Commanders' Offensive Efficiency Matched Previous Super Bowl Contenders

In their Wild Card win, the Washington Commanders did something two other Super Bowl contenders did before them this decade.

David Harrison | Jan 13, 2025

Jan 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) reacts after catching a touchdown against Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Josh Hayes (32) during the fourth quarter of a NFC wild card playoff at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

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Washington Commanders

TAMPA -- The Washington Commanders did something pretty impressive in order to secure their three-point upset win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs.

While scoring 23 points was enough for the win, it isn't the scoring output alone that'll make the Commanders' win more impressive than your usual run-of-the-mill playoff win.

Instead, its the fact that Washington did it while not punting once, and no it isn't just because the team went super-aggressive.

Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin.

In fact, while the Commanders did go for it on multiple fourth downs, the two they failed to convert both came within field goal range, meaning even if there wasn't a conversion try there still wouldn't have been a punt.

How rare is it to see a team leave their punter on the sideline so long? It has happened just four times now in playoff games dating back to 2015. Two of the teams that achieved the feat ended up in the Super Bowl–the 2017 New England Patriots and the 2020 Kansas City Chiefs. Unfortunately, both lost in the final game.

The 2021 Buffalo Bills also achieved this, but theirs came in a year where the team was eliminated after a Divisional Round loss to the Patriots.

The Commanders will try to emulate that performance next week against the Detroit Lions, and perhaps become the first of these teams to win a Super Bowl in that season–but that's a conversation better had in a few weeks.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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Published Jan 13, 2025

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has covered the NFL since 2015 as a digital content creator in both written and audio media. He is the host of Locked On Commanders and a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His previous career was as a Military Working Dog Handler for the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.