On Sunday, Jan. 26, the Washington Commanders played in the NFC Championship for the first time since 1991, 33 years ago.

During the 2023-2024 season in the NFL, the Washington Commanders had a terrible season, ending 4-13. They finished the season with the worst overall defense in the league and the ninth-worst offense. This led them to the second overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft.

With the second overall pick, the Commanders utilized it to draft the Heisman-winning, dual-threat quarterback Jayden Daniels from LSU, hoping to revitalize their franchise. Along with Daniels, the team had many notable additions, including Dan Quinn as head coach, Zach Ertz as tight end, Bobby Wagner as linebacker, and Austin Ekeler as running back. 

Although many additions were significant, no one could have expected the turnaround for the Commanders, as Jayden Daniels led the team to a 12-5 record. Daniels amounted to 3,568 passing yards with a 100.1 rating, as well as 891 rushing yards in 148 carries. This performance proved the Commanders as a playoff-caliber team. 

The Commanders, the No. 6 seed, upset the No. 3 seed in Tampa Bay against the Buccaneers in Daniels’ first NFL playoff game, winning 23-20.

After this win, the Commanders were set to face the No. 1 seed, the Lions, in the following game. This was the Commanders’ first appearance in the divisional round since 2005.

Even though the Commanders played the No. 1 seed in the Lions, who were coming off a third straight win, they ended up crumbling the Lions’ win streak and sending them home. They beat the Lions 45-31 advancing to the NFC Championship for the first time since they won the Super Bowl in 1991.

Although the Philadelphia Eagles did crush the Commanders’ Super Bowl chances in the championship game, the Commanders did show the league what they are made of and how big of a future they have.

Led by a rookie quarterback, the Commanders have plenty of gas left in the tank for the coming years.