How did we get here? Washington: the play-off team

Once again, the Washington Commanders sought inspiration from their rookie QB.

And, as has been the way throughout this highly successful season for the burgundy & gold, Pro-Bowler Jayden Daniels provided clutch play when it matter the most. The Sunday Night Football 30-24 overtime win vs a good Atlanta Falcons team secured play-off football for the Commanders and catapulted the LSU graduate into the big time.

Victory vs Dallas this Sunday would give Washington a 12-win season; an extraordinary return for General Manager Adam Peters and the investment of his first-season QB and appointed coaching staff.

What got the Commanders to this point of overachievement? The unassuming but hugely gifted Daniels is, of course, the main reason: his play has been out of this world good, and I would not swap Jayden for any other QB in the NFL.

Head Coach Dan Quinn has been instrumental in the successful 2024 season with solid hires, both coaching staff and players, many of whom had something to still to give, something still to prove.

OC Kliff Kingsbury returned to the NFL with question marks, and, in particular, the drop-off his OFF seemed to struggle with in seasons gone by. Outside of Terry McLaurin, the weapons for Daniels on OFF are not household names.

But this coaching staff, as they promised in the off-season, demonstrated the critical knack of focusing on the key skillset of a player and ensuring that standout attribute contributed to the team as a whole.

Examples are everywhere across the roster, but to pick out a few.

Zach Ertz sits at 10 NFL-wide for yards received and has hauled in six TDs. The 34-year-old is on just a $3m on-year deal. That is incredible value for money for the season. It could be argued that Zach might be a priority key FA to bring back next season. As of today, Zach Ertz is a Pro-Bowl alternate.

Dante Fowler Jnr followed Dan Quinn from Dallas. At aged 30, Dante has played all 16 games and has registered 10.5 sacks, which is only one sack away from his best ever season (2019) return. The contract again is wildly cap friendly at $3,250,000 and as with Ertz, the Front Office might well want to bring Fowler Jnr back unless he can collect a bigger bag elsewhere. As of today, Dante is a Pro-Bowl alternate.

With 13 accrued seasons in the league, Bobby Wagner is a surefire future HOF candidate, with his leadership is unquestioned and his play still at a high-level with Bobby third in the 2024 PFF LB rankings. Guess what, that’s right, as of today, Bobby Wagner is a Pro-Bowl alternate.

Jeremy Chinn is another on a one-year deal whose understanding of the Joe Whitt Jnr DEF scheme has got better and better as the season has gone on. Chinn has played in nearly 94% of all Commanders DEF snaps. Another great pick-up and another for whom the 2025 salary onwards will have to be a fair bit higher than the current $4,105,000. Is Chinn a Pro-Bowl alternate? Yes indeed.

The recipe for success that made this Washington Commanders a play-off team then: the class-act rookie QB, the leadership in the locker room, those with a point to prove to the league and a first-class coaching and FO staff.

Immediate future: be competitive come Wildcard weekend. Whether Tampa Bay or the LA Rams, with Jayden Daniels suiting up under centre, all is possible. A healthy Marshon Lattimore would be very welcome too.

Off-season: re-sign key FAs and then give Jayden an additional stud WR (whether FA or drafted) and quality OT.