Quinn, players credit naysayers for fueling Commanders' underdog season
The Washington Commanders weren't going to let the naysayers contribute to a second straight year rebuilding year.
In fact, the Commanders say they've used that doubt from critics to fuel their first run to the NFC Championship Game since 1991.
"At some point, I'm sure people will start believing in us, and we'll have that same chip on our shoulder," safety Jeremy Chinn told reporters, including ESPN's John Keim. "It is the way that we come into work every single day, the guys in this building, the people in this building, the way we show up to work, people can say whatever they want outside. We know who we have in here and who we are."
That outside noise seemingly included an associate of Dan Quinn, who apparently told the head coach following Washington's Week 1 loss that it'd be "a long time" before the Commanders would become true contenders.
"I was like, 'Hey, F you, that's not how it's going to go down,'" Quinn said. "It wasn't disrespect, it was dismissiveness, and I felt some kind of way. ... It was we're going to be a lot better than what we just showed today. And eventually, we'll show that. So not to prove it to everybody else or underdog stories, it's how we get down."
The mindset helped the Commanders go from a 4-13 team in 2023 to 12-5 in 2024. Washington also claimed its first postseason victories, including an upset of the No. 1-ranked Detroit Lions, since 2005.
The Commanders' offense, in particular, has had one of the biggest turnarounds this season under rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Washington ranked seventh in average yards and fifth in average points per game in 2024 compared to 24th and 25th in 2023, respectively.
The Commanders hope to make their first Super Bowl since 1991 with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The two teams face off at 3 p.m. ET.