What Commanders WR Terry McLaurin said about finally playing for a winner

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin talks about finally playing for a winner.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin had never played on a winning NFL team until this season. In his sixth NFL season, McLaurin played on Washington teams that won three and four games, and until Washington won its ninth game against the Saints last month, he had never been on a team with more than eight wins.

The Commanders didn’t stop at nine wins, though. Washington won its last five games to finish 12-5, the franchise’s best regular-season record since 1991. McLaurin was a major reason for the Commanders’ success, going over 1,000 yards receiving for the fifth consecutive season and breaking the franchise record with 13 receiving touchdowns in a single season.

Speaking of that record-breaking touchdown, McLaurin did it in the most dramatic way possible. Quarterback Marcus Mariota found McLaurin in the back of the end zone with three seconds remaining Sunday to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the regular-season finale.

Washington had already clinched a playoff bid and learned it would play in Tampa next weekend against the Buccaneers.

After Sunday’s game, McLaurin reflected on what it was like playing for a 12-win team.

“It’s amazing, that’s why you work so hard in the offseason,” McLaurin said. “Honestly, to win as many games as you can, to be sitting here right now, going into the playoffs with a chance to win it all. It’s a new season. It’s anybody’s game. It’s anybody’s trophy. We believe if we put our best foot forward, we can be one of the teams competing for that.”

This team is built differently. McLaurin is correct; this team competes for 60 minutes, even if they aren’t playing their best football. That type of mindset hasn’t always been in Washington — at least for a long time — and it gives you a chance regardless of the opponent. If the Commanders get behind, they stay the course, rally behind the quarterback and, well, compete.