The Washington Commanders, formally known as the Washington Football Team, but even more formally known as the Washington Redskins are finally back on the people’s radars. The now Commanders were founded by George Preston Marshall in 1932 as the Boston Braves but then changed their name to the Redskins the next year when they moved to Washington D.C.
They made 5 Super Bowl appearances as the Redskins, taking home the victory 3 out of 5 times. The Washington Redskins beat the Dolphins in 1983, the Broncos in 1988, and the Bills in 1992. Since then, Washington’s franchise has not entered the Super Bowl again.
This year, the Washington Commanders gained a new head coach, Dan Quinn. Dan Quinn has worked for the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks, the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, and is now the Head coach of the Commanders. Dan Quinn came to Washington intending to turn their program around. He knew this year would be unlike the seasons Washington has had in recent years and boy was he right.
With the 2nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Washington Commanders select Jayden Daniels, Quarterback, LSU. Who knew that this draft pick was going to be so crucial to the turnaround of the Washington Commanders franchise? The first pick in the draft was also a quarterback. Caleb Williams was drafted by the Chicago Bears, so some people were a little doubtful of Daniels since he was not the first overall pick, but his confident yet humble demeanor helped Washington fans believe in Daniels, putting all of their trust in his decision-making abilities that could change the game for the better. Though Jayden Daniels has a great arm, his legs are really what helped carry him through every game.
The Washington Commanders lost their first game of the season to Tampa Bay at Tampa. Rookie, Jayden Daniels had his debut as quarterback this game, completing 17/24 for 184 yards and he rushed for 88. Though the game didn’t go their way, Daniels had a good debut game and the rest of the Commanders played solid as well. However, the Washington Commanders won their first home game against the New York Giants. Northwest Stadium was filled with some of the most dedicated fans, hoping the Commanders would win the game. Let’s just say the fans were ecstatic. A few games later when they were playing the Bears, the Commanders were down. When the time went out the ball was in play when Jayden Daniels released a 52-yard pass… TOUCHDOWN! This hail mary was a huge turning point for the Commanders and fans knew this season would be different.
Coming off of a 4-13 record, the Commanders had a lot to prove, but thanks to new head coach, Dan Quinn, their other coaches, veteran players, newly traded players, 2024 draft picks, and most importantly rookie, Jayden Daniels, the Washington Commanders were able to make that happen. Jayden Daniels led his team to a 12-5 record, which is the highest record the Commanders franchise has had since 1991. Though yes the Commanders have some great wide receivers like Terry Mclaurin, running backs like Brian Robinson Jr., tight ends like Zach Ertz, and many other amazing players in different positions, each offensive play runs through the quarterback. It takes a good quarterback to make the other players play to their full potential. You can’t expect someone to catch the ball if they are not going to throw an accurate pass. You can’t expect someone to run the ball if you don’t hand it off correctly. This year the Washington commanders have finally found their quarterback, and I don’t think anyone would’ve expected it to be a rookie.
The Commanders secured a spot in the playoffs after their game against the Atlanta Falcons. The last time the Commanders even made it to the playoffs was in 2020, but they sadly lost the wild card round. This year the commanders were facing off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Playing in a playoff game is very stressful for the players, but playing at the opposing team’s stadium adds even more stress because you don’t have the home team advantage. Considering the game was in Florida, there weren’t nearly as many Commanders fans as there could’ve been due to the far travels to get the game. Nonetheless, the Commanders took the victory with a game-winning kick with 2 seconds left on the clock by Zane Gonzalez. This kick secured the Washington Commanders their first playoff win since 2005.
In the second round of the playoffs, the Washington Commanders were facing off against the Detroit Lions. Because the Commanders were the lower seed, they were once again at the opposing team’s stadium. The Detroit Lions have a very strong fanbase and Washington Commander’s staff even said that they had been practicing with the noise of the Detroit fans that way they could know how to play under the pressure of the Lions. The Commanders knew this would be a tough game because Detroit was the #1 seed coming into the playoffs, but every story has an underdog. The Commanders won 45-31 which is a huge win. Usually, the Commanders somehow manage to wait until the last minute to secure their victories, but this game was different. This big game secured the Commanders a spot in the NFC Championship, which is one game away from the Super Bowl.
The Commanders once again were at the opposing team’s stadium. This time the Commanders were facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles which are a rival to the Commanders. The Commanders were not on their A game against the Eagles. The Eagles forced the Commanders to turn the ball over 4 times all leading to scores for the Eagles. The Eagles swept the Commanders 55-23 eliminating them from the playoffs.
Though the Commanders didn’t make it to the Super Bowl, this year was a huge turning point for Washington’s franchise. Jumping from a 4-13 season to a 12-5 season is something that you don’t see happening very often, especially from a team with new starting players who have never played in the NFL or who have simply never played together. This team is definitely a team in the NFL that should be on everyone’s watch list soon. Thanks to head coach Dan Quinn, quarterback Jayden Daniels, and the rest of Washington’s players and coaches, the Commanders are back on the Map. Maybe next year the map will lead them to the Super Bowl. Watch and find out.
