2023 Washington Commanders season

2023 Washington Commanders season
OwnerJosh Harris
PresidentJason Wright
General managerMartin Mayhew
Head coachRon Rivera
Offensive coordinatorEric Bieniemy
Defensive coordinator
Home fieldFedExField
Local radioWBIG-FM (Big 100)
Results
Record4–13
Division place4th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Uniform

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.

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 10–45 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.[2]

Despite a 2–0 start for the first time since 2011, the Commanders finished 4–13 and allowed the most points in the league (518) and had the worst point differential (−189).[3] The team 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.

The Washington Commanders drew an average home attendance of 63,950 in 8 home games in the 2023 NFL season, the 6th worst in the league.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6][7] The deal was the highest price ever paid for a sports team and was unanimously approved by the NFL on July 20, 2023.[8][5]

Draft

Draft trades

  • Washington traded a conditional third-round selection (their 79th overall pick that would have become a second if quarterback Carson Wentz played on 70% of the Commanders' offensive snaps in their 2022 season) and 2022 second and third-round selections to Indianapolis in exchange for Wentz and 2022 second and seventh-round selections.[10]
  • Washington was awarded third and sixth-round compensatory selections (97th and 215th) for the losses of guard Brandon Scherff and defensive tackle Tim Settle during free agency.[11]
  • Washington traded fifth and sixth-round selections (150th and 215th) to Buffalo in exchange for their fifth-round selection (137th).[12]

Staff

2023 Washington Commanders staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Head athletic trainer – Al Bellamy
  • Head strength and conditioning – Chad Englehart
  • Director of player performance – Brett Nenaber


Roster

2023 Washington Commanders roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad
  • 46 Brandon Bouyer-Randle OLB
  • 16 D'Angelo Mandell CB

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 20 reserve, 13 practice squad

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

Week 1: Arizona Cardinals at Washington Commanders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 3 10 3016
Commanders 7 3 01020

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

Week 2: at Denver Broncos

Week 2: Washington Commanders at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Commanders 3 11 71435
Broncos 14 7 3933

at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

Week 3: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week 3: Buffalo Bills at Washington Commanders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bills 10 6 02137
Commanders 0 0 033

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

Week 4: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 4: Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Commanders 7 10 014031
Eagles 7 3 1110334

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 5: Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 10 17 01340
Commanders 0 3 11620

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 6: Washington Commanders at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Commanders 3 14 7024
Falcons 7 3 0616

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

Week 7: at New York Giants

Week 7: Washington Commanders at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Commanders 0 0 707
Giants 0 14 0014

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

Week 8: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 3 7 72138
Commanders 7 10 01431

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

Week 9: Washington Commanders at New England Patriots – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Commanders 3 7 10020
Patriots 0 14 3017

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game information

Week 10: at Seattle Seahawks

Week 10: Washington Commanders at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Commanders 6 3 31426
Seahawks 3 6 71329

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 11: vs. New York Giants

Week 11: New York Giants at Washington Commanders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 7 01731
Commanders 3 6 3719

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

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

Thanksgiving Day games

Week 12: Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Commanders 0 10 0010
Cowboys 7 13 02545

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

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.

Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week 13: Miami Dolphins at Washington Commanders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 17 14 7745
Commanders 0 7 8015

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: December 3
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 53 °F (12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,459
  • Referee: Tra Blake
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: at Los Angeles Rams

Week 15: Washington Commanders at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Commanders 0 0 71320
Rams 3 10 7828

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Game information

Despite the Commanders reaching the one yard line with just under five minutes left, just under two minutes remained when they finally scored.[13]

Week 16: at New York Jets

Week 16: Washington Commanders at New York Jets – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Commanders 0 7 71428
Jets 17 10 0330

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

Week 17: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 17: San Francisco 49ers at Washington Commanders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 10 3 7727
Commanders 0 10 0010

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: December 31
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 48 °F (9 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,424
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 18: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 18: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 14 14338
Commanders 0 10 0010

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

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

NFC
# 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]
  1. ^ a b c San Francisco finished ahead of Dallas and Detroit based on conference record, claiming the No. 1 seed.
  2. ^ a b Dallas claimed the No. 2 seed over Detroit based on head-to-head victory.
  3. ^ a b Tampa Bay finished ahead of New Orleans in the NFC South based on common record. (Tampa Bay is 8–4 against Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Atlanta, Carolina, Houston, Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis, while New Orleans is 6–6 against the same teams.)
  4. ^ a b c Green Bay and Seattle finished ahead of New Orleans based on conference record.
  5. ^ a b Green Bay finished ahead of Seattle based on strength of victory, claiming the 7th and final playoff spot.
  6. ^ a b Minnesota finished ahead of Atlanta based on head-to-head victory. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Chicago (see below).
  7. ^ a b Minnesota finished ahead of Chicago based on common record. (Minnesota is 5–7 against Tampa Bay, Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina, Kansas City, Green Bay, Atlanta, New Orleans, Denver, Las Vegas, and Detroit, while Chicago is 4–8 against the same teams.)
  8. ^ a b Chicago finished ahead of Atlanta based on head-to-head victory.
  9. ^ a b Washington finished ahead of Arizona based on head-to-head victory.
  10. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

References

  1. ^ Jhabvala, Nicki (February 17, 2023). "Commanders hire Eric Bieniemy as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator". Washington Post. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  2. ^ "Commanders fire defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio in wake of blowout loss to Cowboys". NFL.com. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  3. ^ "2023 NFL Offense Total Team Stat Leaders". ESPN. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  4. ^ https://www.espn.com/nfl/attendance/_/year/2023
  5. ^ a b Maske, Mark; Jhabvala, Nicki (July 20, 2023). "NFL owners approve sale of Commanders from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  6. ^ Ozanian, Mike (July 20, 2023). "Here's How Much Josh Harris Expects To Earn On $6 Billion Purchase Of The Washington Commanders". Forbes. Retrieved August 20, 2023. Harris has 20 limited partners in his group, including Mitchell Rales, Magic Johnson, Eric Schmidt and Mark Ein, the most in the NFL.
  7. ^ "Josh Harris Announces Acquisition of Washington Commanders" (Press release). Washington Commanders. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  8. ^ Jhabvala, Nicki (July 20, 2023). "The Commanders sale was so complicated, it was 'like 20 deals in one'". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  9. ^ Selby, Zach (May 2, 2023). "Here's a look at all 12 of the Commanders' UDFAs". commanders.com.
  10. ^ "Commanders acquire Carson Wentz". web.archive.org. March 16, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  11. ^ "Commanders awarded two compensatory picks in 2023 NFL Draft". www.commanders.com. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  12. ^ "Full terms of Commanders trade with Bills to move up in the 5th round". Yahoo Sports. April 29, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  13. ^ Five takeaways from Washington's Week 15 loss to the Rams, WashingtonCommanders.com, December 18, 2023