Striking historic parallel implies Washington Commanders could be on special path

The Washington Commanders are 10-5 following Sunday's thrilling 36-33 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, marking the first time since 1991 that they've won at least 10 of their first 15 games.

In that 1991 season, they went 14-2 and won the Super Bowl.

This season has been, without exaggeration, the best one Washington has seen on the football field in more than 30 years. The Commanders still have two games to go, and if they can win either one of them, they'll reach 11 victories. Again, this has not been done in D.C. since 1991.

There's more. In Sunday's win, rookie QB Jayden Daniels had the best game of his young career thus far, throwing for five touchdown passes. The last time a quarterback in Washington did this? Mark Rypien in -- you guessed it -- 1991.

Some historic parallels seem to be aligning here for the Commanders, who've already earned their first 10-win season since 2012 and are on the verge of clinching their first playoff berth since 2020. Washington currently holds a 94 percent chance to make the postseason, per NFL.com, and a Week 17 win over the Atlanta Falcons would clinch it.

Of course, making (let alone winning) the Super Bowl is still quite a few steps beyond that, and the Commanders can't get too carried away. They'll probably be on the road for any playoff game they play, and will be heavy underdogs against the Eagles, Detroit Lions or Los Angeles Rams, one of which is likely to be their Wild Card opponent.

Nevertheless, if you're of the superstitious variety, perhaps these trends can be considered positive omens for the Commanders as the NFL playoffs approach. Something special is brewing in the nation's capital, and history just may have a chance to repeat itself.