2023 Washington Commanders season
92nd season in franchise history, first under ownership of Josh Harris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2023 season was the Washington Commanders' 92nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth and final under head coach Ron Rivera. It was the first season under owner Josh Harris, who headed a group in the offseason that bought the franchise from Daniel Snyder for $6.05 billion.
| 2023 Washington Commanders season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Josh Harris |
| General manager | Martin Mayhew |
| President | Jason Wright |
| Head coach | Ron Rivera |
| Offensive coordinator | Eric Bieniemy |
| Defensive coordinator |
|
| Home stadium | FedExField |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–13 |
| Division place | 4th NFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
| Uniform | |
The team replaced offensive coordinator Scott Turner, who joined the team in 2020, with former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who was also named assistant head coach.[1] Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer were fired following a 45–10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.[2]
Despite a 2–0 start for the first time since 2011, the Commanders finished 4–13, failing to improve upon their 2022 record of 8–8–1. The team allowed the most points in the league (518) and had the worst point differential (−189).[3] They also allowed 30 points per game on average, their worst since the 1954 season. It was the Commanders' seventh straight non-winning season and third straight missing the playoffs, with the team also going winless in the division for the first time since 2019 and for the third time since 2009. Rivera and his staff were fired following the season's end. This also marked the first season since 1993 where none of the team's players were selected for the Pro Bowl. This was the Commanders' seventh consecutive season with a new quarterback starting on opening week, as Carson Wentz left to go to the Los Angeles Rams. Quarterback Sam Howell became the first quarterback to throw 21 or more interceptions in a season since Baker Mayfield and Jameis Winston threw 21 and 30 interceptions in 2019, respectively.
Ownership change
Daniel Snyder, whose ownership had been mired in controversy amid a lack of on-field success since buying the franchise in 1999, sold the team to a group headed by Josh Harris, co-founder of Apollo Global Management and owner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and NHL's New Jersey Devils, for $6.05 billion.[4] The group has 20 limited partners worth a combined $100 billion, the most in the NFL, which includes Danaher and Glenstone founder Mitchell Rales, Hall of Fame basketball player Magic Johnson, 76ers and Devils co-owner David Blitzer, D.C. entrepreneur Mark Ein, Maverick Capital founder Lee Ainslie, former Magic Johnson Enterprises president Eric Holoman, Blue Owl Capital founders Marc Lipschultz and Doug Ostrover, the Santo Domingo family, ProShares founder Michael Sapir, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and Cambridge Information Group CEO Andy Snyder.[5][6] The deal was the highest price ever paid for a sports team at the time and was unanimously approved by the NFL on July 20, 2023.[7][4]
Draft
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Draft trades
- The Commanders traded a conditional third-round selection (that would have become a second if Wentz played on 70% of the Commanders' 2022 offensive snaps), and 2022 second- and third-round selections to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for 2022 second- and seventh-round selections, and QB Carson Wentz.[8]
Staff
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Roster
Schedule
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 11 | at Cleveland Browns | W 17–15 | 1–0 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 21 | Baltimore Ravens | W 29–28 | 2–0 | FedExField | Recap |
| 3 | August 26 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 21–19 | 3–0 | FedExField | Recap |
Regular season
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10 | Arizona Cardinals | W 20–16 | 1–0 | FedExField | Recap |
| 2 | September 17 | at Denver Broncos | W 35–33 | 2–0 | Empower Field at Mile High | Recap |
| 3 | September 24 | Buffalo Bills | L 3–37 | 2–1 | FedExField | Recap |
| 4 | October 1 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 31–34 (OT) | 2–2 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap |
| 5 | October 5 | Chicago Bears | L 20–40 | 2–3 | FedExField | Recap |
| 6 | October 15 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 24–16 | 3–3 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 22 | at New York Giants | L 7–14 | 3–4 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 29 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 31–38 | 3–5 | FedExField | Recap |
| 9 | November 5 | at New England Patriots | W 20–17 | 4–5 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 12 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 26–29 | 4–6 | Lumen Field | Recap |
| 11 | November 19 | New York Giants | L 19–31 | 4–7 | FedExField | Recap |
| 12 | November 23 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 10–45 | 4–8 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 3 | Miami Dolphins | L 15–45 | 4–9 | FedExField | Recap |
| 14 | Bye | |||||
| 15 | December 17 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 20–28 | 4–10 | SoFi Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 24 | at New York Jets | L 28–30 | 4–11 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | December 31 | San Francisco 49ers | L 10–27 | 4–12 | FedExField | Recap |
| 18 | January 7 | Dallas Cowboys | L 10–38 | 4–13 | FedExField | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Arizona Cardinals
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
| Commanders | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
- Date: September 10
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 76 °F (24 °C)
- Game attendance: 64,693
- Referee: Alan Eck
- TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: at Denver Broncos
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders | 3 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
| Broncos | 14 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 33 |
at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
- Date: September 17
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/2:25 p.m. MDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
- Game attendance: 76,108
- Referee: Brad Rogers
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Aditi Kinkhabwala
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: vs. Buffalo Bills
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 10 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 37 |
| Commanders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
- Date: September 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Rain, 65 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 64,291
- Referee: Land Clark
- TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan and AJ Ross
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: at Philadelphia Eagles
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders | 7 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
| Eagles | 7 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 34 |
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Date: October 1
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C)
- Game attendance: 69,879
- Referee: Ronald Torbert
- TV announcers (Fox): Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 10 | 17 | 0 | 13 | 40 |
| Commanders | 0 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 20 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
- Date: October 5
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 70 °F (21 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,727
- Referee: Scott Novak
- TV announcers (WTTG/Prime Video): Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and Kaylee Hartung
