NFL · NFC East · Est. 1932 · Northwest Stadium
Updated March 17, 2026
After a magical 2024-25 season that saw the Commanders reach the NFC Championship Game before falling 55-23 to the Eagles, Washington could not sustain that momentum in 2025-26. The Commanders missed the playoffs entirely, a sobering reminder that building a consistent contender takes more than one breakout year. The NFC Championship run raised expectations sky-high, and the follow-up fell short.
Despite the team's regression, Jayden Daniels continued to show why he is one of the NFL's brightest young stars. His dual-threat ability and poise under pressure remain elite, and the 2025-26 struggles were more a reflection of the roster around him than any step backward from the young quarterback. Washington's future is built on Daniels, and the front office must do a better job of surrounding him with talent.
Dan Quinn's culture overhaul produced a fairy-tale NFC Championship run in his first year, but the 2025-26 regression puts pressure on the coaching staff to show that the breakthrough was not a one-year wonder. Quinn needs to demonstrate that Washington is trending upward, not sliding back toward irrelevance. The 2026 offseason will be pivotal in determining whether the Commanders are true NFC contenders or a team that caught lightning in a bottle.