Washington Commanders timeline on the way to the NFC championship game

By Canadian Press on January 21, 2025.

The Washington Commanders are in the NFC championship game after going 12-5 in the regular season and winning two playoff games.

It’s the furthest the team has advanced in more than three decades, and it comes after going 4-13 in 2023. This turnaround is the result of a complete organizational overhaul that began with the firing of Ron Rivera and hiring of new general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn.

Signing veterans such as Bobby Wagner and Zach Ertz and drafting Jayden Daniels set the stage for one of the most surprising seasons in franchise history.

Here’s how it all happened.

Jan. 7, 2024

A 38-10 home loss to Dallas on coach Ron Rivera’s 62nd birthday clinched the second pick in the draft and opened the door to get the organization’s quarterback of the future.

Jan. 8, 2024

Rivera was fired as expected after four seasons as head of football operations, a stint that included one playoff appearance when Washington won the NFC East with a 7-9 record in 2020.

Controlling owner Josh Harris, whose group bought the team from Dan Snyder and family in 2022 for a North American professional sports record $6.05 billion, said: “Clearly, we weren’t good enough this year. We didn’t get it done on the field, and so we’ve decided to go into a new direction.”

Longtime NBA executive Bob Myers and former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman were contracted to assist Harris and co-owners Magic Johnson, Mitch Rales and David Blitzer in the GM and coach searches. Harris predicted a “thorough but rapid” process.

Jan. 12, 2024

It did not take long for ownership to find its new head football executive, reaching an agreement with Peters to become general manager. The Commanders announced the hire a few days later.

Peters was one of two finalists along with Chicago’s Ian Cunningham. The 44-year-old joined Washington after spending the previous three seasons with San Francisco as an assistant to John Lynch.

Jan. 30, 2024

Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, considered one of the top candidates to coach the Commanders, informed them and other teams he was staying with the Lions.

Quinn interviewed for the job the same day at a hotel in the ritzy Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, with defensive coordinators Aaron Glenn of the Lions and Mike Macdonald of the Baltimore Ravens also in the mix. The next day, the Seattle Seahawks hired Macdonald to succeed Pete Carroll as coach.

Feb. 1, 2024

The Commanders turned quickly to Quinn, reaching a deal to hire the former Atlanta Falcons coach who ran the Dallas Cowboys defense from 2021-23. He signed his contract a couple of days later.

Harris said Quinn “rightfully earned a reputation as one of the NFL’s top defensive minds, building tough, explosive and dynamic teams that compete hard … but most importantly, he is an incredible leader who brings out the best in his players, coaches and staff.”

Feb. 4, 2024

Peters and Quinn made the first assistant coaching additions, agreeing to hire Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator and Joe Whitt Jr. as defensive coordinator. Before the Commanders hired Quinn, Kingsbury planned to join Antonio Pierce’s staff with the Las Vegas Raiders, but he could not reach a deal and told them he decided to pursue other options.

March 6, 2024

The Commanders agreed to sign Ertz, a Super Bowl-winning tight end with Philadelphia who was a free agent after being released by Arizona the previous November. The signing reunited Ertz with Kingsbury, who coached him with the Cardinals.

Before the new league year opened, they also had agreements to sign running back Austin Ekeler and quarterback Marcus Mariota. The deal with Mariota was an early sign the team was zeroing in on Daniels, figuring Chicago would take Caleb Williams with the first pick.

March 13, 2024

Peters made a big splash on the opening day of free agency, signing six-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner to a one-year contract worth up to $8.5 million with $6 million guaranteed. He also traded QB Sam Howell to Seattle after the 2022 fifth-round pick started all 17 games of the 2023 season.

April 26, 2024

The Commanders drafted Daniels, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU, choosing him over North Carolina’s Drake Maye, who went third to New England. Peters said Daniels was the choice for a while: unanimous within the front office to the point the Commanders were ready to run the draft card up when they were on the clock.

“Selecting a winner like Jayden Daniels will energize the players and our fan base!” co-owner Magic Johnson posted on social media.

Later in the draft, they selected national championship-winning Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil in the second round and TCU offensive tackle Brandon Coleman in the third, filling a couple of big needs.

Aug. 19, 2024

After opening training camp in late July not wanting to anoint Daniels prematurely, Quinn announced that he was the starter following a couple of successful preseason games and joint practices. Daniels was 12 of 15 for 123 yards at the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins.

Sept. 7, 2024

Daniels made his NFL debut, running for two touchdowns in a season-opening 37-20 loss at Tampa Bay. Quinn and the coaching staff talked a lot in the aftermath of that game about Daniels “remaining a passer” and not taking off and running as much as he did against the Buccaneers.

Sept. 24, 2024

Days after Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt said the Commanders had a “nice college offense,” Daniels lit up Cincinnati’s defense in his first prime-time game as a professional. Daniels set a rookie record by completing 91.3% of his passes and outdueling Joe Burrow in a 38-33 win that made the Commanders 2-1.

Beating Arizona 42-14 the following week got Washington off to its first 3-1 start since 2011.

Oct. 27, 2024

Seven days after leaving a 40-7 rout of Carolina with a rib injury that limited his practice snaps, the Commanders beat Williams and the Bears on Daniels’ Hail Mary touchdown throw to Noah Brown.

They went on the road Nov. 3 and defeated the New York Giants to improve to 7-2, the organization’s best record through nine games since 1996, and Peters acquired four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore from New Orleans just before the trade deadline.

Dec. 1, 2024

After a three-game losing streak threatened to derail Washington’s path to the playoffs, Daniels threw for three TDs and ran for another in a 42-19 blowout of Tennessee that sent the Commanders into their late-season bye week on a high note.

Dec. 29, 2024

In a game flexed to Sunday night and with fellow top-10-drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. making his second NFL start, Daniels connected with Ertz for the winning touchdown in overtime to beat Atlanta and send the Commanders to the playoffs.

Jan. 12, 2025

Zane Gonzalez banked the game-winning field goal off the right upright and through, and the Commanders upset the Buccaneers 23-20 in the wild-card round. It was Washington’s first playoff win in 19 years, setting up a trip to the top-seeded Detroit Lions.

Jan. 18, 2025

Top wide receiver Terry McLaurin turned a short pass from Daniels into a 58-yard TD, the defense forced five turnovers and the Commanders ran the Lions out of their own building with a 45-31 victory. Washington reached the NFC title game for the first time in 33 years, going back to the 1991 season — the team’s third and most recent Super Bowl championship.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press