Don’t count out the Commanders

While on the outside looking in, the Washington Commanders remain hopeful for a playoff berth this January. After starting out an abysmal 2-4 under Carson Wentz, eighth year quarterback Taylor Heinicke was given the start and has run with it.

Heinicke has won 5 of Washington’s last 7, bringing them to 7-5-1 and right into the hunt of the NFC playoff picture. Thus far, the Commanders have proven to be a force against elite talent, and with a talented team and an elite head coach, the Commanders have a chance to secure a playoff spot this January. 

The Commanders have not had an easy road but have played well against elite teams and taken care of business against lesser talent. In the Commanders past seven games they’ve been able to go 5-1-1. In Heinicke’s first start against Aaron Rodgers in the Green Bay Packers, the Commanders would storm back from an early 14-3 deficit for a 23-21 statement win.

Following this victory, they were able to rattle off another win against a poor Indianapolis Colts team off of Terry McLaurin’s 113 yard day, getting them to .500. The next week they played against one of the NFL’s best in the Vikings.

While they lost 20-17, Jonathan Allen and the boys upfront stunted one of the NFL’s best backs in Dalvin Cook who had an abysmal 47 yards on 17 carries, forcing the Vikings to kick a game winning field goal. After just dropping one to one of the best teams in the league, they would face up against the best team in the league and their divisional rivals, the 8-0 Philadelphia Eagles.

While they were written off, the Commanders handled the Eagles and dominated their time of possession. In their most complete game of the season, running backs Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson would combine for 130 yards on the ground, with star wideout Terry McLaurin picking up 128 yards through the air. The Commanders would hold the ball for a whopping 40:24 minutes and handed the Eagles their only loss of the season.

Heinicke leads the way for Washington

After this trademark victory, the Commanders would go on and dominate the Texans along with another gutsy win against a well-coached Falcons squad. Now 7-5, the Commanders entered a pivotal week against their other division rival, the New York Giants.

In a scrappy effort by the Commanders, Heinicke would throw a last minute 28-yard touchdown to Jahan Dotson and tie the game up at twenty. While the game would end in a tie putting Washington just 0.5 a game outside the postseason, Washington stays in a solid position for a playoff push.

While the Commanders have obvious holes, they also have legitimate talent on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they have one of the most underrated receiver cores in the league along with a thriving run game. At wideout the Commanders have one of the premier receivers in the game in Terry McLaurin, along with explosive weapons in Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson.

Samuel has 744 yards from scrimmage this year and continues to be a major cog in the Commanders offense. Dotson is the Commanders first round rookie and has hauled in five touchdowns thus far, showing significant promise. But, while the passing game has been effective, it is the run game that Washington thrives in.

They are eighth in total rushing yards per game with their two backs showing significant production. Alabama third round pick Brian Robinson has had a solid rookie year with 605 yards from scrimmage, while Gibson has had a quality year as the second man in the committee with 557 yards from scrimmage. 

On the defensive side the Commanders have one of the best interior lineman in the game along with an elite pass rusher, which has them as a top 15 defense. On the inside, defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Da’Ron Payne have been an issue for opposing offensive lines as they’ve combined for 16 sacks. Off the edge, Montez Sweat is having a near career year with 7 sacks which is 2 away from his career high, and the most tackles for loss and QB hits in his career with four games left to go.

Despite down their best player in Chase Young, the Commanders, the defense as a whole is 13th overall according to Pro Football Focus and while this isn’t elite, they have shown to give elite offenses fits such as the Eagles and Vikings.

Playoffs the target?

The Commanders experience is a legitimate advantage over current sixth seed, Giants. This experience stems from their Head Coach Ron Rivera. Rivera is an elite coach in the NFL and is a proven winner. While he hasn’t won the big game he led the Panthers to five playoff berths in nine seasons including a Super Bowl appearance in 2015.

In his first year in Washington he led the Commanders to the playoffs with three different quarterbacks, which doesn’t even include Heinicke, who played in their wildcard matchup. In comparison, Giants head coach Brian Daboll is a rookie head coach who, yes, has done an amazing job thus far, but in no way has the track record and experience that Rivera has. Rivera has led lesser teams to the postseason and under his leadership and wisdom, the Commanders have a significant advantage. 

Don’t get it twisted, the Commanders are not an elite team in this league. But, with the way they’re playing right now it should be a reason for other wildcard teams such as the Giants and Seahawks to worry about their spot. The Commanders will get to play the Giants again at home, while also getting a Brock Purdy led 49ers squad, the struggling Cleveland Browns and a Cowboys team who could rest their starters in week eighteen.

Further, while Taylor Heinicke wasn’t mentioned much in this piece, his leadership and chutzpah is evident, which has made him the heart and soul of this team on the field, even though his stats may not reflect it. With him at the helm, legitimate talent on both sides of the ball and the leadership of Ron Rivera, the Commanders fans should be hopeful for their second playoff appearance since Rivera took over in 2020. 

Watch this space, Washington is a team on the charge.