# 2024 Washington Commanders season
The 2024 [Washington Commanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/washington-commanders) season was the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) franchise's 93rd season, in which Washington finished 12-5, second in the [NFC East](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfc-east), and reached the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991 season, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 55-23.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/was/2024.htm) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/74382ca3f1bc0c69caba21e39f4787d3) The team improved from 4-13 in 2023 behind rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 overall draft pick, and first-year head coach Dan Quinn.[3](https://apnews.com/article/49f21beece369542e98c55feffccd749) • [4](https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/09/06/washington-commanders-season-jayden-daniels)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 12-5-0, 2nd in the NFC East; points for 485 (28.5 per game, 5th of 32), points against 391 (23.0 per game, 18th)[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/was/2024.htm) |
| Turnaround | From 4-13 in 2023, the final season under coach Ron Rivera, to 12-5 under Dan Quinn, hired February 3, 2024 as the franchise's 31st head coach[5](https://apnews.com/article/54cde60a342da9879ba1d8f3457c4b72) • [6](https://www.commanders.com/news/dan-quinn-named-washington-commanders-31st-head-coach) |
| Quarterback | Rookie Jayden Daniels: 331 of 480 passing for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 100.1 passer rating, plus 891 rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns[7](https://www.nfl.com/players/jayden-daniels/stats/) |
| Playoffs | Won Wild Card 23-20 over Tampa Bay, won Divisional 45-31 over top-seeded Detroit, lost NFC Championship 55-23 to Philadelphia[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/was/2024.htm) |
| Close games | Eight of the 12 wins came by a single possession, and six were decided on the last play from scrimmage[8](https://www.nfl.com/news/another-commanders-season-is-unraveling-how-did-they-get-here) |
| Milestone | First NFC Championship Game appearance since winning the franchise's third Super Bowl 33 years earlier[2](https://apnews.com/article/74382ca3f1bc0c69caba21e39f4787d3) |
| Franchise best | The 12-5 record was Washington's best in a season in the 30 years through 2024[9](https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/commanders-best-record-in-a-season-past-30-years) |
## Offseason reset
The season followed a wholesale change of the organization's leadership. Controlling owner Josh Harris's group had bought the team from Dan Snyder and his family in 2023 for $6.05 billion, a record price for a North American professional sports franchise.[3](https://apnews.com/article/49f21beece369542e98c55feffccd749) On January 8, 2024, the new ownership fired head coach [Ron Rivera](https://www.edgepedia.org/ron-rivera) after a 4-13 season that ended with eight consecutive losses; Rivera finished 26-40-1 in Washington with one playoff appearance and no winning season.[5](https://apnews.com/article/54cde60a342da9879ba1d8f3457c4b72)
**New coach and quarterback.** On February 3, 2024, Washington named Dan Quinn, formerly the [Dallas Cowboys](https://www.edgepedia.org/dallas-cowboys)' defensive coordinator, as its 31st head coach. Quinn had coordinated the [Seattle Seahawks](https://www.edgepedia.org/seattle-seahawks)' "Legion of Boom" defense that led the league in points, yards, and takeaways in 2013, and coached the [Atlanta Falcons](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-falcons) to a Super Bowl appearance after the 2016 season.[6](https://www.commanders.com/news/dan-quinn-named-washington-commanders-31st-head-coach) In the draft, Washington selected quarterback Jayden Daniels second overall. Daniels, a 23-year-old Heisman Trophy winner, arrived with the anticipation of a fanbase seeking its first standout quarterback in decades.[4](https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/09/06/washington-commanders-season-jayden-daniels) General manager Adam Peters said in 2024 that he planned to build the roster through the draft and supplement it with free agency.[8](https://www.nfl.com/news/another-commanders-season-is-unraveling-how-did-they-get-here)
## Regular season
Washington opened on the road for the first time since 2019, losing 37-20 at [Tampa Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/tampa-bay) on September 8, then won its next four games, including a 38-33 Monday night win at [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati) and a 42-14 rout at Arizona, to reach 4-1.[10](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2024/by-team/washington-commanders) • [4](https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/09/06/washington-commanders-season-jayden-daniels) A loss at Baltimore in Week 6 was followed by wins over Carolina, Chicago, and the Giants, putting the team at 7-2.[10](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2024/by-team/washington-commanders)
