The Washington Commanders victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday was a bit if an anomaly. Why? Because Washington haven’t opened a season at 2-0 since the Occupy Wall Street movement.
That’s right, they haven’t won their first two regular season games since 2011.
It was a very tight game. Perhaps more poignantly, it definitely didn’t look like it was going to happen for at least half of the game. In fact, it almost fell through at the last moment as well.
The Washington Commanders head in to their Week 1 match-up against the Arizona Cardinals beginning a new era – the Josh Harris Era. Though it doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, it is also known as the Non-Dan-Snyder-Era. Given how things have been in Washington for the last two decades, that’s a monumental moment in franchise history.
What does the new era hold for Washington fans? So far – unbridled joy.
Here is a look at the matchup between these two teams.
The NFL Players Association just conducted a thorough league survey. They called them “NFL Player Team Report Cards.” In them, they graded teams in various categories like treatment of families, food service/nutrition, weight room, strength coaches, training room, training staff, locker room and even team travel.
The Washington Commanders finished dead last.
The report was released yesterday during the Scouting Combine, and was based on anonymous responses from approximately 1,300 players.
Many were considered. But from the moment the Kansas City Chiefs closed out the 2022 season with a Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, it seemed that the Washington Commanders really only had eyes for Eric Bieniemy. Today, he was named both the Offensive Coordinator and the Assistant Head Coach, and so began a new chapter for the Commanders.
Bieniemy agreed to a two-year deal that includes a “promotion in title and contractual structure,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It also included a pay raise. He was not under contract with the Chiefs for 2023.
He will be introduced at a news conference next week.
According to NBC Sports Washington, the sale of the Washington Commanders, “will be over soon.” According to whom, you may ask? Well there weren’t any sources actually listed for the claim, but apparently it will be done, “As soon as March.” Does making it plural and stating that “sources” are making the claim, somehow make … Read more
Do you know what a tuddy is? Are you hip? You must know then, that a tuddy is what all the young ‘uns are calling a touchdown these days. You knew that, right? Just ignore the fact that tuddy is also a euphemism for the buttocks.
The new Commanders mascot is a cartoon pig named Major Tuddy.
So what if Washington hasn’t had a mascot for their entire 90 year history? They need one now that they are the Washington Commanders. They have to establish that new brand. They have to fortify that look and feel of having a military tone.
So of course they chose a… cartoon pig.
With nothing to play for but pride, the Washington Commanders handed the Dallas Cowboys their proverbial behinds in the final game of the 2022 regular season. Washington outclassed the Cowboys 26-6 largely on the strength of a colossal effort from their defense.
In what may very well have been the very last time that the Commanders took the field with Dan Snyder as owner, there wasn’t much to play for. Perhaps that’s fitting given the tumultuous times of the past two decades-plus under Snyder’s thumb. Washington were eliminated from Wild Card contention in Week 17, and no result from them in Week 18 was going to change that.
Given that, the Commanders chose to sit some regulars in lieu of evaluating some talent that had seen little or no playing time this season. That included getting quarterback Sam Howell his first start.
There’s a good chance if you’re poking around the world of the Washington Commanders online this week – you will likely find some common verbage.
“Nothing to play for.”
“Play the young talent.”
“No playoffs again!”
What there hasn’t been much of, is the thing that might be the most exciting of all.
A seemingly overlooked thing that might make this meaningless game, the most meaningful game in 20-plus years.
There’s a chance that it could be the last game ever with Dan Snyder as the owner.
It’s Week 17 of the 2022 NFL season. The Washington Commanders will face off against the Cleveland Browns on New Year’s Day in Landover.
The game might not have any meaning for the Cleveland Browns, but the Commanders are still very much in the playoff hunt.
It’s Week 15 of the 2022 NFL season. The Washington Commanders will face the San Francisco 49ers
Washington is coming off of a narrow victory over the Atlanta Falcons.