WASHINGTON — As he entered the room where the Washington Commanders hold postgame news conferences, quarterback Jayden Daniels noticed the big screen. And how could he not? On the massive television mounted to the wall were the familiar colors of the Commanders’ rivals. It was the late Sunday afternoon game featuring the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles, who were teaming up with that newfangled bit of nature (the sun) to pretty much ruin Jerry Jones’ night.

Though Daniels never broke his slow, smooth stride to the microphones that were set up on the dais, his eyes scanned the screen to make out what was happening. Soon after the Commanders allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to come back and win, 28-27, their attention had shifted to their next opponent, that team in green on the television.

Maybe Thursday night in Philadelphia can’t come soon enough, just to erase the scent from Washington’s first real disappointment of the season. Perhaps the short week is the trap door that this miracle season could collapse through.

If we stop plotting out Washington’s road to the playoffs for a moment, we might observe a glaring trend over these 10 games. The Commanders (7-3), led by a rookie quarterback and with new coaches and new starters all around the building, have faced just three winning teams (the Steelers, Ravens and Arizona Cardinals). And they’ve lost twice.

Now, with their first real test in the NFC East coming up, the Commanders might rubber-stamp the authenticity of this fun season. Or maybe they’ll take on the new division leader in the 7-2 Eagles and the quiet part will be shouted out loud: that these good times have been fueled by inferior opponents and maybe, just maybe, we should pause on saving up for tickets to a home playoff game.

But first, there are more pressing matters to worry about. Such as: Can newly acquired cornerback Marshon Lattimore make his Commanders debut Thursday night in Philly? Pretty please?

Washington’s defense played great in moments Sunday, when linebackers Frankie Luvu and Dante Fowler Jr. menaced and sacked Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.

The safeties also had themselves a time: Jeremy Chinn picked off a pass and Quan Martin muscled the football away from Pittsburgh running back Jaylen Warren just outside the end zone, while Chinn collected the fumble at Washington’s 1-yard line. However, the bend-don’t-break unit can’t cover indefinitely for its vulnerabilities in the secondary.

With time ticking away and the Steelers setting up for a third-and-long from Washington’s 32, the Commanders’ defensive backs needed a stop. Instead, cornerback Benjamin St-Juste got exposed.

Wilson’s beauty of a pass targeted wideout Mike Williams — as well as Washington’s weakness — and St-Juste, a step behind, couldn’t do a thing about it. Oh, and to rub it in even more: Williams only arrived in Pittsburgh on Wednesday and confessed his game-winning touchdown came on a route he hadn’t yet practiced with Wilson.

“Really good throw and catch, and if you have to battle and compete to go, that’s ball,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said, explaining his perspective on defending 50-50 balls. “So just another example of fighting to fight through a good pass and catch.”

Last week, Washington traded for Lattimore, a four-time Pro Bowl cornerback, to fight through plays like that. He already has a stall in the Commanders’ locker room, though his debut had to wait as he heals from a hamstring injury. While Washington is still dealing with the absence of injured defensive lineman Jonathan Allen and its battered offensive front could create stress in the weeks to come, not having Lattimore at his best might be the worst problem of them all.

After Sunday’s loss, Washington is tied for the sixth-most passing touchdowns against in the NFL (17) and the fifth-fewest interceptions (four). Lattimore might help. If not, then against the better teams in the league, Washington will continue to play at a deficit.

Unlike the loss to the Ravens in Week 6, the Commanders held a fourth-quarter lead against Pittsburgh, the latest AFC North opponent to serve as a measuring stick. That’s what made the late defensive breakdown — as well as rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton’s late offside penalty — so deflating. These were crushing mistakes at the worst possible time. Although the sample size of Washington’s performances against playoff-caliber teams remains small, these issues can’t be ignored.

“Everybody hurt, man. It’s a loss,” Martin said Sunday, describing the vibe of the locker room.

Walking into that space, the hurt was palatable. After some of the four previous games played here this season, there had been music blasting and players reliving big moments with one another. The night of the Hail Mary win over the Chicago Bears, Phidarian Mathis was grooving all by himself, and another defensive lineman was playfully bowing and paying homage to the man of the moment, Noah Brown, as he walked by. This Sunday, however, the room was quiet. No music played. Hardly anyone touched the table of orange wedges and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

“It stings, and you see that the guys are very passionate about wins and losses,” Daniels said. “It means something to them. It matters. So that’s what I kind of took away, like: ‘Hey, everybody is mad. It matters to them, and no one can do anything about it.’ Just go on to the next.”

Daniels spent a few more minutes answering questions, then left the dais to begin the 24-hour rule echoed by several players. Feel all the disappointment until Monday, then move on. On his way to the next 24 hours, Daniels glanced up at the game playing on the TV one more time.

The pace had slowed in the second quarter as the Eagles got whistled for a penalty. Daniels watched as he walked. For a moment, his focus was on the rival the Commanders would play in four days, when his team will either get a do-over or experience another rude interruption to this dream season.