Warren Sharp took a moment Sunday evening to educate his readers that 14 NFL teams have not won a playoff game in the last five seasons.
which teams win a playoff game this year for the first time in 5+ years?
Lions
Dolphins
Raiders
Commanders
Jets
Bears
Panthers
Cardinals
Broncos
Steelers
Falcons
Patriots
Chargers
Colts— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 16, 2023
I immediately thought, “Five years? Why stop there, Warren?”
Well, technically Sharp didn’t. He did actually say “5+ years.”
Commanders fans were already quite aware of this discouraging and frustrating NFL reality. You see, we are all too aware that this NFL franchise has not won a playoff game in well over five years.
Hey Warren, try 18 NFL seasons without a team playoff win!
That’s right, Washington NFL fans have not enjoyed a playoff win since Joe Gibbs 2.0 came out of NFL retirement because he loved the franchise so much he wanted to bring it back some respect.
Gregg Williams was the defensive coordinator, Don Breaux was the offensive coordinator, and Joe Bugel was the offensive line coach.
Quarterback Patrick Ramsey started the season opener, and Mark Brunell the other 15 games. Clinton Portis gained 1,516 yards rushing, including 11 touchdowns.
Santana Moss gained 1,483 receiving yards on 84 receptions (17.7 yards per reception) and 9 receiving touchdowns. Chris Cooley generated 774 receiving yards on 71 receptions and 7 touchdowns.
Ladell Betts returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. Antonio Brown returned one 91 yards for a touchdown. No, not that “Antonio Brown.”
John Hall and Nick Novak connected on 17 of 21 field goals and all 42 extra-point attempts.
Remember linebacker Lemar Marshall?
He led the team in tackles (101) and interceptions (4). Defensive end Phillip Daniels led with 8.0 quarterback sacks. He and linebacker Marcus Washington each led with 11 tackles for a loss.
What a year that secondary had, getting their hands on balls. Safety Sean Taylor led with 12 passes defended, and corners Walt Harris and Shawn Springs collected 11 and 10, respectively.
In fact, the defense was most responsible for the last playoff win in franchise history those 18 seasons ago, when Washington went down to Tampa and beat the Bucs 17-10.
Brunell was injured and unable to pass effectively, but Coach Joe was not putting Ramsey out there against the Bucs defense. The Washington offense totaled only 120 yards. But they won the turnover battle 3-1, including a Sean Taylor 51-yard fumble recovery touchdown run.
And so it was 18 NFL seasons ago when the Washington NFL team was the “Redskins,” and they last won a playoff game.
You can follow Ivan Lambert on Twitter @IvanLambert18 and Commanders Wire @Washington_Wire
