It is playoff time!
As Washington fans know, we are in the playoffs! Celebratory beers all round, champagne corks popped, etc!
This weekend may, or may not, be the last of the season. This is the Schrödinger’s cat moment, until the playoffs begin we have not opened that box, we are both in the playoffs, and out of the playoffs!
It is a time to enjoy this moment of success, but also to reflect on our history.
When was our last playoffs?
The first thing to say is that this is our first trip to the playoffs in five years, the last time was with Taylor Heinicke at quarterback against Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Tampa beat us in a close game and went on to win the Super Bowl with some guy called Tom Brady at quarterback.
Taking a deeper look at the data, I thought the best thing is to go back to the glory year of 1982, which was our first trip to the playoffs since 1976, and also the year of our first Super Bowl win.
What a decade that was.
We made the playoffs in ’82 and won the Super Bowl. In ’83 we lost the Super Bowl to the Raiders. Then in ’85 we were knocked out by the Bears, who won the Super Bowl. In ’86 we were knocked out by the Giants who won the Super Bowl. And in ’87 we won the Super Bowl against the Broncos.
In the 90s we were in the playoffs in 1990, and again in ’91 when we won the Super Bowl against the Bills. We were in the next year in ’92, and then finally in ’99.
In the 10 years from 1982 to 1992 we were in the playoffs an amazing eight times, and won two out of three Super Bowls! Those were truly the glory days.
Slump since 2000
We had trips to the playoffs in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2015, 2020, and now finally again in 2024.
In all the postseason trips this century, the wildcard round was where we were knocked out – with the exception of 2005 where we beat Tampa and then lost in the divisional round
So we had eight trips to the playoffs from 1982 to 1992, three were to Super Bowls and none were lost in the wildcard round.
We have only had six trips to the playoffs in the last 25 years, five of which were knockouts in the wildcard round!
I say this not to be negative at a great moment for the team, but to put into perspective how long some of the fans have been waiting in the wilderness.
It is time to reflect on what an achievement it is to get back to the playoffs under the new head coach Dan Quinn.
And, I say it while we still have hope that, against the odds, we might just make it to the Super Bowl this year.
Will Washington reach the Super Bowl?
Honestly, no, I do not think they will.
But then I did not think we would win 12 games this season, and I did not think Jayden Daniels would deliver, simply because we have had a terrible history with quarterbacks for over 20 years.
I feared from past experience that Jayden would be let down by the offensive line, and worse still injured as a consequence. Shades of RG3 come to mind.
This year has been amazing, and to end up on 12-5 – the third best standing in the NFC – is spectacular. All the more so given the mediocrity of recent seasons.
The 12-5 record also ties with Baltimore’s record in the AFC. Did any of us think we’d be as good as Baltimore this year? I doubt it.
Do I think, on any given Sunday, we have have a fighting chance to beat any team? With Jayden Daniels at quarterback, I do.
In Daniels we trust. HTTR!
