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

The roller coaster continues for the Washington Commanders, who suffered their third loss of the season in a 25-24 heartbreaker to the Chicago Bears. The fans have several questions about the state of the team, and I'm going to do my best to answer them. So, let's get to it.

-- @Colkilla1: Any vets we can trade for picks? Not sure there's anyone with actual value...

There are a lot of fans on social media who share the emotions behind this post, and as a fan of the sport and someone who obviously has a vested interest in the Commanders winning games, I can empathize with the frustration. It's never fun for your favorite team -- or, in my case, coworkers -- to lose a game the way the Commanders did on Monday. There were some high expectations for this season, and so far, things have been inconsistent.

However, and admittedly, sometimes I have to remind myself of this reality, there is still time for the Commanders to fix their issues. It isn't ideal to have a 3-3 record, but the fact is that they have 11 games left. Their injured players aren't going to stay that way, and there's a chance they can get several key players back this week. Despite their issues, they have managed to stay competitive in their losses. I don't believe in moral victories, but to me, that does provide optimism for when they can smooth out their problems on both sides of the ball and get healthy.

I'm not going to tell you to cheer up after a loss; I believe it's part of a fan's job to provide criticism to their team when it doesn't play well or lose. However, let's not act like the season is over, because that is clearly not the case.

-- @washtailgate: Do you have any confidence against Dallas? The defense seems trash this year and Dak always cooks us, just can't see where we get this win unless the offense puts up 35-40.

I'll briefly address the second part of this question first. To me, "trash" means a unit or team is just bad at everything, and for all the work the Commanders' defense does need to make, that's not the case. They have the sixth-most sacks in the league, so the pass rush is obviously improved from last year, and they have been better at stopping the run. Of course, that doesn't wipe away the things they need to work on, particularly in the secondary, but those two areas are, to my eyes, objectively better than they were in 2024.

Now, on to the first part of this question. I do have confidence that the Commanders can get a win over Dallas. The old saying about "throw the records out" in division games is cliche for a reason: it's true, although let's remember that the Commanders, a 3-3 team, are going up against a Cowboys team that is 2-3-1 and not 6-0. Division games are always tougher, and I expect the Commanders to be mentally ready against one of their oldest rivals.

The Cowboys going through their own rough patch and have been just as inconsistent as the Commanders, despite their No. 1-ranked offense. Dak Prescott is playing well, but this is a team sport, and they just lost a shootout to the Carolina Panthers.

It won't be easy to get a win against the Cowboys on the road -- it never is -- but I don't think we should chalk the game up as being too difficult for the Commanders to accomplish. They still have a talented offense, and if they can stay consistent, I have confidence they can hang with Dallas on the scoreboard.

-- @spitzzzz22: Do you think they should consider benching Jayden? Mariota would never lose that game.

No. Just...no.