Washington finishes the season as a Top 10 team
The Washington Commanders are on a five-game winning streak, and clinched the 6th seed in the NFC on Sunday with an last-minute win against the Dallas Cowboys. They finished the season with a 12-5 record, and 8-game improvement from last season’s 4-13.
Jayden Daniels has been carrying the team, and putting his cape on for some crazy, and memorable, winning moments. He only played in the first half of the Cowboys game, and was pulled for “leg soreness” according to head coach Dan Quinn. Marcus Mariota came in and led the team on a game-winning drive to lock up the 6th seed. Daniels said they would have had to drag him off the field if this was a win and get in type game. He is the clear favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but he has bigger goals for this season.
The Washington Commanders’ odds for winning the Super Bowl went down after their win over the Cowboys. The playoffs field is now set, and Washington has the 11th-best odds. Power Rankings have them in the 7-11 range, with and average ranking of 8.1. Washington hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2020, and hasn’t been to the divisional round since 2005. A win this weekend, would improve on an already great season, and put them one step closer to solidifying their “big-hitters” status in the league.
- Winning the Super Bowl odds: +3500 —-> 4000
High: 7
Low: 11
Average: 8.1
#7
NFL.com(Edholm)
The Commanders pulled Jayden Daniels at halftime, with the offense struggling and their pursuit of the sixth seed still undecided. But it was probably the right call, giving Daniels some rest for a minor leg ailment and whatever other bruises he’s accumulated through a brilliant rookie season. Dan Quinn has pushed just about every right button in his first year in Washington, too, so it’s no surprise his crew then fought back to win in Dallas. Also fitting: Each of the Commanders’ past four victories came down to their final play from scrimmage. They’ve proven themselves to be a feisty, resilient bunch, apparently ignorant of which games they should and shouldn’t win. That’s a scary brand of team to face in the postseason, even with a serious first-round opponent (Tampa Bay) on tap. Not only did the Bucs beat them in Week 1, but Tampa also has been in win-or-else mode since dropping to 4-6 in late November. Last week: 8
The Athletic(Kendall)
One lesson learned: Winning the press conference is overrated
The Commanders were considered last year’s coaching carousel losers after Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson decided to return to Detroit, and Washington had to “settle” for Dan Quinn as head coach. It turns out Quinn’s positive approach and decision to hire Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator were just what this Commanders team needed, and Washington is now in the playoffs for the second time since 2015. This is the first time the franchise has won more than 11 games since the 1991 Super Bowl season. Last week: 7
Fox Sports(Brooks)
Jayden Daniels’ emergence as a superstar has sparked a dramatic turnaround in the nation’s capital. The dynamic dual-threat playmaker can put the Commanders offense on his back with improvisational skills. Moreover, Daniels can carve up defenses with surgical precision from a clean pocket, particularly with Terry McLaurin screaming past defenders on vertical routes. With an offense controlling the game on the ground or through the air, the Commanders can win in a shootout or grind-it-out affair on the road. Last week: 7
CBS Sports(Prisco)
Jayden Daniels got this team to the playoffs as a rookie. This is a team that might be able to make a little run with him as the catalyst. Last week: 7
The 33rd Team(Mosher)
The Washington Commanders’ offense really struggled against Dallas in Week 18, but Marcus Mariota saved the day in the second half and scored three touchdowns. It’s hard to say how seriously Washington took that game, but Jayden Daniels did not play well at all in the first half.
The Commanders did finish the 2024 season with 12 wins, which is quite an accomplishment for Dan Quinn. But we’ll see just how good they are in Round 1 when they travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers. Last week: 8
Sporting News (Iyer)
The Commanders cannot be ruled out for a deep run following their outstanding turnaround. They are steady when moving the ball with a run-heavy approach, but they can also pick opponents apart in the downfield passing game. Washington is an inexperienced group, but Jayden Daniels’ energy and advanced leadership can lead to more big surprises. Last week: 7
Fox Sports(Helman)
It’s so fitting that the Commanders’ regular season ended with last-second heroics. True, it was Marcus Mariota instead of Jayden Daniels in Week 18, but it still lends to Washington’s overall aura. Will it carry over into the postseason? Last week: 7
For the Win
What’s more concerning? The leg soreness that kept Jayden Daniels out of the second half of Week 18’s win over the Cowboys, or the fact he’d only completed 50 percent of his passes while on the field? Dallas was able to harass the rookie with a dominating pass rush. Now, the Buccaneers and their eighth-best pressure rate await in the playoffs. Last week: 9
Pro Football Talk
They’ve come a long way from the team that lost in Tampa to start the season. Last week: 7
Sportsnaut(Johnson)
Everything that happens from here on out is proverbial house money for the Washington Commanders. This truly was one of the worst NFL rosters entering the season, but Jayden Daniels almost single-handedly lifted this team to its first season with double-digit wins in over a decade. The Commanders’ defense, offensive line and pass-catchers outside of Terry McLaurin aren’t enough to make noise in the postseason, but Daniels’s MVP-caliber play has already pulled out some unbelievable miracles this season. Last week: 8
Yardbarker(Asti)
Jayden Daniels has provided Washington fans with hope they haven’t felt in a long time. However, will Daniels’ inexperience make the NFL postseason stage too big for the rookie? Last week: 8
#8
Yahoo Sports(Schwab)
The Commanders and Buccaneers have met, but a lot has changed since Week 1. Most notably, Jayden Daniels has become a complete quarterback since he barely threw downfield that day. Commanders-Bucs could end up being the best game on wild-card weekend. Last week: 8
New York Post(Dunleavy)
After taking over for Jayden Daniels, who was dealing with leg soreness, Marcus Mariota threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with seconds remaining in a 23-19 win against the Cowboys. Mariota accounted for three touchdowns after the Commanders managed only 64 first-half yards behind Daniels, the likely Offensive Rookie of the Year. Last week: 9
Pro Football Network(Kennedy)
- Offense+ Rank: 5
- Defense+ Rank: 17
- Special Teams+ Rank: 10
- SOS Rank: 32
The Week 18 Marcus Mariota-led dramatic comeback ensured that the Commanders will stay at the No. 6 seed (while also not being swept by their NFC East rivals, the Cowboys).
