Commander Country

Here's How Commanders Can Clinch Playoff Berth Sunday

The Washington Commanders are on the brink of a playoff spot. Here's how they can punch their ticket with a week to spare.

Jeremy Brener

The Washington Commanders are making a big change this week for their game against the Cleveland Browns.

Head coach Ron Rivera announced today that Carson Wentz would return to the starting lineup, replacing Taylor Heinicke, who was benched in Saturday's loss against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Commanders went winless in December, but still have a chance to qualify for the playoffs this weekend if a couple games go their way.

It's a longshot, but the Commanders need the following to happen ...

Commanders WIN vs. Browns

Lions LOSE vs. Bears

Packers LOSE vs. Vikings

Seahawks LOSE vs. Jets

Should all four of those outcomes take place, the Commanders can go to sleep Sunday night knowing they will play postseason football.

The outcomes aren't likely to all take place because every team plays at home this weekend. On top of that, the Lions, Packers and Seahawks need a win to keep their postseason hopes alive. A loss would virtually knock out any of these teams from the postseason. Out of all four of these teams, only the Seahawks are underdogs this weekend.

The Commanders, placing a 0.5-game ahead of the other three teams, cannot be eliminated this weekend. However, a loss against the Browns and a win by any of those teams would leapfrog them over the Commanders in the standings.

With the calendar flipping from December to January, the games only become more important for teams with playoff aspirations. And perhaps that statement is no truer for any team than the Commanders.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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