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders | 3 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Falcons | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: October 15
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 69,921
- Referee: Clete Blakeman
- TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan and AJ Ross
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week 7: at New York Giants
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Giants | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: October 22
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 54 °F (12 °C)
- Game attendance: 81,671
- Referee: John Hussey
- TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan and AJ Ross
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 8: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 3 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 38 |
| Commanders | 7 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
- Date: October 29
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 69 °F (21 °C)
- Game attendance: 64,653
- Referee: Carl Cheffers
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 9: at New England Patriots
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
| Patriots | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Date: November 5
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Mostly sunny, 62 °F (17 °C)
- Game attendance: 64,628
- Referee: Adrian Hill
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Shannon Spake
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week 10: at Seattle Seahawks
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders | 6 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 26 |
| Seahawks | 3 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 29 |
at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
- Date: November 12
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/1:25 p.m. PST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 52 °F (11 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,721
- Referee: Alex Kemp
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Laura Okmin
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 11: vs. New York Giants
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 31 |
| Commanders | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
- Date: November 19
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Sunny, 56 °F (13 °C)
- Game attendance: 62,714
- Referee: Brad Allen
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Shannon Spake
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Commanders' offense committed six turnovers throughout the game. With a chance to win the game, Isaiah Simmons intercepted Sam Howell for a touchdown that put the game away. The Commanders fall to 4–7.
Week 12: at Dallas Cowboys
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 13 | 0 | 25 | 45 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Date: November 23
- Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. CST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 93,711
- Referee: Bill Vinovich
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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With the blowout loss, the Commanders were eliminated from NFC East contention. After the game, the team fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer. This was Washington's first Thanksgiving appearance as the Commanders.
Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 17 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 45 |
| Commanders | 0 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 15 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week 15: at Los Angeles Rams
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
| Rams | 3 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 28 |
at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
- Date: December 17
- Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST/1:05 p.m. PST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 78 °F (26 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 72,035
- Referee: Alan Eck
- TV announcers (CBS): Tom McCarthy, James Lofton, Jay Feely and Tiffany Blackmon
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Despite the Commanders reaching the one yard line with just under five minutes left, just under two minutes remained when they finally scored.[11]
Week 16: at New York Jets
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Jets | 17 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 30 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: December 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)
- Game attendance: 67,470
- Referee: Clay Martin
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Aditi Kinkhabwala
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week 17: vs. San Francisco 49ers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Commanders | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week 18: vs. Dallas Cowboys
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 7 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 38 |
| Commanders | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
- Date: January 7
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 48 °F (9 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,645
- Referee: Shawn Smith
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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With the loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the commanders lost their 8th straight game in a row since beating the New England Patriots in Week 9.
Standings
Division
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (2) Dallas Cowboys | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 5–1 | 9–3 | 509 | 315 | W2 |
| (5) Philadelphia Eagles | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 433 | 428 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 3–3 | 5–7 | 266 | 407 | W1 |
| Washington Commanders | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 0–6 | 2–10 | 329 | 518 | L8 |
Conference
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division leaders | |||||||||||
| 1[a] | San Francisco 49ers | West | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .509 | .475 | L1 |
| 2[a][b] | Dallas Cowboys | East | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .446 | .392 | W2 |
| 3[a][b] | Detroit Lions | North | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .481 | .436 | W1 |
| 4[c] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .481 | .379 | W1 |
| Wild cards | |||||||||||
| 5 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .481 | .476 | L2 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Rams | West | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .529 | .453 | W4 |
| 7[d][e] | Green Bay Packers | North | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .474 | .458 | W3 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
| 8[d][e] | Seattle Seahawks | West | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 2–4 | 7–5 | .512 | .392 | W1 |
| 9[c][d] | New Orleans Saints | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .433 | .340 | W2 |
| 10[f][g] | Minnesota Vikings | North | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .509 | .454 | L4 |
| 11[g][h] | Chicago Bears | North | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .464 | .370 | L1 |
| 12[f][h] | Atlanta Falcons | South | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 3–3 | 4–8 | .429 | .462 | L2 |
| 13 | New York Giants | East | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .512 | .353 | W1 |
| 14[i] | Washington Commanders | East | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 0–6 | 2–10 | .512 | .338 | L8 |
| 15[i] | Arizona Cardinals | West | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 0–6 | 3–9 | .561 | .588 | L1 |
| 16 | Carolina Panthers | South | 2 | 15 | 0 | .118 | 1–5 | 1–11 | .522 | .500 | L3 |
| Tiebreakers[j] | |||||||||||
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