We’ve reviewed the concerns along the offensive line. We know how little the starters played in three preseason games. We know there are banged-up players along the defensive front. And we understand that Jayden Daniels’ play and Jayden Daniels’ health probably matter more than any of it.But with the Washington Commanders finally, mercifully arriving at a practice week that ends with a regular-season game, there are a few less frequently discussed issues that could have an enormous impact on the season. Let’s get at them:1. The start against the NFC East is more important than you think.General manager Adam Peters had this to say about Sunday’s opener at Philadelphia:“We couldn’t be more thrilled than to start our season where we’re starting it,” Peters said after he and coach Dan Quinn finalized their third roster together. “It’s gonna be a great challenge, and we’re looking forward to it.”Might be an odd way to think about playing an Eagles franchise that has won back-to-back NFC East titles and been to the playoffs in all five seasons of coach Nick Sirianni’s tenure. But if Washington’s season is going to be a success — and a success means returning to the playoffs after last year’s 5-12 disaster — then it says here the Commanders are going to have to figure out a way to win at least one of their first two games, which are at Philly and at Dallas.Consider that in the last 20 NFL seasons, only 65 teams have opened with back-to-back divisional games. Of those teams, just 10 went 0-2. Of that group, just one — last year’s Chicago Bears — managed to put behind the miserable start against its biggest rivals and reach the playoffs.Will the Eagles three-peat as NFC East Champions?Charlotte CarrollEven more ominous: Of those 10 teams to start 0-2 with both losses coming against divisional opponents, five fired their coaches, four in midseason: the 2019 Washington team (Jay Gruden after an 0-5 start), the 2020 Detroit Lions (Matt Patricia after a 4-7 start), the 2023 Carolina Panthers (Frank Reich after a 1-10 start), the 2025 New York Giants (Brian Daboll after a 2-8 start) and the 2025 Cleveland Browns (Kevin Stefanski after the season). Another one of those teams, the 2017 Browns, went 0-16.The schedule doesn’t get much easier in the first half: Five of the Commanders’ first eight games come against 2025 playoff teams, including the home opener against the Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Week 3. The second half — with just two playoff teams (Houston and Jacksonville) in nine games — might provide a chance to go on a run. But it’s almost impossible to see having success within the division without beating either the Eagles or the Cowboys in September.2. David Blough is the second-most important person in the buildingA year ago, Blough was an assistant quarterbacks coach, just two seasons removed from a five-year career as a backup and practice squad quarterback who lost all seven starts he made as a pro. Now, he is not only the offensive coordinator given the keys to a new system with Daniels at the helm, but he’s also been allowed to build that system from the ground up.If the premise is that for the Commanders to excel, Daniels needs to excel — and that’s a pretty foolproof premise — then Blough’s ability to keep his quarterback out of danger and maximize his extraordinary abilities is paramount.Blough, 31, played under former Commanders’ offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury when Kingsbury served as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. But his charge has been to construct a system that differs from Kingsbury’s in almost every way. Kingsbury’s offense rarely huddled; Blough’s will, unless time is ticking down. Kingsbury’s offense rarely moved receivers around or put skill position players in motion; Blough’s will do both on a high percentage of snaps.And perhaps most important: Blough’s offense will rarely call a play that is designed for Daniels to run. Of all the numbers that explain why the Commanders struggled last season, none is more important than the fact that Daniels started and finished only four games. Daniels and Blough must join forces not only to make the offense more explosive, but to make sure it properly protects Daniels in both concepts and play calling.3. Have they solved the kicking issue?Quick, name the seven men who have attempted at least one field goal or extra point for the Commanders over the previous two seasons. Obsessive fans only need apply. (Answer below.)When Washington plays at Philadelphia, Drew Stevens will almost certainly become the eighth. The undrafted rookie from Iowa easily beat out veteran Jake Moody in training camp. The Commanders elected to cut Moody after the first preseason game — a game in which Moody clanked a 29-yarder off the upright and through and Stevens drilled his only attempt, from 41 yards. Stevens was also the more consistent kicker throughout camp, making 43 of 48 attempts from all distances at the time Moody was released, as opposed to Moody’s 36-of-47 performance.Washington Commanders rookie kicker Drew Stevens won the job in the preseason. (Geoff Burke / Imagn Images)Stevens clearly had the stronger leg. But he is also hardly infallible. In the preseason finale at Baltimore, he was asked to attempt a 62-yarder — not a rarity in today’s NFL. He missed badly, both short and wide. It’s also worth noting that Stevens’s senior year at Iowa featured three missed kicks between 30 and 49 yards, exactly the kind of inconsistency that could lead an NFL team to look elsewhere — again.(Answer: Moody, Matt Gay and Matthew Wright in 2025, Austin Seibert, Zane Gonzalez, Greg Joseph and Cade York in 2024.)4. Resources have not been put into running back.Another quiz: In the Peters-Quinn era of 2024-25, who leads the Commanders in rushing yards, attempts and average yards per carry?That one should be easy, right? Jayden Daniels, who ran the ball — either by design or necessity — 206 times for 1,169 yards (a 5.7-yard clip) over his first two seasons.That works out to 8.7 times a game as a rookie and 8.3 times per game last season.That frequency has to stop. Which means the running game will fall to Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White and Kaytron Allen (at least until Jeremy McNichols returns from injured reserve). That trio consists, respectively, of a seventh-round draft pick from 2025; a veteran who hasn’t averaged more than 4.3 yards per carry and is on a one-year, $2 million deal; and a rookie drafted in the sixth round this past spring.Is that enough? The Commanders actually ran the ball fairly effectively in 2025, ranking fourth in the league in yards per game and fifth in yards per attempt. But 1,478 of their 2,290 yards on the ground last season came from players who are either on IR (McNichols), no longer play in Washington (Chris Rodriguez, Deebo Samuel, Austin Ekeler, Chris Moore), play quarterback (Daniels, Marcus Mariota) or some combination of those factors (Josh Johnson).Croskey-Merritt is coming off a rookie season in which he ran for a team-high 805 yards and became a fan favorite. But he was banged up during most of training camp and didn’t appear in a preseason game.White, who spent his first four seasons with Tampa Bay, appears to be Washington’s preferred option as a pass catcher out of the backfield, but he dealt with a hamstring issue during training camp and also didn’t appear in a game.No one gained more rushing yards in the history of Penn State football than Allen, who ran for 85 yards in his preseason debut but fumbled on the Commanders’ first play from scrimmage in the finale against Baltimore.