With this win, Washington avoids a third matchup against Philadelphia, where the Commanders lost 26-18 in Week 11. Instead, Jayden Daniels got the second half off to finish a regular season that will likely result in the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Daniels ended the regular season ranked ninth in PFN’s QB+ metric, one spot ahead of Patrick Mahomes. Next week, Washington can join last year’s Texans as the only teams to win a playoff game the same year they drafted a quarterback top-two overall. Last week: 9
Bleacher Report(Davenport)
There isn’t a more surprising postseason team in the NFL than the Washington Commanders. This is a team that had the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Of course, when you use that pick on a quarterback who has all but run away with Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, things can turn around in a hurry.
However, Jayden Daniels was pulled from Sunday’s win over the Dallas Cowboys with a sore leg, leading to a lot of folks in Washington, DC, turning blue.
You know, from holding their breath.
“It wasn’t a plan going in,” Quinn told reporters. “We thought we were going to go all the way, but he had some mild soreness in his leg. I just kind of made the decision honestly to say, ‘Let’s go with Marcus [Mariota].’ … I just thought that was the way to go going into the second half.”
Daniels downplayed the injury, but it adds an additional level of drama to next Sunday night’s playoff tilt in Tampa Bay.
Analyst’s Take
Like the Texans did a year ago, the Commanders have shown the rest of the NFL the value of pairing a competent head coach with a promising young quarterback. Hitting on both in the same offseason is a tall order for any franchise, but it is possible—have hope, Raiders fans!
GM Adam Peters also deserves a ton of credit for patching together a playoff roster in a single offseason. We’ve seen franchises target volume in free agency before, only to flop. Washington added the perfect blend of veteran leadership and players who fit its offensive and defensive schemes. The result? A playoff berth and an offseason of building instead of rebuilding. — Knox Last week: 8
The Ringer(Lee)
Last week: 9
#10
The Score
With defensive-minded head coach Dan Quinn and an offensive juggernaut powered by rookie passer Jayden Daniels and coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Washington could very well cause problems if taken lightly this postseason. Momentum is on the Commanders’ side, too – they enter the playoffs on a five-game winning streak. Last week: 10
WalterFootball
The Redskins nearly blew the No. 6 seed with their indifferent approach to the Dallas game. It was shocking to see Jayden Daniels rested because the Redskins were so close to having to go back to Philadelphia in the opening round. Last week: 9
Sharp Football Analysis
Last week: 9
#11
Sports Illustrated(Orr)
One of the great unknowns heading into the playoffs, the Commanders finish a first season under Dan Quinn wholly revitalized. Though this season hinged on some massively good fortune, the Commanders are talented enough offensively to keep up in a shootout—something we’ve seen the Buccaneers cut loose on several times this year. Last week: 9
USA Today(Davis)
No shade directed at QB Jayden Daniels. At all. None. But there have been 116 starts by quarterbacks in the Super Bowl … but not one has been by a rookie.
Perhaps Daniels can be the one to break that mold. It’s very easy to build a case that his NFL debut is the best a first-year quarterback has ever had. He’s the primary reason a franchise that’s been lost in the wilderness for most of the past three decades suddenly finds itself elevated to relevance in what seems like a meaningful and sustainable manner. But let’s not saddle Daniels, Washington’s leading rusher in 2024, with the Jackson comp. Sure, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner is just about the next best thing already and will doubtless carve his own identity – and that may well involve being a better and more dangerous passer than young Jackson much earlier on Daniels’ NFL arc.
Also, it’s not fair to characterize the Commanders as a one-man band. WR Terry McLaurin is a Pro Bowler, and first-year HC Dan Quinn has had a huge hand in resetting the culture while getting the most out of a defense that has few recognizable names outside of future Hall of Fame LB Bobby Wagner.
Still, history is an important guidepost. Washington likely has enough firepower to notch a postseason win. But the Bucs are a very tough matchup out of the chute. And the rookie passers who have historically had the most success in the playoffs – think Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, Russell Wilson or Ben Roethlisberger – have essentially had complete teams around them, ones that weren’t necessarily reliant on a green QB. Washington isn’t that kind of outfit, so very high bar for Daniels and OC Kliff Kingsbury – he’s never experienced a postseason victory in his five seasons on NFL coaching staffs – to clear immediately. Last week: 10