List Of Washington Commanders Seasons
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football franchise based in the Washington metropolitan area. They are members of the East division in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL). The Commanders were founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves, named after the local baseball franchise. The franchise changed its name the following year to the Redskins and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1937. In 2020, the team retired the Redskins name after longstanding controversies surrounding it and briefly played as the Washington Football Team before becoming the Commanders in 2022.
Over their 92 seasons in the NFL, the Commanders have accumulated a record of 629 wins, 643 losses, and 29 ties, which is the thirteenth-worst all-time regular season record among active franchises in terms of win–loss percentage. They have also made the playoffs twenty-five times and have the ninth-best playoff record in terms of win-loss percentage with 23 wins and 20 losses. The franchise has won five NFC championships and 15 NFL divisional titles.
The franchise has won three Super Bowl championships (XVII, XXII, and XXVI). They also played in and lost Super Bowl VII and Super Bowl XVIII. Before the AFL and NFL merged in 1970, Washington won two NFL Championships (1937 and 1942). They also played in and lost the 1936, 1940, 1943, and 1945 Championship games. Only five teams have appeared in more Super Bowls than Washington: the New England Patriots (11), Dallas Cowboys (eight), Pittsburgh Steelers (eight), Denver Broncos (eight), and San Francisco 49ers (seven); Washington's five appearances are tied with the Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, and New York Giants.
All of the franchise's championships were attained during two 10-year spans. The first period of success was from 1936 to 1945, when they went to the NFL Championship six times, winning two of them. The second period of success was from 1982 and 1991, when they appeared in the postseason seven times, captured four Conference titles, and won three Super Bowls. This period included the 1983 and 1991 seasons, when the team won 14 games, the most the team have won in a single season.
Washington has also experienced periods of extended failure in its history. The most notable period of continued failure was from 1946 to 1970, when they posted only four winning seasons and did not have a single postseason appearance. During this period, they went without a single winning season between 1956 to 1968 and posted their worst regular-season record in franchise history, going 1–12–1 in 1961. Washington is currently experiencing its second period of lack of success, which began in 1993 and continued throughout the 2000s and 2010s with only two playoff wins under the ownership of Daniel Snyder.
Seasons
| NFL champions (1920–1969) § | Super Bowl champions (1970–present) * | Conference champions | Division champions † | Wild card berth ^ |
| Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Playoff results | Head coach | Awards | Refs. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | W | L | T | ||||||||||
| Boston Braves | |||||||||||||
| 1932 | 1932 | NFL | — | — | 4th | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | Lud Wray | — | ||
| Boston Redskins | |||||||||||||
| 1933 | 1933 | NFL | — | East | 3rd | 5 | 5 | 2 | — | Lone Star Dietz | — | ||
| 1934 | 1934 | NFL | — | East | 2nd | 6 | 6 | 0 | — | Lone Star Dietz | — | ||
| 1935 | 1935 | NFL | — | East | 4th | 2 | 8 | 1 | — | Eddie Casey | — | ||
| 1936 | 1936 | NFL | — | East† | 1st† | 7 | 5 | 0 | Lost NFL Championship (Packers) 21–6 | Ray Flaherty | — | ||
| Washington Redskins | |||||||||||||
| 1937 | 1937 | NFL§ | — | East† | 1st† | 8 | 3 | 0 | Won NFL Championship (1) (at Bears) 28–21 | Ray Flaherty | — | ||
