Washington Season in Review & Looking Forward

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February 5, 2025

by David Earl

Season In Review

                                            2024 Regular Season Team Stats
                          Offense                          Defense
Points Per Game 28.8 (5th) Points Per Game 23.0 (18th)
Yards Per Game 396.6 (7th) Yards Per Game 326.9 (13th)
Yards Per Play 5.7 (10th) Yards Per Play 5.4 (16th)
3rd Down % 45.62% (6th) 3rd Down % 38.16% (15th)
4th Down % 86.96% (1st) 4th Down % 66.67% (27th)
Rush Yards Per Attempt 5.0 (4th) Rush Yards Per Attempt 4.8 (28th)
Pass Yards Per Attempt 10.0 (17th) Pass Yards Per Attempt 10.5 (24th)
Completion % 69.52% (6th) Completion % 61.90% (4th)
Passer Rating 102.5 (7th) Passer Rating 93.9 (19th)
Sack % 8.70% (26th) Sack % 7.98% (5th)
League Rank in ( )
Stats from Team Rankings

This past season was something like a movie script based on the unrealistic possibilities that unfolded before the audience, as many of the preseason predictions had Washington winning around six games. A completely new front office and coaching staff with a complete roster turnover led by a rookie quarterback is rarely a formula for immediate success. So it is not only a testament to the play of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels but the culture within this locker room, led by linebacker Bobby Wagner, showed on and off the field and instilled confidence and a “Why not us” mentality that became infectious.

The offense ranked in the top ten in some very important categories, which led Washington to average 28.8 points per game, ranked 5th in the league. This is a huge turnaround from averaging 19.4 points per game last season. Kliff Kingsbury engineered an offense that was much more balanced than 2023, running the ball 41% of the time, compared to last season with Eric Beiniemy’s 70% pass rate. The more balanced attack protected Jayden Daniels from a poor pass-blocking offensive line that allowed a sack percentage of 8.70%, which still is a marginal improvement from last year’s 9.27% sack rate. While Daniels’ 47 sacks had is not ideal, it is certainly an improvement from the 65 sacks allowed last season. Offensive line will be a top priority this offseason, especially after right guard Sam Cosmi tore his ACL, which will likely lead to missing the start of the 2025 season.

Washington’s 5th-ranked running game looks promising on the surface, but peeling away the top layer we see two very different stories. This was Brian Robinson Jr.’s best season.  He averaged 4.3 yards per carry and managed to run for more than 60 yards in a game 7 times, eclipsing the 100-yard mark 3 times during the regular season. In comparison, Saquon Barkley was held under 100 yards rushing just five times and Derrick Henry averaged over 113 yards rushing per game. In contrast, Robinson averaged 57 yards per game. Yes, these are unfair comparisons, but to have an effective offense against championship teams, Washington’s offense will need a feature running back who is better than the 21st-ranked runner in yards per game average. As the Barkley and Henry-caliber runners are rare, having a runner like Jahmyr Gibbs who averages 83.1 yards per game or Josh Jacobs at 78.2 yards per game is what Washington needs to set as a goal. Pairing a running back who averages these numbers with Jayden Daniels‘ 891 yards rushing on 148 carries (6.0 yards per carry) would generate a far more dynamic offense.

The third and fourth down conversions were impressive but were made possible through Jayden Daniels‘ arm accuracy and his timely use of his legs. Focusing on Daniels’ passing game, he completed 69% of his passes and had a 5.2% touchdown percentage, compared to a 1.9% interception rate, which culminated in a 100.1 passer rating. What was even more impressive was his 116.2 rating during Washington’s 7-game win streak heading into the NFC Championship Game. It is rare to see a rookie quarterback such as Daniels take what truly is an average roster on his back so deep into the playoffs. It was particularly impressive that the offensive roster had a lead running back who averaged 4.3 yards per carry, along with an the offensive line which was 26th worst pass-blocking unit, and a wide receiving core without a true number two receiver behind Terry McLaurin. There is much to improve with the offensive line, and is, again, the top priority this offseason.

