Where do the Commanders stand in the NFL power rankings after Week 9?

23. Commanders (24): Just 25.9% of Washington’s offensive drives end in points, worst in the league. That’s not likely to improve Monday night in Philadelphia.

Washington took one of the best teams in the NFC down to the wire. They may not be a team that will creep into the top-10 of anybody’s power rankings anytime soon, but Washington still looks like a team that is starting to form its identity.

Taylor Heinicke has his moments, but he can’t avoid the games in which it’s clear he’s really not a long-term answer. On Sunday he had 149 yards and 49 came on one play to Curtis Samuel. He threw an interception to Harrison Smith when he tried to do a little too much on a deeper pass over the middle and that was the turning point of the game. Everyone was quick to want to bury Carson Wentz and move on from him, but it’s not like Heinicke is the solution.

Washington’s defense is the main reason the Commanders embarked on a three-game win streak and nearly upset Minnesota. And the defense is spurred by its tackles, Allen and Daron Payne. You could make this a combo MVP and include Payne, who leads the team with 5.5 sacks, one more than Allen. But Allen is tied for the league lead in tackles for a loss with 14. He also has a higher pass rush win rate, pressure percentage and run stop win rate than Payne. They’re close and could split it, but if picking one, it’s Allen by a hair. They’re the reason Washington can hope for a better second half of the season.

If the Washington Commanders miss the postseason this year, they might look back on Sunday’s loss to the Vikings as their missed opportunity.

For most of the game, the Commanders hung with the one-loss NFC North leaders. They even held a 10-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter. But Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke threw a killer interception late that led to a game-tying touchdown, and the Vikings got a field goal at the end of regulation to eke out a three-point win.

Head coach Ron Rivera told reporters after the game that his team committed far too many unforced errors to get a win.

“We got some opportunities,” he said. “We didn’t take advantage of the opportunities. Enough mistakes to go around for everybody.”

Had the Commanders found a way to win, every team in the NFC East would have had a winning record. But Washington is now 2.5 games behind the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys and a whopping 4.5 games behind the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles.

Being that far below the rest of the NFC East will make a postseason push difficult at best and impossible at worst.

Trade recall: Second-round pick Dante Pettis and fifth-round pick D.J. Reed for second-round pick Derrius Guice and third-round pick Geron Christian (trade with Niners, April 2018)

Trent Williams would probably help the most on a short-term basis, but he’s made it clear he’s never putting that uniform on again. Reversing the Carson Wentz trade might be best for morale, which is at an all-time high for Commanders fans following the report of the Snyders considering selling the team. Who cares about blowing a late lead to your former quarterback when the long-term state of the franchise is at stake? Anyway, Reed is playing at a high level for the Jets and would help a pass defense that ranks 26th in DVOA (while sporting the No. 1 DVOA run defense).

There’s an odd thing going on in Washington with Taylor Heinicke. The backup quarterback has proven over the past two seasons that he’s a middle-of-the-road type of player … and yet the crowd at Commanders games absolutely loves him. Sunday’s loss to the Vikings featured multiple “Hein-i-cke!” chants, which mostly died out after the fiery QB sailed a pass over the middle for the Harrison Smith interception that set up Minnesota’s game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter. Heinicke’s passion has endeared him to the fan base, but don’t be surprised if Ron Rivera turns the keys of the offense back over to Carson Wentz when the time comes.

Despite the loss, Taylor Heinicke may have wrested the job from Carson Wentz.

Their three-game winning streak was snapped by blowing a late lead against the Vikings. They can’t afford that in their division.