| 1938 | 1938 | NFL | — | East | 2nd | 6 | 3 | 2 | — | Ray Flaherty | — | ||
| 1939 | 1939 | NFL | — | East | 2nd | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | Ray Flaherty | — | ||
| 1940 | 1940 | NFL | — | East† | 1st† | 9 | 2 | 0 | Lost NFL Championship (Bears) 73–0 | Ray Flaherty | — | ||
| 1941 | 1941 | NFL | — | East | 3rd | 6 | 5 | 0 | — | Ray Flaherty | — | ||
| 1942 | 1942 | NFL§ | — | East† | 1st† | 10 | 1 | 0 | Won NFL Championship (2) (Bears) 14–6 | Ray Flaherty | — | ||
| 1943 | 1943 | NFL | — | East† | 1st† | 6 | 3 | 1 | Won Divisional playoff (at Giants) 28–0 Lost NFL Championship (at Bears) 41–21 |
Dutch Bergman | — | ||
| 1944 | 1944 | NFL | — | East | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | Dudley DeGroot | — | ||
| 1945 | 1945 | NFL | — | East† | 1st† | 8 | 2 | 0 | Lost NFL Championship (at Rams) 15–14 | Dudley DeGroot | — | ||
| 1946 | 1946 | NFL | — | East | T-3rd | 5 | 5 | 1 | — | Turk Edwards | — | ||
| 1947 | 1947 | NFL | — | East | 4th | 4 | 8 | 0 | — | Turk Edwards | — | ||
| 1948 | 1948 | NFL | — | East | 2nd | 7 | 5 | 0 | — | Turk Edwards | — | ||
| 1949 | 1949 | NFL | — | East | 4th | 4 | 7 | 1 | — | John Whelchel (3–3–1) Herman Ball (1–4) |
— | ||
| 1950 | 1950 | NFL | American | — | 6th | 3 | 9 | 0 | — | Herman Ball | — | ||
| 1951 | 1951 | NFL | American | — | 3rd | 5 | 7 | 0 | — | Herman Ball (0–3) Dick Todd (5–4) |
— | ||
| 1952 | 1952 | NFL | American | — | T-5th | 4 | 8 | 0 | — | Curly Lambeau | — | ||
| 1953 | 1953 | NFL | Eastern | — | 3rd | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | Curly Lambeau | — | ||
| 1954 | 1954 | NFL | Eastern | — | 5th | 3 | 9 | 0 | — | Joe Kuharich | — | ||
| 1955 | 1955 | NFL | Eastern | — | 2nd | 8 | 4 | 0 | — | Joe Kuharich | Joe Kuharich (COY) | ||
| 1956 | 1956 | NFL | Eastern | — | 3rd | 6 | 6 | 0 | — | Joe Kuharich | — | ||
| 1957 | 1957 | NFL | Eastern | — | 4th | 5 | 6 | 1 | — | Joe Kuharich | — | ||
| 1958 | 1958 | NFL | Eastern | — | 4th | 4 | 7 | 1 | — | Joe Kuharich | — | ||
| 1959 | 1959 | NFL | Eastern | — | 5th | 3 | 9 | 0 | — | Mike Nixon | — | ||
| 1960 | 1960 | NFL | Eastern | — | 6th | 1 | 9 | 2 | — | Mike Nixon | — | ||
| 1961 | 1961 | NFL | Eastern | — | 7th | 1 | 12 | 1 | — | Bill McPeak | — | ||
| 1962 | 1962 | NFL | Eastern | — | 4th | 5 | 7 | 2 | — | Bill McPeak | — | ||
| 1963 | 1963 | NFL | Eastern | — | 6th | 3 | 11 | 0 | — | Bill McPeak | — | ||
| 1964 | 1964 | NFL | Eastern | — | T-3rd | 6 | 8 | 0 | — | Bill McPeak | Charley Taylor (ROY) | ||
| 1965 | 1965 | NFL | Eastern | — | 4th | 6 | 8 | 0 | — | Bill McPeak | — | ||
| 1966 | 1966 | NFL | Eastern | — | 5th | 7 | 7 | 0 | — | Otto Graham | — | ||
| 1967 | 1967 | NFL | Eastern | Capitol | 3rd | 5 | 6 | 3 | — | Otto Graham | — | ||
| 1968 | 1968 | NFL | Eastern | Capitol | 3rd | 5 | 9 | 0 | — | Otto Graham | — | ||
| 1969 | 1969 | NFL | Eastern | Capitol | 2nd | 7 | 5 | 2 | — | Vince Lombardi | — | ||
| 1970 | 1970 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 6 | 8 | 0 | — | Bill Austin | — | ||
| 1971 | 1971 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd^ | 9 | 4 | 1 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at 49ers) 24–20 | George Allen | George Allen (COY) | ||
| 1972 | 1972 | NFL | NFC | East† | 1st† | 11 | 3 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Packers) 16–3 Won NFC Championship (Cowboys) 26–3 Lost Super Bowl VII (vs. Dolphins) 14–7 |
George Allen | Larry Brown (MVP & OPOY) | ||
| 1973 | 1973 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd^ | 10 | 4 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Vikings) 27–20 | George Allen | — | ||
| 1974 | 1974 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd^ | 10 | 4 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Rams) 19–10 | George Allen | — | ||
