The Washington Commanders lost to the Detroit Lions 17-13 in their second preseason matchup, but the game offered a clear look at what they may be building on defense. Washington's starters were out there only for a handful of plays, yet the first unit still opened with speed, violence and enough disruption to turn the contest into a forcing exercise.
That is why the depth chart search matters now. In a preseason game built to answer roster questions, Washington got a result that was not the point and a performance that was. The Commanders forced two turnovers, pushed the Lions' quarterbacks into five sacks and held Josh Dobbs and Luke Altmyer to 110 yards on 16 completions. For a defense that struggled to create turnovers in 2025 and finished near the bottom of the league ahead of only the New York Jets, two takeaways in one night and six in two preseason games is a meaningful step.
The first snap of the night set the tone. Amik Robertson blitzed into the backfield on the second play from scrimmage, knocked the ball loose from Dobbs and Joshua Josephs fell on it in the end zone. Six plays later, Quan Martin intercepted Dobbs again. The Commanders kept landing blows after that. They finished with five sacks, and Luke Altmyer absorbed two on the same drive, including a nine-yard loss created by Javontae Jean-Baptiste. T.J. Maguranyanga also forced a second-and-long in the second quarter, a small detail that fit the larger picture: Washington's starting defense was fast, physical and versatile.
The wrinkle is that the defense's sharp showing came without two pass rushers who missed the game with injuries, Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson. Even with those absences, Washington looked more opportunistic than it did in 2025, when turnovers came far too rarely. The loss still mattered because the offense could not turn those stops into a win, but the more immediate roster question is whether the Commanders will keep three quarterbacks on the initial roster. Athan Kaliakmanis is making a strong case for that job, and Washington said he looked comfortable. In a preseason game that did not go on the scoreboard the way the Commanders wanted, it may have said enough about the roster race that matters next.
