4 crucial statistics that must improve for Commanders to reach Super Bowl 60
If the Commanders can get better in a few key areas, a title isn’t out of the question.
After the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, the blueprint has been laid out for what the Washington Commanders and everyone else around the NFL need to do. They must be elite at every position.
That’s much easier said than done, of course. If the Commanders can show some improvement in a few key areas, they’ll have a shot to be right there with Philadelphia. Here are four of them.
Critical statistics that must improve for Commanders to reach Super Bowl 60
Rushing Yards Allowed
- 2024 Rank: 30th
The Commanders’ single biggest positional issue in 2024 was their run defense. They gave up the third-most yards on the ground of any NFL team (2,337) and also had the third-most yards per attempt conceded (4.8). The play of Washington’s defensive line was a major disappointment, after previously being a team strength.
Long-time veterans Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne seemed to regress (in Allen’s case, his season was hampered by an injury). Dorance Armstrong Jr. and Clelin Ferrell mostly underwhelmed as free-agent acquisitions.
The Commanders will need to be aggressive in repairing this unit over the offseason. Perhaps a Myles Garrett trade could be in store? They are also banking on 2024 rookie Johnny Newton to progress in year two of his professional career.
Sacks Allowed
- 2024 Rank: T-25th
The Commanders’ offensive line was slightly better than in 2023 when quarterback Sam Howell was hung out to dry all season long and sacked 65 times. In 2024, Washington allowed “only” 50 sacks, moving from second-worst in the NFL to tied for 25th.
Considering the mobility of Jayden Daniels likely prevented him from taking at least a dozen more, this is still a glaring concern. If Washington is going to protect the quarterback’s long-term future, he’ll need more effective bodies up front.
With right guard Sam Cosmi likely out for a large chunk if not all of the 2025 campaign after tearing his ACL against the Detroit Lions, the offensive line becomes a key area of need. Expect general manager Adam Peters to address it in the early rounds of the draft.
Takeaways
- 2024 Rank: T-20th
What separates the truly great NFL teams from the merely good ones? Winning the turnover battle.
All the proof of that should lie in their tale of Washington’s two playoff games — their stunning win in Detroit and their loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship game.
In the 45-31 win over Detroit, the Lions turned the ball over five times while the Commanders never did. Then, against the Eagles, Washington had four turnovers in the 55-23 defeat while Philadelphia had none.
The former performance was unfortunately much more of the outlier of the Commanders’ season, as their defense struggled to force its opposition into critical mistakes. Washington only turned its opponents over 17 times in the regular season, tied for 20th-most in the league.
Defensive Expected Points Contributed
- 2024 Rank: 30th
This is an advanced statistic provided by Pro Football Reference and measures an approximate total value of a team’s defensive performance throughout the campaign. The Commanders ranked 30th, ahead of only the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers, with a rating of -147.39.
Who was in first place? The Super Bowl champion Eagles.
As the saying goes, defense wins championships. Combining the No. 1 and No. 3 bullet points on this list, Washington must be better defensively in 2025 if it wants to have any significant Super Bowl aspirations. The Commanders may not be able to replicate the talent on the Eagles’ roster, but if that side of the ball can improve to even just somewhere in the top-10 range, it would do wonders in taking Washington from a good team to a great one.
