Commanders Rolling Into Playoffs With Confidence That 'Was Always There'

Even at their lowest, Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner never lost faith in his team.

Nov 24, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) celebrates with teammates after a turnover against the Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Commanders were being exposed, it appeared.

With seven wins in nine games to start the season, the Commanders were the darlings of the NFL world, but then, following three straight losses, the shine started to come off a bit.

Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, there was evidence that the team couldn't go toe-to-toe against a team with a veteran quarterback and a hard-nosed reputation. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, it was clear 'big brother' in the NFC East was still located outside of the DMV. And against the Dallas Cowboys, no matter how far Washington had climbed, there was still plenty of hill in front of it.

Nov 24, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) celebrates with teammates after a turnover against the Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has opened up recently about there being a feeling around the team after those three losses that it would need to fight to correct deficiencies exposed in them to give themselves a fighting chance to get the seventh-seed in the NFC Playoff race - the final spot.

A win over the Tennessee Titans came next, then the bye week, and a close win against the New Orleans Saints. Week 16 offered a chance at redemption against the Eagles, and they got it, but the 'yeah buts' came out after quarterback Jalen Hurts was injured and had to leave the game.

An overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons clinched a playoff spot, and a redeeming win over the Cowboys clinched the sixth seed; forget about the seventh. Now, confidence is back in the team and its rookie quarterback with its retread head coach and potentially washed-up veterans. But that's outside confidence. Inside the team, it has always been a different story for linebacker Bobby Wagner.

"I didn't find it. It was always there," Wagner said about his confidence in his team following the Week 18 win in Dallas. "I see the people that we worked with, I see the men, I see how they perform, I see how they go after it. It was just a lot on us putting it together. So it wasn't anything crazy. I've been around for a long time, and I've been in situations where great teams go through hardship, and I felt that's what it was."

Not only did Washington get back into the playoff race, despite sitting in sixth place in the conference, Quinn's team actually has a better record at 12-5 than two of the division champions seeded ahead of it.

If the NFL Playoffs were seeded by record, the Commanders would be fourth, not sixth, and would be hosting the Green Bay Packers while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveled to face the Minnesota Vikings.

But the NFL doesn't seed by record, so now Washington will travel to face the Buccaneers in their home stadium. And that's where beating the Cowboys comes back into the picture. Because it wasn't only about defeating a rival or getting a win against a team they had lost to once before. The Commanders had something else to gain from winning in Dallas on Sunday.

"You give yourself confidence," Wagner said of the win. "I think you see how deep our team is when you have one of our best players (quarterback Jayden Daniels) go out, and somebody (Marcus Mariota) comes in, steps in, and ends the game the way he did. I think it's just amazing, and I think you always want to go into the playoffs feeling good, winning, and just the vibe's good. So I feel like we are right there."

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