The Washington Commanders sit proudly at 6-2 after their dramatic 18-15 win over the Chicago Bears at Northwest Stadium, with Dan Quinn's team riding a wave of positive momentum.
But the Commanders, while playing good football, perhaps give themselves an edge over the competition through something happening off the field.
We often hear about locker room togetherness and everyone pulling in the same direction. There are examples of it not going right, say with the New York Jets, but for Washington, every player, coach, and person in between is all on the same page regarding what is trying to be accomplished.
But that level of camaraderie doesn't just "happen." It gets built up over time, and for Quinn, he's revealed how Washington's locker room togetherness has come about.
“It comes from the guys that they're with every day,” Quinn said. “There's usually another level that you can tap into, that's what I think they're doing now is playing hard for one another, and that's the secret of it all. You can take yourself to a certain level but to tap into the next gear, to the next spot, you got to bring people with you. So it manifests itself in a lot of different ways, but it usually comes back to doing it for the guy that's right next to them, and that's what I've been seeing, and that's what I've been hearing.”
Well, whatever the Commanders are doing, it's working.
With both sides of the ball playing to a high level, coupled with the feel-good vibes and the players wanting to play well for each other, that is a recipe for success...and Washington's record proves it.
Of course, the 2024 season will have ebbs and flows, but the Commanders have a good mix of youth and experience to help the team navigate those troubled waters when/if they come.
A lot of things can sink a team, and being in self-preservation mode is one of them, but nothing binds a group together more than everyone fighting for the same goal.And for the Commanders, that is the "secret" powering them ahead under this new regime.
