Commanders 2026 schedule: Passport stamps, playoff tests and a whole lot of prime time
Washington's season opens with a pair of NFC East road games, before taking on five standalone TV games, including a game in London and two Monday Night contests.
The NFL clearly remains intrigued by the Washington Commanders, even after last season’s ugly crash landing.
Despite stumbling to a 5-12 record and going winless in eight standalone or primetime games, Washington still received a schedule packed with marquee windows and national intrigue.
Jayden Daniels remains a draw. Defensive additions offer hope where none existed last season. There’s the possibility that the 2024 NFC runner-ups quickly rebound from a season the organization continues treating as an outlier rather than a warning sign.
The league handed Washington five standalone games, including two on Monday Night Football, a Thursday-night divisional matchup, and the franchise’s first London appearance since 2016.
The season opens with back-to-back road games against the Eagles and Cowboys, followed by a brutal October stretch that includes a London game, an NFC East game without a bye, and then a Monday night trip to San Francisco. December brings potential playoff-eliminators against Houston, Atlanta, and Minnesota before the season closes with Dallas.
If Washington is truly ready to rejoin the NFC contender tier, there won’t be much room to hide.
In the spotlight
Washington remains firmly on the national stage despite last season’s abysmal showing (0-8) in primetime or standalone games. This schedule includes at least five such contests, including the franchise’s first trip to London since 2016. The others include two Monday Night Football appearances, plus one each on Thursday and Sunday night.
Schedule plus
Two West Coast opponents — the Seahawks and the Rams — travel east for 1 p.m. kickoffs, historically a favorable setup for home teams.
The Commanders’ Week 7 bye week is Washington’s earliest since 2018 (Week 4). The last four seasons have been Week 12 or later.
Net rest over the course of a season —yours vs. your weekly opponent — is often a significant variable. According to this graphic from ESPN's Brian Burke, Washington benefits from the rest angle this season.
Schedule minus
The NFL tossed head coach Dan Quinn’s team directly into the fire with division road games at Philadelphia and Dallas in the first two weeks. Then the Commanders host the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks before facing the Colts in London. Considering this is the first quarter, this is Washington’s toughest stretch of the season.
The challenges extend following the London trip. Instead of a bye week, Washington draws an NFC East game against the Giants at home before a cross-country flight to San Francisco for a Monday Night Football matchup in Week 6.
Preseason
Washington plays two of its three games on the road — Detroit, Baltimore — after opening with Miami.
The Commanders will host a joint practice with the Dolphins before the preseason opener.
Going the distance
According to Bookies.com, Washington will travel 18,491 miles this season, ranking 16th among NFL teams.
Inside the Commanders’ 2026 schedule
Details and notes for each regular and preseason game, including “chapter” names using movie titles. All game times listed are Eastern.
Week 1 — at Philadelphia Eagles (Sept. 13)
Venue — Lincoln Financial Field
Kickoff — 4:25 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Jalen Hurts
Movie chapter — Top Gun
Need to know
Washington opens on the road for the first time since Jayden Daniels’ 2024 NFL debut against Tampa Bay. Four of the Commanders’ previous five season openers came at home. Regardless of venue, Week 1 marks Daniels’ first opportunity to recapture the form from his dazzling rookie campaign after an injury-plagued sophomore season. He’ll do so in the same game as the only NFC East quarterback to have started and won a Super Bowl.
Washington is 4-2 in its last six regular-season openers. That includes a 27-17 comeback win over Philadelphia after the Eagles scored the game’s first 17 points.
Scoring will be an unpredictable variable since both teams will trot out first-time offensive coordinators in David Blough and Sean Mannion.
Week 2 — at Dallas Cowboys (Sept. 20)
Venue — AT&T Stadium
Kickoff — 4:25 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Dak Prescott
Movie chapter — The Empire Strikes Back
Need to know
Not only will the Commanders seek to rebound from last season’s rotten season, but they’ll also attempt to avenge their losses to Dallas in both meetings. The Cowboys are 5-1 in the last six head-to-head matchups.
If Philadelphia doesn’t adequately test Washington’s cornerbacks in Week 1, Cowboys receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens surely will.
Week 3 — vs. Seattle Seahawks (Sept. 27)
Venue — Northwest Stadium
Kickoff — 1 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Sam Darnold
Movie chapter — The Hangover
Need to know
Last season’s lopsided 38-14 home loss to Seattle highlighted Washington’s downward trajectory — only halfway through an eventual eight-game losing streak — while showcasing the Seahawks’ contender credentials.
