The Commanders are capable of beating another bad team. What does that mean for next season?

All the Washington Commanders’ first victory in quite some time truly proved was that they can, indeed, beat one of the other worst teams in the NFL.

“We were going to get in the left-hand column by any means necessary, it felt like, and however long that took,” coach Dan Quinn said. “The last two months have been extremely challenging."

There were some hints in the 29-21 win at the New York Giants on Sunday — which ended Washington's eight-game losing skid — related to what certain players might be able to provide in 2026.

Even if linebacker Bobby Wagner insisted: “We’re not trying to think about next season.”

Running back Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt looked, once more, like a possible starter.

Another rookie, wideout and punt returner Jaylin Lane, looked like a keeper. Defensive back Mike Sainristil, a second-year player whose coverage has been shaky at times, showed with his fourth interception of the season that he has a nose for the ball and is maybe the only consistent turnover-maker on the defense. Tight end Ben Sinnott caught a 36-yard pass on his lone target in the first game since Zach Ertz was lost for the season to a torn ACL; Sinnott now has caught all 10 targets in his two-season career.

That's not to say things seem promising overall, of course, and not just because quarterback Jayden Daniels is being shut down for the rest of the season, a decision announced by Quinn on Monday.

There are far too many holes on the roster and questions about how to move forward. Earning half of your triumphs against the lowly Giants (2-12, with eight losses in a row) is not exactly something to brag about, especially one year after coming so close to reaching the Super Bowl.

“It’s been a long season,” acknowledged wideout Terry McLaurin, who scored on a 51-yard catch-and-run Sunday.

The run game, when offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury leans on it. With starter Chris Rodriguez Jr. sidelined by a groin injury, Jeremy McNichols got the chance to open the game at running back, but seventh-round draft pick Croskey-Merritt really shined against the Giants, getting 18 carries for 96 yards (an average of 5.3 per run) and a 16-yard touchdown — his first TD since Oct. 5, when he had two in what was Washington's most recent victory before Sunday. “It felt amazing to get back in the end zone,” Croskey-Merritt said. In all, the Commanders ran 37 times for 145 yards.

Holding onto the football. The Commanders fumbled four times — including one by Croskey-Merritt and two by quarterback Marcus Mariota, who again played in place of the injured Daniels (left elbow) — but were fortunate to lose only two of those, thanks to a couple of loose-ball recoveries by rookie right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. Mariota has turned the ball over three times in the past two games. “I have to find ways to stop with these,” he said.

Lane. His 63-yard punt return for a score in the second quarter was a big play in this sluggish game between a pair of bad teams. He's the first player for Washington to bring two punts back for TDs in a season since Brian Mitchell did it 31 years ago — and the first rookie to do it since Johnny Williams in 1952.

Wagner in coverage. He was beaten again while trying to deal with a running back on a route, giving up an 18-yard TD catch from Jaxson Dart to Tyrone Tracy in the third quarter.

LT Laremy Tunsil (shoulder, oblique), WR Noah Brown (rib) and TE Colson Yankoff (ankle) left Sunday's game. ... Daniels will sit out the last three games, meaning he will have appeared in only seven of 17 this season.

136 1/2 — Career sacks for Von Miller after he picked up another Sunday, moving him past Jared Allen for No. 12 on the all-time list since the NFL began recording the stat officially in 1982. Miller's seven sacks this season are the most on the Commanders and his personal best since 2022.

Another meaningless NFC East contest — well, meaningless for Washington — comes Saturday, when the Commanders host the division-leading and reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (9-5) in a rematch of last season's conference title game. Two of Washington's last three games this season come against Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia, which snapped a three-game losing streak with a 31-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders this weekend.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

New York Giants running back Devin Singletary (26) is tackled by Washington Commanders outside linebacker Von Miller (24) during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) carries the ball against the New York Giants during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Jaylin Lane (83) carries the ball for a touchdown against the New York Giants during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (22) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the New York Giants during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in suspected suicide bombings Monday night that targeted Maiduguri city in northeastern Nigeria, police said Tuesday. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the conflict-battered city in recent history.

Residents and emergency services earlier told The Associated Press that three explosions were reported in crowded places in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, including in a major market and at the entrance of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

“Regrettably, a total of 23 persons lost their lives, while 108 others sustained varying degrees of injuries,” Borno police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso said in a statement that blamed the attacks on suspected suicide bombers.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but suspicion quickly fell on the Boko Haram jihadi group, which in 2009 launched an insurgency in northeastern Nigeria to enforce their radical interpretation of Shariah.

Boko Haram has since become stronger, with thousands of fighters and different factions, including the Islamic State West Africa Province, which is backed by the Islamic State group.

Maiduguri city has been at the heart of the deadly violence but has in recent years experienced relative peace even as the countryside is often battered by extremists.

The attack took place less than 24 hours after the Nigerian military repelled attacks by militants on the outskirts of Maiduguri, in what some residents say could have been planned as a distraction.

By Tuesday morning, there was heavy security deployment in the affected locations and along major roads in the city, but many public places remained closed amid heightened fear.

“Investigations are ongoing to further ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incidents and to bring perpetrators to justice,” the Borno police command said.

The first explosion was recorded at about 7:30 p.m. at the entrance of the teaching hospital, while the second and third followed few minutes later at the popular Monday Market and nearby Post Office business hub, both located about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the hospital.

Witnesses recounted the chaos that followed at the scenes and at hospitals as security forces and the emergency services quickly intervened.

“This attack has been one of the deadliest in Maiduguri in years,” said Mohammed Hassan, a member of a volunteer group assisting security forces in fighting extremists. “We’re in dire need of blood,” he said of the situation hours after the attack.

The extremists have intensified their attacks against Nigerian military bases in recent weeks, killing several senior officers and soldiers, and stripping the bases of stocks of weaponry and ammunition.

The multiple attacks could be seen as a major victory for the jihadis in a city seen as impregnable despite the jihadis often targeting troops and villages on the outskirts of the city.

Past attacks in the city have been limited to one-off incidents that occur once in a long while, including a suicide attack that killed five at a mosque on Christmas Eve last year.

“Maiduguri being attacked is like an insult for the security forces ... and for the (jihadi) groups, it is symbolic because it shows nowhere is out of their reach,” said Malik Samuel, a Nigerian security researcher with Good Governance Africa.

A security person patrols at the scene of Monday's bomb blast at a market in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola )

A soldier inspects the aftermath of Monday's bomb blast at a market in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola )

Police officers are seen at the scene of a bomb blast at a market in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola )

An ambulance is seen at the hospital following a bomb blast in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo )