The Washington Commanders started off 0-3 in preseason play, opening up with a loss to the Carolina Panthers, 23-21, then a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, 24-14, and then a loss to the Baltimore Ravens 15-17. The Commanders season officially started in September, opening up with a win in game 1 against the Jaguars, 28-22. Then they suffered four more losses in a row, to the Detroit Lions, 27-36, to the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-8, the Dallas Cowboys 25-10, and then the Tennessee Titans, 21-17.

The Commanders then started to get hot, winning three consecutive games. Washington beat the Chicago Bears, 12-7, the Green Bay Packers, 23-21, then the Indianapolis Colts, 17-16. The Commanders then had a loss to the Minnesota Vikings as the Vikings’ quarterback Kirk Cousins made his first start in Washington after signing with the Vikings in 2018 on a three-year, $84 million contract. Cousins was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 2012, as a backup to Robert Griffin III.

The Commanders then got hot and stayed hot. The streak started off beating the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, 32-21, after losing to the Eagles in week three, 24-8. Senior Parker Leibowitz said, “This win got the entire fan base fired up because it was a huge win.”

The Commanders went on another three-game winning streak, beating the Texans in week 11, 23-10, and then another win against the Atlanta Falcons, 19-13. Washington played the New York Giants in week 13. The Commanders were down 13-20 at the start of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Taylor Heinicke and the Commanders had the ball on their own 10 yard line with 3:43 left on the game clock. Heinicke completed a pass to WR Terry McLaurin for a gain of 11 yards. The Commanders hustled to the line of scrimmage while running a no huddle offense and Heinicke completed another pass to WR Curtis Samuel for six yards, then it was fourth and four.

Heinicke stepped back with loads of pressure and scrambled out and completed a pass to WR Curtis Samuel again for 20 yards. The Commanders were now on their own 47 yard line. After the two-minute warning, it was second and 10. Heinicke completed a pass to Curtis Samuel once again for a gain of 25 yards. It was then first and 10 on the Giants 28 yard line. Heinicke stepped back and completed a short pass to WR Johan Dotson, who then maneuvered his way around the Giant’s defense, spinning around them for a 28 yard touchdown. The Commanders kicked the extra point and tied the game, sending it to overtime. The Commanders and Giants tied the game after nobody was able to score in overtime. Giants Kicker Graham Gano missed a 58 yard field goal to win it.

The Commanders are now 7-5-1 and still chasing the playoffs. Senior Nikhil Bakshi said, “I think the Commanders are going to finish the fight and make the playoffs, and end up making a run for the books.”