Maybe the Commanders benefit from a Super Bowl hangover and an early 1 p.m. kickoff for a West Coast visitor.
Week 4 — vs. Indianapolis Colts (Oct. 4 — London)
Venue — Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Kickoff — 9:30 a.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Daniel Jones
Movie chapter — Crossroads
Need to know
The Commanders are the designated home team in the franchise’s first London appearance since a 27-27 tie with Cincinnati in 2016. Washington is 0-1-1 internationally after last season’s 16-13 loss to Miami in Madrid.
Playing the Colts early in the season could prove beneficial, considering the uncertainty surrounding Jones’ recovery timeline from last December’s Achilles tear. Even if he’s ready, the former Giants quarterback may still be shaking off rust. With Jones, Indianapolis’s offense wowed during a 7-1 start last season before missing the playoffs with a second-half slide.
Colts receiver Alec Pierce passed on Washington’s recruitment efforts in free agency to remain in Indianapolis, but the Commanders did land former Colts safety Nick Cross.
Week 5 — vs. New York Giants (Oct. 11)
Venue — Northwest Stadium
Kickoff — 1 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Jaxson Dart
Movie chapter — Breaking Away
Need to know
There are arguments for both teams climbing back into the playoff mix. Washington’s centers on better health and a faster defense. New York has core building blocks in place and a proven head coach in John Harbaugh. Can both rise if the Eagles and Cowboys remain formidable?
Dan Quinn dominates Big Blue. Washington is 4-0 against the Giants during Quinn’s two seasons as head coach. Expand the sample to Quinn’s previous coaching stops with Atlanta, Seattle and Dallas, and his teams are 14-0 against New York.
However, Harbaugh owns a 2-0 record against Quinn.
Week 6 — at San Francisco 49ers (Oct. 19 — Monday Night Football)
Venue — Levi’s Stadium
Kickoff — 8:20 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Brock Purdy
Movie chapter — The Departed
Need to know
Let’s say the Brandon Aiyuk subplot will hover over this matchup until further notice. The possibility of the disgruntled receiver eventually joining his college quarterback in Washington would only add to the theater.
The movie title also fits Adam Peters, Trent Williams and Kyle Shanahan. Hopefully, the 49ers’ press box serves popcorn.
Week 7 — BYE
Venue — Home couch or tropical getaway
Movie chapter — Vacation
Need to know
Week 8 — vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Nov. 1 — Sunday Night Football)
Venue — Northwest Stadium
Kickoff — 8:15 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Jalen Hurts
Movie chapter — Rocky II
Need to know
Round one arrives in Week 1. The sequel gets the standalone spotlight.
If the Commanders are legitimate NFC contenders again, this game likely carries division-race implications and a chance to measure themselves against one of the conference’s standard bearers under the lights.
Week 9 — vs. Los Angeles Rams (Nov. 8)
Venue — Northwest Stadium
Kickoff — 1 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Matthew Stafford
Movie chapter — Ocean’s 13 (Personnel)
Need to know
Washington can finally tout having its own version — fingers crossed — of Sean McVay in Blough. The more compelling schematic clash comes with Daronte Jones’ defense facing McVay’s steady use of three-tight-end formations.
Week 10 — at New York Giants (Nov. 12 — Thursday Night Football)
Venue — MetLife Stadium
Kickoff — 8:15 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Jaxson Dart
Movie chapter — TBD
Week 11 — vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Nov. 23 — Monday Night Football)
Venue — Northwest Stadium
Kickoff — 8:20 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Joe Burrow
Movie chapter — Batman vs. Superman
Need to know
Washington is 2-0 against Burrow, including the unforgettable 38-33 shootout in Cincinnati during Daniels’ rookie season. That performance in a game against his fellow LSU standout and Heisman Trophy winner transformed Daniels from a promising rookie into a national sensation.
The passing defense proving at least somewhat stout probably wins this likely track meet.
On a personal note, this better be fun if they’re gonna make me work on my birthday.
Week 12 — at Arizona Cardinals
Venue — State Farm Stadium
Kickoff — 4:25 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Jacoby Brissett or Carson Beck
Movie chapter — Raising Arizona
Need to know
The Cardinals are the lone opponent on Washington’s schedule without either a proven veteran starter or a recent first-round quarterback currently atop the depth chart.
