to the Atlanta Falcons, 34-27.

There's no reason to give up on the season with 13 games left, especially with the knowledge that the Commanders will be getting some of their injured players back in the near future. However, it's clear that they need to figure something out as they enter a difficult portion of the schedule that includes three road trips and two primetime games.

Up next are the Los Angeles Chargers, who suffered their first loss of the season last week and will be eager to put on a good showing on their turf. The Chargers have a top 10 offense as well as a top five defense that has allowed the fourth fewest points through four games, so it will take a team effort from the Commanders, no matter who is on the field, to come away with a win.

The Washington Commanders are still on a bit of a roller coaster to start the season, as they suffered their second loss of the season to the Atlanta Falcons, 34-27.

-- @TADtwade: The interior part of line was pretty bad last week. Do we see Coleman get another shot at guard? In that same vein does Cosmi open his window this week with practicing?

I'm going to push back a little on the Commanders' interior line being "pretty bad" last week. The team rushed for 147 yards, largely because of how the offensive line opened lanes for Washington's backs (Commanders analyst Logan Paulsen has an excellent clip of Chris Paul working with Laremy Tunsil on a double team). To your point, there were some things they could clean up. Tyler Biadasz's snaps were a little too low at times, which disrupted the timing of plays. They could have done better in sticking to their assignment in the passing game, which contributed to two sacks.

As for whether Brandon Coleman could get another shot at guard, I could see that happening because the coaching staff is always preaching competition. It'll depend on whether Coleman earns that right in practice this week. For now, Paul has the edge because of his strength in the running game, but if Coleman can get healthy and shore up some of his own shortcomings, then he could get placed back into the lineup.

I could see Sam Cosmi returning to practice this week with all the praise that he's gotten from head coach Dan Quinn. That doesn't mean he's going to play against the Chargers since he'll need time to get back in game shape.

-- @Luhmoe7: What adjustments are they going to make on the defensive side of the ball?

I can't speak with any certainty about any adjustments the Commanders intend to make on defense. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. doesn't include me in those meetings, nor does he like to discuss his game plan with media members.

Here's what I do know: Whitt has often pointed the finger at himself when something goes wrong with his defense. He takes responsibility for the players' mistakes, saying that something needs to be done about the way he teaches concepts if the players don't understand them.

I think some of the defense's biggest problems can be fixed by execution. For example, Quinn said the 12 tackles they missed on Sunday were "too high," and it led to some explosive plays on the ground. So, I expect tackling will be a bigger emphasis in practice this week.

Quinn also said during his Monday press conference that getting more from the pass rush and streamlining communication in the secondary are things they will get better at. He thought the defensive line could have run more stunts on Sunday to help generate more pressure with fewer rushers. He also wants the players to communicate the calls at a quicker pace so they can avoid bigger holes in coverage.

The Commanders normally do a good job of addressing issues quickly, and there should be more emphasis on that with several high-powered offenses on the schedule.

-- @AmatorLudis: Do you think Kingsbury will lean more on RBs/running the ball & winning time of possession (went away vs Pack & ATL)? D is better compared to last season but top 3 investments were all offense-Tunsil, Samuel & Conerly Jr.; we need O to shoulder more so D is on field less time.)

I think there is a possibility the Commanders could lean more on running the ball to get more out of their offense. After all, it's what the unit does best; they rank second in rushing yards per game with the best average in yards per rush in the NFC, all while tying for 17th in rushing attempts. And with all the injuries at receiver, the best way to mitigate that loss is by trusting the ground game more often.

One thing I will point out is that game flow and staying on the field matters when it comes to getting more from the run game. It's obviously not ideal for either Marcus Mariota or Jayden Daniels to have 30-plus drop backs, but the Commanders were also down 14 points for most of the night against the Packers, which doesn't lend itself to running the ball more often. That was true to a lesser extent against the Falcons, although the penalties they suffered at critical times put them in must-pass situations and disrupted the flow.

I still think the Commanders would like to be a run-first team. However, they must avoid the self-inflicted errors and find ways to stay on the field to allow that part of their offense to blossom. Case in point: they're currently 23rd in offensive plays per game so far this season, which is 10 spots lower than they were at this time last year and a stark contrast from where they were at by the end of the 2024 season (first in the NFL with an average of 66 plays per game)