| 1975 | 1975 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 8 | 6 | 0 | — | George Allen | Mike Thomas (OROY) | ||
| 1976 | 1976 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd^ | 10 | 4 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Vikings) 35–20 | George Allen | — | ||
| 1977 | 1977 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd | 9 | 5 | 0 | — | George Allen | — | ||
| 1978 | 1978 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 8 | 8 | 0 | — | Jack Pardee | John Riggins (CBPOY) | ||
| 1979 | 1979 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 10 | 6 | 0 | — | Jack Pardee | Jack Pardee (COY) | ||
| 1980 | 1980 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 6 | 10 | 0 | — | Jack Pardee | |||
| 1981 | 1981 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 8 | 8 | 0 | — | Joe Gibbs | Ken Houston (Byron "Whizzer" White Award) | ||
| 1982 | 1982 | NFL* | NFC | 1st | 8 | 1 | 0 | Won First Round Playoffs (Lions) 31–7 Won Second Round Playoffs (Vikings) 21–7 Won NFC Championship (Cowboys) 31–17 Won Super Bowl XVII (3) (vs. Dolphins) 27–17 |
Joe Gibbs | Joe Gibbs (COY) Mark Moseley (MVP) John Riggins (SBMVP) Joe Theismann (WPMOY) Bobby Beathard (EOY) |
|||
| 1983 | 1983 | NFL | NFC | East† | 1st† | 14 | 2 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Rams) 51–7 Won NFC Championship (49ers) 24–21 Lost Super Bowl XVIII (vs. Raiders) 38–9 |
Joe Gibbs | Joe Gibbs (COY) Joe Theismann (MVP & OPOY) Bobby Beathard (EOY) |
||
| 1984 | 1984 | NFL | NFC | East† | 1st† | 11 | 5 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Bears) 23–19 | Joe Gibbs | — | ||
| 1985 | 1985 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 10 | 6 | 0 | — | Joe Gibbs | — | ||
| 1986 | 1986 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd^ | 12 | 4 | 0 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Rams) 19–7 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Bears) 27–13 Lost NFC Championship (at Giants) 17–0 |
Joe Gibbs | — | ||
| 1987 | 1987 | NFL* | NFC | East† | 1st† | 11 | 4 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (at Bears) 21–17 Won NFC Championship (Vikings) 17–10 Won Super Bowl XXII (4) (vs. Broncos) 42–10 |
Joe Gibbs | Doug Williams (SBMVP) | ||
| 1988 | 1988 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | — | Joe Gibbs | — | ||
| 1989 | 1989 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 10 | 6 | 0 | — | Joe Gibbs | — | ||
| 1990 | 1990 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd^ | 10 | 6 | 0 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Eagles) 20–6 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at 49ers) 28–10 |
Joe Gibbs | — | ||
| 1991 | 1991 | NFL* | NFC | East† | 1st† | 14 | 2 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Falcons) 24–7 Won NFC Championship (Lions) 41–10 Won Super Bowl XXVI (5) (vs. Bills) 37–24 |
Joe Gibbs | Joe Gibbs (COY) Mark Rypien (SBMVP & OPOY) |
||
| 1992 | 1992 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd^ | 9 | 7 | 0 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Vikings) 24–7 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at 49ers) 20–13 |
Joe Gibbs | — | ||
| 1993 | 1993 | NFL | NFC | East | 5th | 4 | 12 | 0 | — | Richie Petitbon | — | ||
| 1994 | 1994 | NFL | NFC | East | 5th | 3 | 13 | 0 | — | Norv Turner | — | ||
| 1995 | 1995 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 6 | 10 | 0 | — | Norv Turner | — | ||
| 1996 | 1996 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 9 | 7 | 0 | — | Norv Turner | Darrell Green (WPMOY & Bart Starr Award) | ||
| 1997 | 1997 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd | 8 | 7 | 1 | — | Norv Turner | — | ||
| 1998 | 1998 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 6 | 10 | 0 | — | Norv Turner | — | ||
