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The run is over for the Commanders, and while it was magical while it happened, Washington eventually ran into the buzzsaw that was the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
The high point of the postseason for Jayden Daniels and the Commanders was undoubtedly going into Ford Field and knocking off the Detroit Lions in a massive upset win, 45-31. The low point, though, was certainly the NFC title game. Though they did put up a good fight for some time — it was 14-12 midway through the second quarter — the Commanders ended up losing 55-23.
That's a fifty-plus burger put up by the Eagles, who road Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts on the ground to victory. Barkley put up 118 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries, while Hurts took it in three times himself.
It was a dominant performance from the Eagles, who will now be seeking revenge against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, but it was a game that certainly left Commanders fans feeling hollow after everything their team was able to accomplish in 2024-25.
That doesn't mean this team doesn't have a bright future, though. Daniels was clear even after the loss that he felt the Commanders deserved to be in the bright lights of the NFC Championship Game,
“You have to go out there and earn it. You have to prove it. And even though tonight, we didn't earn it, we believe that we belong here,” Daniels said, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “Kudos to Philly, and what they did. Heck of a team, and good luck to them.”
Daniels is obviously the centerpiece of what the Commanders will want to do moving forward after his tremendous rookie season, but there are several veteran free agents on their own roster that they'll want to keep around as well. Building a team through explosive youth and consistent veteran presence is a tried and true method, and the Commanders can make another run at the Super Bowl in 2025 if they bring back these three veteran glue pieces.
Bobby Wagner is the defensive leader the Commanders need
Bobby Wagner has been playing NLF football for a long time, but he still has the goods and more than anything, he's a veteran defensive leader the Commanders should want to keep around.
Wagner led the team in tackles this season with 132. He also notched two sacks, ten tackles for loss, four passes defended, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. That's not bad for a 34-year-old linebacker who the Commanders gave a one-year deal to this past offseason.
Wagner would absolutely be worth another year if he wants to stick around this young and ascending team.
Zach Ertz has become a safety net for Jayden Daniels
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Even at 34 years old, Zach Ertz was the second-leading receiver for the Commanders this season, with 66 catches for 654 yards and seven touchdowns.
Six of those seven touchdowns came after the calendar hit November, so Ertz was getting better as the season went on. That also points to the fact that as Daniels got more comfortable as a rookie quarterback, he found a player he could trust in Ertz.
If it wasn't clear in the regular season, Ertz's performance in the playoffs solidified that; he caught five passes and a touchdown in the upset over the Lions and then caught 11-of-16 passes for 104 yards against the Eagles.
The Commanders need to bring Ertz back for at least one more season in order to ensure that Daniels doesn't go through the traditional “sophomore slump.”
Despite being in the league since 2013, this was undoubtedly Ertz's best season since his Pro Bowl-three peat as a member of the Eagles from 2017 to 2019.
Dante Fowler Jr. had a resurgence with the Commanders
Dante Fowler Jr. may demand a good chunk of money as a free agent, but he'd be wise to give the Commanders a shot to bring him back. One season after notching just four sacks with the Dallas Cowboys, Fowler followed head coach Dan Quinn to Washington and had a career resurgence.
He led the team in sacks with 10.5, and he also notched an interception, which he took back 67 yards to the house against the Carolina Panthers.
Fowler may not have ever lived up to his billing as the Jacksonville Jaguars' No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, but he has certainly found a useful role in Washington.
