The Washington Commanders did most of their work from the shadows last season in Dan Quinn's first year as head coach with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Going from a four-win team to a 12-win team and an NFC Championship game, the Commanders were the surprise packet of the season.
They snuck up on most of their opponents last year, but heading into the 2025 season, everyone knows they're coming. What's more, with the full schedule released, Washington has nowhere to hide.
In total, the Commanders have eight national/prime-time games for the year, and what's more, with playoffs likely on the agenda, all eyes will be on Washington's final three games - and they're doozy's.
To finish their year, the Commanders face the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Eagles again. I smell playoff implications.
So there will be a lot of eyeballs on Washington in 2025, with many expecting Daniels to continue his ascension, while the team looks to be playoff-bound under Quinn for the second consecutive season.
Last year, they were the feel-good story—the franchise from the NFL doldrums who became media darlings. Now, they are an up-and-coming team that needs to show that last season wasn't a flash in the pan.
And we will get to see that play out under the brightest of lights with the Commanders playing nearly half their games either in prime-time or in a national TV timeslot.
Will that affect Quinn and Daniels? Hardly. But their second season together will be vastly different from a year ago.
They killed off challengers from the shadows last year. Now they must do it when the entire league knows they're coming.
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