| 1999 | 1999 | NFL | NFC | East† | 1st† | 10 | 6 | 0 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Lions) 27–13 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Buccaneers) 14–13 |
Norv Turner | — | ||
| 2000 | 2000 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 8 | 8 | 0 | — | Norv Turner (7–6) Terry Robiskie (1–2) |
— | ||
| 2001 | 2001 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd | 8 | 8 | 0 | — | Marty Schottenheimer | — | ||
| 2002 | 2002 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | — | Steve Spurrier | — | ||
| 2003 | 2003 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 5 | 11 | 0 | — | Steve Spurrier | |||
| 2004 | 2004 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 6 | 10 | 0 | — | Joe Gibbs | — | ||
| 2005 | 2005 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd^ | 10 | 6 | 0 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Buccaneers) 17–10 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Seahawks) 20–10 |
Joe Gibbs | |||
| 2006 | 2006 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 5 | 11 | 0 | — | Joe Gibbs | — | ||
| 2007 | 2007 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd^ | 9 | 7 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Seahawks) 35–14 | Joe Gibbs | |||
| 2008 | 2008 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 8 | 8 | 0 | — | Jim Zorn | — | ||
| 2009 | 2009 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 4 | 12 | 0 | — | Jim Zorn | — | ||
| 2010 | 2010 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 6 | 10 | 0 | — | Mike Shanahan | — | ||
| 2011 | 2011 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 5 | 11 | 0 | — | Mike Shanahan | London Fletcher (Bart Starr Award) | ||
| 2012 | 2012 | NFL | NFC | East† | 1st† | 10 | 6 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Seahawks) 24–14 | Mike Shanahan | Robert Griffin III (OROY) | ||
| 2013 | 2013 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 3 | 13 | 0 | — | Mike Shanahan | — | ||
| 2014 | 2014 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 4 | 12 | 0 | — | Jay Gruden | |||
| 2015 | 2015 | NFL | NFC | East† | 1st† | 9 | 7 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Packers) 25–18 | Jay Gruden | — | ||
| 2016 | 2016 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 8 | 7 | 1 | — | Jay Gruden | — | ||
| 2017 | 2017 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | — | Jay Gruden | — | ||
| 2018 | 2018 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | — | Jay Gruden | — | ||
| 2019 | 2019 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 3 | 13 | 0 | — | Jay Gruden (0–5) Bill Callahan (3–8) |
— | ||
| Washington Football Team | |||||||||||||
| 2020 | 2020 | NFL | NFC | East† | 1st† | 7 | 9 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Buccaneers) 31–23 | Ron Rivera | Chase Young (DROY) Alex Smith (CBPOY) |
||
| 2021 | 2021 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 7 | 10 | 0 | — | Ron Rivera | Ron Rivera (George Halas Award) | ||
| Washington Commanders | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2022 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 8 | 8 | 1 | — | Ron Rivera | — | ||
| 2023 | 2023 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 4 | 13 | 0 | — | Ron Rivera | — | ||
| 2024 | 2024 | NFL | NFC | East | — | — | — | — | — | Dan Quinn | — | ||
| Totals | 629 | 643 | 29 | All-time regular season record | |||||||||
| 23 | 20 | — | All-time playoff record | ||||||||||
| 652 | 663 | 29 | Combined record | ||||||||||
See also
Footnotes
- ^ In 1935, the NFL set the number of regular season games to 12. Prior to that, the NFL did not have a set number of games for teams to play. The Redskins only played 11 games, however, as a road game against the Philadelphia Eagles was canceled due to snow and rain.
