The 2024 NFL season was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Washington Commanders. Adam Peters and Dan Quinn were brought in after the 2023 season ended with just four wins, they had to draft a quarterback, and their supporting cast of skill players was mediocre at best.
But what happened next shocked everyone, including the Commanders. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin took a big leap in terms of touchdowns. Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler had the run game on lockdown when Jayden Daniels wasn’t running with it. They moved the ball down the field, put points on the board, and defensively managed to keep opponents from scoring enough points to win.
It was as if the entire team woke up at the beginning of the season and said, “Hey, we’re not doing that this year.” They worked together to prevent a repeat of 2023, which they accomplished well before the end of the season.
Still, losses aren’t fun, and when you lose in what is essentially a semifinal game at the end of the season, you wonder what you can do to avoid that in the future. Daniels is still mulling over that loss, discussing it with NBC’s PFT crew in New Orleans last week.
After saying that he’s still trying to get out of “pissed-off mode” and is having trouble moving past the loss.
“We just gave a really good team a lot of opportunities,” Daniels said. “We made a lot of mistakes that game. . . .Turnovers are what cost us. That’s probably going to haunt me for a while.”
The Commanders had four turnovers in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and it’s tough to win a game when you turn the ball over that many times. However, the Commanders have nothing to hang their heads about and should absolutely celebrate the success they achieved in 2024.