Washington Commanders Playoff History

Since becoming a franchise back in 1932, the Washington Commanders have had a rich Super Bowl history since then that has led to multiple playoff appearances and championships. Since their debut year, they have put together 25 playoff runs in which 16 of them have come as division champions. Included in their playoff history as well are 5 conference championships which have led to 3 Super Bowls.

Playoff Appearances For The Washington Commanders

There have been a total of ten different coaches that have led the Washington Commanders to a playoff berth since they first made it in 1936. Most notably though was Joe Gibbs who took this team to eight of their 25 playoff runs between the early 80s to his final season with the team in the early 90s. That does not include the two other playoff runs when he returned to the team in 2004. Making up the other 15 playoff berths that the Commanders have had have come under coaches such as Ray Flaherty, George Allen, Norv Turner, Jay Gruden, Mike Shanahan, and their current coach, Ron Rivera.

Division Championships For The Washington Commanders

The majority of the Commanders division titles came before the 2000s when they won 13 division championships from their inaugural season to 2000. Flaherty took them to four, Dutch Bergman, Dudley DeGroot, and George Allen each have them one, Gibbs was responsible for five, and Turner gave them one. Ahead of the year 2000, they were only successful for three more division titles in 2012 with Mike Shanahan, 2015 under Jay Gruden, and 2020 with Ron Rivera.

Conference Championships For The Washington Commanders

From the start of the Super Bowl era in 1967 to the present day, the Washington Commanders have been victorious in five conference championship games. George Allen was responsible for their first conference title in 1973. Joe Gibbs then led them to their remaining four conference championships in 1982, 1983, 1987, and 1991. All of which came with impressive play under center from Hall of Famer Joe Theismann, Barry Wilburn, and Mark Rypien.

Super Bowl Victories For The Washington Commanders

Of the five conference championships, the Commanders have been able to turn three of them into Super Bowl Championships in which Joe Gibbs was responsible for all three. Their first Super Bowl came in 1982 where they defeated the Miami Dolphins 27-17 after going into the game as a 3-point underdog. Commanders running back at the time, John Riggins, claimed Super Bowl MVP honors.

Their second Super Bowl win in 1988 came against the Denver Broncos where they were underdogs once again, but this time by 3.5 points. Washington had their way with the Broncos as they won 42-10 behind Doug Williams, who went on to win the Super Bowl MVP.

In 1992, sports betting sites finally put some respect on the Commanders as they went in as 7-point favorites to the Buffalo Bills. They had no problems covering the spread with the final score coming out to 37-24. Their quarterback at the time, Mark Rypien, was named the Super Bowl MVP.

With Washington Commanders SB 59 sportsbooks accepting bettors from the US opening the Commanders Super Bowl 59 odds over +5000 odds in six of the last seven seasons, it doesn’t seem likely that their odds will shift in their favor this season.

Washington Commanders 14-Point Comeback In The 1988 NFC Divisional Round

One of the Commanders most memorable playoff moments came in the 1998 NFC Divisional Round where they overcame a 14-point deficit to the Chicago Bears. The Bears jumped out to an early 14-point lead in the first half before Washington went on to finish the game on a 21-3 run. Commanders running back at the time and wide receiver Clint Didier were the beneficiaries of the two offensive touchdowns. What put them over the top was Darrell Green and his 52-yard punt return to give them their first lead of the game in the third quarter. Washington would go on to win the game 21-7.