In 1960, the Washington Redskins had a bad season, going 1-9-2 in a 12-game schedule. The following season saw a lot of changes for the NFL and the Redskins franchise.
The league added a team — the Minnesota Vikings, and moved the Dallas Cowboys from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference.
In addition, the NFL expanded the schedule from 12 to 14 games, and eliminated the bye week by having an even number of teams again.
For the Redskins, the team fired coach Mike Nixon, who had gone 4-18-2 in two seasons, promoting Bill McPeak, who had been one of Nixon’s assistants.