- ^ In 1937, the NFL lowered the number of regular season games, which had been 12 games since 1935, to 11.
- ^ In 1943, the NFL lowered the number of regular season games, which had been 11 games since 1937, to 10.
- ^ In 1946, the NFL expanded its regular season schedule, which had been 10 games since 1943, to 11 games.
- ^ In 1947, the NFL expanded its regular season schedule, which had been 11 games since 1946, to 12 games.
- ^ The last year the Redskins played at Griffith Stadium.
- ^ In 1961, the NFL expanded its regular season schedule, which had been 12 games since 1947, to 14 games.
- ^ The franchise plays their first game at D.C. Stadium (RFK). The Redskins lost to the Giants 24-21 in front of 37,767 fans.
- ^ The 1967 NFL season marks the first season in the league's history where the league was divided into two conferences which were subdivided into two divisions. Up to 1967, the league was either divided into two divisions, two conferences, or neither.
- ^ The NFL underwent a realignment of teams in the 1970 season, with the Redskins moving to the NFC East division.
- ^ At the end of the 1973 season, the Redskins and the Cowboys finished the season with identical 10–4 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Dallas finished ahead of Washington in the NFC East based on better point differential in head-to-head games.
- ^ At the end of the 1976 season, the Redskins and the St. Louis Cardinals ended the season with identical 10–4 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Washington finished ahead of St. Louis based on head-to-head sweep.
- ^ At the end of the 1977 season, the Redskins and the Bears finished the season with identical 9–5 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Chicago finished ahead of Washington based on better net points in conference games.
- ^ In 1978, the NFL expanded its regular season schedule, which had been 14 games since 1961, to 16 games.
- ^ At the end of the 1979 season, the Redskins and the Bears finished the season with identical 10–6 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Chicago finished ahead of Washington based on better net points in all games.
- ^ The 1982 NFL season was shortened from 16 games per team to 9 games because of a players' strike. The NFL adopted a special 16-team playoff tournament; eight teams from each conference were seeded 1–8, and division standings were ignored.
- ^ At the end of the 1985 season, the Redskins, Cowboys, and the Giants finished the season with identical 10–6 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Dallas finished ahead of New York and Washington in the NFC East division race based on a better head-to-head record. New York then finished ahead of Washington and San Francisco in the NFC Wild-Card race based on a better conference record.
- ^ The 1987 NFL season was shortened from 16 games per team to 15 games because of a players' strike. Games scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, and games of weeks four through six were played with replacement players. Striking players returned for the seventh week of the season.
- ^ At the end of the 1992 season, the Redskins and the Packers finished the season with identical 9–7 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Washington finished ahead of Green Bay based on a better conference record.
- ^ The franchise plays their final game at RFK Stadium. The Redskins beat the Cowboys 37-10 on December 16, 1996. They finished 173-102-3 at RFK, including 11-1 in the playoffs.
- ^ At the end of the 1996 season, the Redskins and the Vikings finished the season with identical 9–7 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Minnesota finished ahead of Washington based on a better conference record.
- ^ The franchise plays their first game at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium (FedExField). The Redskins beat the Cardinals in overtime, 19-13.
- ^ In 2021, the NFL expanded its regular season schedule, which had been 16 games since 1978, to 17 games.