CBS analyst says Dan Quinn’s Commanders are just getting started

The Washington Commanders were the NFL's surprise package in 2024. Quarterback sensation Jayden Daniels and new head coach Dan Quinn spearheaded a turnaround from four wins the prior season into a 12-5 record and NFC Championship game appearance. It was the stuff of miracles.

Now, for the first time in possibly decades, there will be legitimate Super Bowl aspirations in D.C. The Commanders will have to go through a tough schedule that includes the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, who currently have the upper hand in the NFC East. But the top of the division is very much within reach.

Commanders are one of a small handful of teams that can win the Super Bowl

The national media has taken notice as well, and in Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports' best-and worst-case scenarios for every NFL team in 2025, he gives Washington quite the lofty hope.

Adam Peters' big swings (i.e. Deebo Samuel, Laremy Tunsil) only serve to highlight Jayden Daniels' infectious magic, and Washington's dynamic quarterback wins the nation's capital its first Super Bowl since 1991.Cody Benjamin

While a Super Bowl victory can technically be considered the ideal outcome for every team, there are only a select few who it is an attainable reality for. In fact, Washington is one of only five teams that Benjamin names as a potential champion, with the others being the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, and Philadelphia.

Some other teams Benjamin named as having a chance to make (but not win) the Super Bowl include the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, and Green Bay Packers. Considering that three of those franchises have done exactly that in the past few years, while one (the Rams) has even won it, it's quite the praise to give Washington higher upside than all of them.

It makes sense, though.

The Commanders are only at the start of their window in the Daniels era, while most of those other teams are deemed to have plateaued. As long as the 2024 No. 2 overall pick continues to improve, there's no telling how special he and Washington could be over the next several years.

However, there is also a much less optimistic scenario.

Benjamin highlighted a possibility that Daniels' dual-threat tendencies led him to the injury bug at some stage. In this world, the Commanders would have to lean on Marcus Mariota or Josh Johnson to stay afloat. The Eagles would also likely get a free pass to repeat as division champions.

Commanders fans can only hope that their season plays out in a fashion much closer to the former outcome.

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