The Washington Commanders began the season 7-2 and were one of the NFL’s legitimate surprises and feel-good stories.
Then, a one-point home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers dropped Washington to 7-3. The Commanders were a couple of mistakes away from taking down the Steelers and moving to 7-3.
However, two more losses followed, dropping Washington to 7-5, and it had folks around the NFL and fans calling the Commanders “frauds” and saying the offense was experiencing the “Kliff Cliff” about offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s alleged struggles in the second half of seasons.
Now, Washington is set to face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18, having clinched a playoff berth with last week’s win over the Atlanta Falcons. Daniels and the Commanders haven’t lost since that disappointing defeat to Dallas in Week 12.
Daniels, who appeared to be struggling with a rib injury during that losing streak, looks completely healthy again, as evidenced by his performances during Washington’s latest winning streak.
With the Commanders locked in for the playoffs, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently named them one of five teams no one wants to face in January.
Having clinched a playoff berth with Sunday’s win over the Falcons, the Commanders head into the postseason with a mix of experience and inexperience. They might feel like a young team with quarterback Jayden Daniels leading the way and a core of holdovers who weren’t making the playoffs often, but imports such as coach Dan Quinn and linebacker Bobby Wagner have Super Bowl experience. This is actually the league’s eighth-oldest team on a snap-weighted basis.
While I’d have my reservations about the defense, the brief midseason concerns about Kliff Kingsbury’s offense were allayed by a 42-point outburst against the Titans and a 36-point effort against the Eagles. We’ve seen Daniels drag the Commanders back into games that seemed hopelessly lost multiple times this season; would you want to see him on the other side of a two-minute drill two weeks from now?
Barnwell is right. Why would any NFL team want to face Daniels right now?
The defensive concerns will remain until general manager Adam Peters can add more help to that side of the ball with another free-agency and draft class.
So, while the Commanders may not be anyone’s Super Bowl pick, do you think the Lions or Eagles (again) really want see them in the playoffs?