The Washington Commanders avoided an ugly regular-season finale loss to the Dallas Cowboys after backup quarterback Marcus Mariota rallied the Commanders to 20 second-half points, including the game-winning touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin. Still, Washington’s 12th win on the season is an incredible eight-game turnaround from the previous season. Their improvement from one season to the next is the best in the NFL since the 2018-2019 San Francisco 49ers, where the 49ers had a +9 win total improvement.
While Washington avoided the loss, the stench of the same red flags that have plagued Washington throughout the season is hard to ignore.