It was all supposed to be so simple for the Washington Commanders this season. Their sensational surge to the NFC Championship game, followed by a bold offseason approach from general manager Adam Peters, had this once-downtrodden franchise poised to make another Super Bowl tilt in 2025.
But the Commanders are finding out that things rarely go smoothly in the NFL.
This is a year-to-year league for a reason. Teams can regress or improve in the blink of an eye. Bad luck on the injury front could bring ambitions crashing down. Any number of factors can be the difference between success and failure.