Key Takeaways The Washington Commanders haven’t had much success in recent years, making the NFL Playoffs just six times in the last quarter-century.
The last time Washington made the postseason, the team did so with a losing record, winning a weak NFC East in 2020 at 7-9.
Washington’s postseason run ended quickly with a loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Washington Commanders haven’t had much to be excited about in quite a while. This is a sad state of affairs for a franchise that started playing pro football in 1932 and has three Super Bowl trophies and five total NFL championships.
Where have the Commanders gone wrong in recent years? Well, that’s an interesting question because, in just the last year, the franchise has finally seemed to get back on the right track after owner Dan Snyder finally sold the team after over two decades of mismanagement.
Washington has been in pro football for almost a century, and although there have been good times and bad, the club has played in six championship games, winning two during its first decade and a half of existence, and made the playoffs 13 times during the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s. They also played in five Super Bowls and won three in that period.
However, since Snyder — a lifelong fan — took over the team in 1999, the Commanders have made the playoffs just six times. They only won two playoff games in those six appearances and had a winning record just five times with Snyder in charge.
The Commanders now have a new primary owner in Josh Harris, a new head coach in Dan Quinn, and a new potential franchise QB in the No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 draft, Jayden Daniels.
This should give the Washington fan base reason for optimism, as should some of the details surrounding the team’s last playoff run in 2020. During that season, the team had a first-year coach, a No. 2 overall draft pick, and a fascinating QB. So, maybe history will repeat itself this season.
Related 5 Players You Forgot Suited Up for the Washington Commanders Deion Sanders was supposed to play seven seasons with Washington but left the team after just one year.
The Washington Commanders Haven’t Made the NFL Playoffs Since 2020
Washington won a weak NFC East with a 7-9 record
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The last time Washington made the NFL playoffs was back in 2020, although it probably seems like this drought has lasted a lot longer. That’s because while they did make the postseason during the eminently strange COVID-19 season, they didn’t do so with a winning record.
The last time Washington reached the postseason with a winning record was actually in 2015, when they got in at 9-7 on the season. And their last winning season, overall, was in 2016, when they finished 8-7-1.
In 2020, though, the NFC East was not just the worst conference in the league that season, they were one of the worst divisions of all time. The Commanders made the playoffs with a 7-9 record because the even worse 6-10 New York Giants, 6-10 Dallas Cowboys, and 4-11-1 Philadelphia Eagles couldn’t take the division from them.
So, here’s how the Commanders became one of the worst teams in NFL history to host a playoff game the last time they made it.
The 2020 Commanders’ Playoff Season
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Back in 2020, the Commanders weren’t even the Commanders yet. At that point, the team was playing under the Washington Football Team moniker, thanks to the bungled name transition by Snyder.
It was also the first year under head coach Ron Rivera, who the Carolina Panthers had fired following Week 13 of the 2019 campaign. Despite the 5-7 record in the NFC South that season, “Riverboat Ron” had been successful overall in Carolina, putting up a 71-56-1 record before that and making a Super Bowl in 2015.
The WFT’s 2020 season was punctuated by two major storylines, besides making the playoffs despite being two games under .500.
One was that quarterback Alex Smith returned after his gruesome broken leg suffered in 2018. The team started 1-4 with Dwayne Haskins and Kyle Allen under center, but when poor performance and injuries forced them to the sideline, Smith came in and showed some of his old form.
He got in during a Week 5 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and again in a Week 9 loss to the Giants. But when he finally started in Week 10, he ripped off a 5-1 record in his next six games, including leading the team to a four-game winning streak that vaulted them into playoff contention.
For his heroics in just returning to pro football — let alone helping his team make the playoffs — Smith won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
The other storyline was second overall pick Chase Young. The rookie out of Ohio State had an excellent inaugural campaign in what would become, by far, his best NFL season to date.
Over the course of 15 games, Young recorded 44 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 12 QB hits, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and a defensive touchdown. These outstanding numbers helped Young win the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
So, between Smith’s heroics on one side of the ball and Young’s on the other, the Commanders had just enough to get over the finish line to become the fifth team in NFL history (now one of six, thanks to the 2023 Tampa Bay Buccaneers) to make the playoffs with a losing record.
It also helped that New York collapsed down the stretch, losing three of their final four games, and that the Giants’ only win came against the Cowboys, who were surging with three wins in a row coming into Week 17.
Washington’s postseason run lasted just one game, as they were defeated by Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, who, of course, went on to win the Super Bowl. With Smith deactivated for this matchup with a calf injury, Taylor Heinicke stepped in and played well, but Washington ultimately fell short, losing 31-23.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.