The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team.

The sting that comes with the first loss of the season is never fun, but the Washington Commanders are dealing with a little extra pain after their 27-18 defeat to the Green Bay Packers. Austin Ekeler and Deatrich Wise Jr. are done for the year; Jayden Daniels is day-to-day with a knee injury; and several other players are being monitored with other issues that could keep them out of next week's game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

As frustrating as all that may be, I'm choosing to be optimistic as the Commanders try to bounce back from stumbling against one of the NFC's top teams. There's plenty of time for them to get right, and while things might be different without key players in the lineup, they have enough talent to figure things out.

With all that said, fans still have questions about the short-term future, so let's dive into what they want to know this week.

-- @ImARebelDotty: Based on the first two games, what adjustments can we make to get back our winning momentum? Can Mariota provide a spark if needed (Jayden being possibly hurt)

The short -- and correct -- answer to this is reps. September football is weird, mostly because of the shortened preseason and teams' different approaches to it. The New York Giants couldn't do much against the Commanders in Week 1 but then took the Dallas Cowboys into overtime on Sunday. I don't think anyone -- or at least I don't -- believes the Kansas City Chiefs are a bad team, and yet, here they are at 0-2.

The Commanders' starters on both sides of the ball didn't get much time together in preseason games, so they still need to get more game reps before getting in a rhythm. But you didn't come here for an easy answer, so I'll try to give you some things I want to see going forward.

First, I want to see the run game get back to what it was in Week 1. Things are going to get more interesting with Ekeler out, but we should see more of Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Chris Rodriguez, both of whom stood out in the preseason. Chase Edmonds could be a fun wrinkle, but I need to see him on the field before making assumptions. I also want to see more of Terry McLaurin, particularly on deep shots downfield. It looks like Packers' defense is for real, which would explain why there were so many short passes.

The past two weeks have featured possibly the best pass rushes Washington will see all year, so I expect that to improve as well.

As for Mariota, I have confidence that he can get the job done if necessary. I was a Titans fan for most of my life prior to working for the Commanders, so I've seen just about every snap of his career. He's not perfect, but the two games he played last year show that he still has the tools to lead an offense.

-- @JasonStorm40688: Do you expect Luke McCaffrey to have a bigger role in the absence of Noah Brown?

I'm going to tentatively say "yes" to this, although I think it will depend on how the personnel is used next week.

There's not really another version of Brown on the roster, but it's possible either Jaylin Lane or Chris Moore moves to the outside because of their skill set. Both players were praised in training camp for being able to play at multiple spots on the field, which would leave an open spot for McCaffrey in the slot. McCaffrey was an outside receiver in camp as well, but I've always felt he is best suited to be on the inside where he can use his quickness.

For the record, I don't believe McCaffrey is an incapable receiver. I believe he has a lot of natural talent and works hard to be prepared for game days. However, he is also still learning the position, and it isn't necessarily a bad thing for him to take a smaller role until he gets more experience.

With all that said, this weekend could present an opportunity to prove he is ready for more. I hope so, because I like to see people get rewarded for putting in the work behind the scenes.

-- @SadeghiStu21366: How would you reshape the o-line? with and w/o Cosmi? at what point do you bench Conerly? Jayden's injury concerns?

So I'm going to say something that might upset some fans, and I promise it's not because I work for the Commanders and wouldn't get a lot of favorable looks if I were to openly criticize the team: I think the offensive line is shaped exactly as it should be for now until Sam Cosmi comes back into the fold.

Okay, now that I've shouted that into the void, let me explain: the Commanders went through a lot to upgrade their offensive line, and I think will pay off later in the season. However, similar to the point I made earlier, the starting lineup didn't get much time together in the preseason, and that matters to a group that depends upon each other to do their jobs correctly. There are also players in different positions from last year. It takes time to get in a groove, and it often bleeds into the regular season.

I would also remind people that bringing in a top five tackle and an improved front does not mean perfect protection. These first three games were always going to be tough with Dexter Lawrence, Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, Parsons and Max Crosby as opponents. It wasn't going to be perfect for a group that is still learning how to work together, so while it's fair to be frustrated, try to keep that in mind.

As for Conerly, I understand people being frustrated with his performance last Thursday (he would probably agree with you), but I mean, he was going against one of the best pass-rushers of the last decade. What's more, John Bates missed a significant portion of the game with a groin issue. Parsons was inevitably going to get some wins against Conerly -- a rookie -- which is not an excuse, but rather the reality of his situation.

Here's another reason I wouldn't bench Conerly: it's going to help him in the long run. I've been around long enough to remember when Cosmi was getting some criticism for getting beat in practice by Montez Sweat and Chase Young as a rookie right tackle. Those are tough matchups, but he said it helped him because he was seeing talented pass-rushers on every snap. Now, he's one of the best guards in the league when healthy.

It's obviously too early to say anything about Conerly's future, but the Commanders drafted him because they had high hopes for him and his future. So, while I get the frustration, let's give him a chance to grow before pulling him.