Getty Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson.
The Washington Commanders haven’t had a winning season since 2015 and haven’t made the NFC Playoffs since going 7-9 in 2020 and squeaking into one of the NFC Wild Card spots.
Going even further back, Washington hasn’t won a playoff game since defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2005 playoffs.
Pro Football Network’s Mike Wobschall is predicting a steep turnaround for the Commanders in 2024, putting the franchise in the NFC Wild Card Round with a 9-8 record and finishing as runner-up in the NFC East behind the Philadelphia Eagles — and one game ahead of the Dallas Cowboys.
“Not only does Dallas finish below rival Philadelphia in the standings, but they are also looking up at new head coach Dan Quinn, rookie QB Jayden Daniels, and the Washington Commanders in the standings for the first time in five years,” Wobschall wrote. “The Commanders’ marked improvement is the story of the year in the NFC East, and they have a chance to put the entire conference on notice in the Wild Card Round when they travel to Atlanta for a postseason contest against none other than Kirk Cousins and the Falcons.”
Why Are People So High on Commanders?
PFN and Wobschall aren’t the only people predicting the Commanders will be better in 2024. This shouldn’t take too much work on the team’s part considering they went 4-13 in 2023 and had to fire the entire front office and head coach Ron Rivera in the process. So it’s mostly uphill from here.
The biggest reason for hope has been the play of Daniels throughout the offseason after the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU has seemed to take command of the QB1 role in Washington’s offense.
The Commanders signed former No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota as an insurance policy/stopgap for Daniels — the hopes are they never have to use him.
“Though Washington coach Dan Quinn does not want to name Jayden Daniels the starting quarterback just yet, the rookie has quietly started to take all or most of the first-team snaps the last two days,” ESPN’s John Keim wrote on August 2. “The Commanders still want to see how he progresses, but he’s impressed teammates by how he’s not only recognized some leverages in coverage, but also how he’s then adjusted.”
If the Commanders are good with Daniels right from the start — or even competitive — it will probably have to come with a good dose of the rookie running the ball. As a senior at LSU he ran for 1,134 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns and he rushed for over 700 yards in each of his final three college seasons.
Breaking Down the Commanders’ Schedule
A closer look at the Commanders’ 2024 schedule might tell us a little more about how things could play out.
Washington doesn’t catch a break with its season opener by going on the road to face the three-time defending NFC South Division champion Buccaneers on Sept. 8. They play their home opener on Sept. 15 against the New York Giants but don’t get back-to-back home games until they face the Carolina Panthers (Oct. 20) followed by the Chicago Bears (Oct. 27).