Week 13 — at Tennessee Titans
Venue — Nissan Stadium
Kickoff — 1 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Cam Ward
Movie chapter — Remember the Titans
Need to know
Which “Titans” franchise is more famous: Tennessee’s NFL team or the Alexandria, Virginia-based high school program depicted in the 2000 film?
This is rhetorical. One side has Denzel Washington.
Daniels and Ward are among the quarterbacks featured in Netflix’s upcoming season of Quarterback, premiering July 14.
Week 14 — vs. Houston Texans (Dec. 13)
Venue — Northwest Stadium
Kickoff — 1 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — C.J. Stroud
Movie chapter — Face/Off
Need to know
This marks Laremy Tunsil’s first game against Houston since last year’s blockbuster trade brought the five-time Pro Bowler to Washington.
The key battle may involve Tunsil matching up against Houston’s ferocious pass-rush tandem of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter.
Week 15 — vs. Atlanta Falcons (Dec. 20)
Venue — Northwest Stadium
Kickoff — 1 p.m.
Projected opposing starting QB — Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr.
Movie chapter — Groundhog Day
Need to know
Washington somehow faces Atlanta, a non-divisional foe, for the sixth consecutive season. That’s bizarre.
Atlanta won at home last season behind running back Bijan Robinson, ending Washington’s four-game head-to-head winning streak.
Tagovailoa could win the starting job outright while Penix recovers from a torn ACL suffered last November — or show new head coach Kevin Stefanski why the Dolphins cut bait with the QB despite a record-setting $99.2 million salary cap charge.
Former Commanders receivers Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus are now Falcons, though Drake London remains the scariest member of Atlanta’s receiving corps.
Week 16 — at Minnesota Vikings (date TBD)
Venue — U.S. Bank Stadium
Kickoff — TBD
Projected opposing starting QB — Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy
Movie chapter — Frozen
Need to know
Traveling to Minneapolis for a game the day after Christmas won’t be for the faint of heart. Neither will revisiting the site of last season’s brutal 31-0 loss.
Week 17 — at Jacksonville Jaguars (date TBD)
Venue — EverBank Stadium
Kickoff — TBD
Projected opposing starting QB — Trevor Lawrence
Movie chapter — Downsizing
Need to know
Florida in January sounds appealing for Washington-based fans until you remember Jacksonville’s reduced stadium capacity amid ongoing renovations. The Jaguars will hold around 43,000 spectators.
Not sure we can call this a revenge game, but Chris Rodriguez and Dyami Brown switched sides this offseason. Let’s see if the running back or the wide receiver is a key piece in their respective offenses.
Week 18 — vs. Dallas Cowboys (date TBD)
Venue — Northwest Stadium
Kickoff — TBD
Projected opposing starting QB — Dak Prescott
Movie chapter — There Will Be Blood
Need to know
Whether this game decides the NFC East or merely closes the season, these franchises plain don’t like each other.
Preseason games (dates TBD)
Week 1 — vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 2 — at Detroit Lions
Week 3 — at Baltimore Ravens
Movie chapter — Training Day
Need to know
Hooking up with the Ravens could mean another joint practice at Baltimore’s facility. The teams had a tense session together in 2023 with multiple fights breaking out. Last year’s scheduled practices in Ashburn were mutually canceled.
Miami hosted Washington for a joint practice in 2024 when Mike McDaniel — a former Quinn assistant — coached the Dolphins.
Detroit attempted to interview Blough, the former Lions quarterback, for its vacant offensive coordinator position before Washington locked him down.
DQ has to have the team ready 9/13. A second straight slow start by Washington would be ill-advised for our Head Coach.
Facing the three division foes, including the rejuvenated Giants under Harbaugh, the Super Bowl champs, a game in London and a trip out west to face the 49ers on MNF, DQ has his work cut out for him. Anything less than 3-3 would be brutal.
Let's get ready Washington!
I'm hoping that Washington does NOT have a significant drop in performance, motivation, or success facing the Super Bowl champs after two road division contests, given the fact that the Seahawks were the opponent that ended Jayden Daniels home game appearances last season when Drake Thomas dislocated Jayden Daniels left elbow November 2nd. Some perverse schedule makers in that NFL office to make the Seahawks Washington's home opener opponent.
Seahawks have a 15–2 regular season away record under head coach Mike Macdonald.
Washington cannot seem exhausted, complacent, or lacking the "fire" that resulted in reduced productivity, low energy, any lingering negative emotions and enveloped them last season. Need a much better showing against Seahawks, Falcons and Vikings compared to last season's poor showings. Doing well in the division and against those three teams is critical.