The defense is another story all in itself. The only aspect of this unit that was positive was being ranked 4th in passing completion percentage, at 61.90% allowed, which is a direct result of a 7.98% sack rate, ranked 5th in the NFL. After that, it is all downhill, as they allowed 4.8 yards per rush and gave up 4th down conversions at a rate of 66.67%, both ranked near the bottom of the league. Washington’s secondary gave up an average quarterback rating of 93.9 and surrendered 10.5 yards per reception, ranked 19th and 24th, respectively. There were some good pieces added in free agency last season, such as linebacker Frankie Luvu and safety Jeremy Chinn, but overall, Washington needs a the front seven that can help the run defense.

The offseason outlook on needs will be covered more in-depth later, but some glaring issues will have to be evaluated and addressed. A couple of points of discussion could include the rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman, who continued to struggle against elite edge rushers all year long. A move to guard could be his best move, which is what Sam Cosmi did over a year ago.

Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne are similar players who are both good at rushing the passer but ineffective against the run, which is something we’ve seen over the past 2 seasons. Whether Washington go for a trade for either seems very unlikely. There is a bright spot, though, in rookie corner Mike Sainristil, who finished the season with 14 pass defenses, 2 interceptions, allowed a 60.4% completion rate, and 93 total tackles. This was all done by a corner drafted to be a slot corner and moved to the outside only to flourish when many believed he was out of position. He and a healthy Marshon Lattimore entering the 2025 season should provide a bit boost for the defense as the top two corners.

No Rebrand

Josh Harris made it official: the team will remain the Washington Commanders going forward with making a few changes to the uniform. To be honest, I am not surprised, as I felt a long time ago that if there was even a small sense of offense with the Redskins name it was never going to come back. I have also addressed the premise that if this season was successful it would eliminate the possibility of a rebrand before the serious rebrand discussions would have even started. What happened during this season with Jayden Daniels having a phenomenal rookie season and the team falling one game shy of the Super Bowl all but locked the name in place, without question. If that was not enough, seeing Jayden Daniels jersey become the top selling in the entire NFL showed that marketing the name was not going to be entirely difficult going forward.

Of course, this brought mixed feelings within the fan base, ranging from relief that the name debate officially ends, to those swearing that the fight for the Redskins name will  continue. This really boils down to two groups of people: those having long ties to the golden era of Redskins football and those who have only experienced disappointment every year under the previous ownership. Nostalgia was important, not only through winning, but multiple generations sharing Sunday afternoons with family and friends. Losing the Redskins name took a more emotional toll on many levels for these fans than the young generation of Washington fans, so moving forward with the Commanders’ name hits very differently for both groups of fans. The unfortunate part of this situation is the infighting among these fans because of the paths taken to handle the rebrand to Commanders. What I don’t get are both the fans who purposely root against the team to fail because of the rebrand as well as the fans who are arrogantly overly judgmental of those fans who want to hold dear the memories of the Redskins history.

As far as the players on this team go, they have developed a bond and there is a culture of winning as Washington Commanders that has unified them, which Josh Harris made very clear. Plus, when your franchise player was drafted as a Commander and has zero history with the past, there now becomes a birth of a new legacy centered around Jayden Daniels. If Washington continues to achieve success through its new core players this team will begin to potentially lay a foundation of excellence. Therefore, starting over under a new brand now makes no business sense.

As fans, we have been clamoring for players wanting to play for Washington and change the overall culture of this organization. Not only does that time appear to be before us today, but the future seems to be what we have all wanted, including a path to becoming contenders each year. Would you rather have this success as a fan with the Washington Commanders, including what looks like the franchise quarterback we all have been starving for, or continue to have yet another unknown offseason with more questions than answers while debating the brand of the team? That seems to be an oversimplification of a complex situation for some fans, but considering what we all went through for 24 years under horrendous ownership I’d rather just enjoy what is before us, including an exciting offseason ahead. I recommend that all fans transition into this brand the best way you can, even if that includes wearing Redskins apparel only because the next 5-10 years looks to be very exciting. Why bog that down with hopeless protests and arguments over Josh Harris committing to this current brand?

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