**Midseason stumble.** Losses to [Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh) (28-27) and Philadelphia (26-18) in Weeks 10 and 11 dropped Washington to 7-4, and a 34-26 defeat to Dallas in Week 12 made it 7-5. The Washington Post noted in mid-November that the early-season surge led by Daniels had cooled, and that Quinn and Peters had described the team as early in a rebuild, or a "recalibration" in Quinn's word.[11](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/11/17/commanders-what-weve-learned/)
**Late-season surge.** After a Week 14 bye, Washington won five straight games to close the regular season: 42-19 over Tennessee, 20-19 at New Orleans, 36-33 over Philadelphia, 30-24 over Atlanta, and 23-19 at Dallas in the finale, finishing 12-5 with a five-game winning streak.[10](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2024/by-team/washington-commanders) The 12-5 record was the franchise's best in the previous 30 years.[9](https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/commanders-best-record-in-a-season-past-30-years) Pro-Football-Reference's expected win-loss estimate for the team was 10.6-6.4, with a Simple Rating System score of 3.73 (11th of 32) against a schedule strength of -1.80.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/was/2024.htm)
## Jayden Daniels and the offense
Daniels started all 17 games and threw for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns against 9 interceptions, a 100.1 passer rating, and added 891 rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns on the ground.[7](https://www.nfl.com/players/jayden-daniels/stats/) He finished the season with [Pro Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-bowl) and All-Pro recognition and was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year first-team selection.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/was/2024.htm) The offense scored 485 points, 28.5 per game, fifth in the 32-team league, under offensive coordinator [Kliff Kingsbury](https://www.edgepedia.org/kliff-kingsbury).[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/was/2024.htm)
## Defense and close games
The defense, coordinated by Joe Whitt, allowed 391 points, 23.0 per game, 18th of 32.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/was/2024.htm) It gave up 125 explosive plays, tied for the ninth-most in the league, one of several problems the unit carried through the season.[8](https://www.nfl.com/news/another-commanders-season-is-unraveling-how-did-they-get-here) The team's margin was thin: eight of the 12 wins came by a single possession, and six were decided on the last play from scrimmage, with a favorable schedule, few injuries, and Daniels' play masking mistakes.[8](https://www.nfl.com/news/another-commanders-season-is-unraveling-how-did-they-get-here)
## Playoffs
**Wild Card.** Washington returned to Tampa Bay and won 23-20, the franchise's first playoff win since the 2005 season.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/was/2024.htm) • [4](https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/09/06/washington-commanders-season-jayden-daniels)
**Divisional round.** The Commanders stunned the top-seeded [Detroit Lions](https://www.edgepedia.org/detroit-lions), who had gone a franchise-record 15-2, winning 45-31 on the road on January 18. Daniels threw two touchdowns, rookie Mike Sainristil had two interceptions, and Detroit turned the ball over five times; Washington set a season high in points.[2](https://apnews.com/article/74382ca3f1bc0c69caba21e39f4787d3)
**NFC Championship.** Washington's run ended in Philadelphia on January 26 with a 55-23 loss to the 14-3 Eagles.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/was/2024.htm) • [10](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2024/by-team/washington-commanders) It was the franchise's deepest playoff run since the 1991 season, when it won its third [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl).[2](https://apnews.com/article/74382ca3f1bc0c69caba21e39f4787d3)
## Significance
The season marked the fastest payoff of the Harris ownership reset: from 4-13 to 12-5 and a conference championship game in one year, with a new owner, general manager, head coach, and franchise quarterback all installed at once.[3](https://apnews.com/article/49f21beece369542e98c55feffccd749) The following season showed how narrow the 2024 margin had been; Washington's defense fell from 13th in yards and 18th in scoring in 2024 to 32nd and 27th respectively in 2025, and the team could not overcome a harder schedule and injuries once Daniels could no longer mask as many mistakes.[8](https://www.nfl.com/news/another-commanders-season-is-unraveling-how-did-they-get-here)
## References
1. [2024 Washington Commanders Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/was/2024.htm)
2. [Jayden Daniels and the Commanders stun the top-seeded Lions 45-31 to reach NFC title game, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/74382ca3f1bc0c69caba21e39f4787d3)
3. [Josh Harris finds himself on brink of championship with Commanders he can't find with 76ers, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/49f21beece369542e98c55feffccd749)
4. [Everything you need to know about the 2024 Washington Commanders, Axios Washington D.C.](https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/09/06/washington-commanders-season-jayden-daniels)
5. [Commanders fire coach Ron Rivera as new ownership begins making changes, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/54cde60a342da9879ba1d8f3457c4b72)
6. [Dan Quinn named Washington Commanders' 31st head coach, Commanders.com](https://www.commanders.com/news/dan-quinn-named-washington-commanders-31st-head-coach)
7. [Jayden Daniels Stats Summary, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/jayden-daniels/stats/)
8. [Another Commanders season is unraveling. How did they get here?, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/another-commanders-season-is-unraveling-how-did-they-get-here)
9. [Commanders Best Record In A Season Past 30 Years, StatMuse](https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/commanders-best-record-in-a-season-past-30-years)
10. [NFL 2024 Washington Commanders Schedule, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2024/by-team/washington-commanders)
11. [What we know about the Commanders, and what they still need to prove, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/11/17/commanders-what-weve-learned/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › National Football League › NFL teams and franchises › NFL team seasons 2020 to present*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license