The Washington Commanders lost 13-16 to the Miami Dolphins at the Bernabeu Stadium in Spain. It was not a great loss but it seems like the team found a guilty person. Hence, its decision with Matt Gay might seem drastic but also not surprising.
According to the Commanders’ X page, they’ve communicated that kicker Matt Gay has been released from his duties. Matt Gay missed two kicks against the Dolphins in a three-point loss. Hence, if he scored those two, the team would’ve won.
Gay’s season was not one that the team could just sweep under the rug. Gay has missed six field goals this season. He is averaging a career-low 68.4 field goal percentage.
The Commanders’ issues are more than just kicking
While missing field goals is not ideal, this team has way more issues than just the kickers. In fact just two of the Commanders losses have been by three or less points. The fact of the matter is that this team has lots of bad traits.

Head coach Dan Quinn of the Washington Commanders
The reality is that going to the NFC Championship game last year was a bad thing for the Commanders. It made them think they were closer to success than what they actually were, and that rushed some moves. The coaching is an issue right now, as the Dan Quinn experiment is going downwards. The defense is not doing great and the offense has been hampered by injuries.

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Commanders face a silent adversary threatening to derail their NFL season ambitions
The Commanders regressed a ton
In 2024, the team still had a bad defense, but were able to win shootouts. They ended the season 12-5 before beating the Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round and then going through the Detroit Lions.
This time around, they are 3-8 and have the longest losing streak in the NFL right now, with six straight losses. It’s one of those teams that had lots of potential but it seems like everything that could go wrong, went wrong.





