Best seasons in Washington Commanders history

With over a century of history that dates back to 1920, the NFL has plenty of memorable seasons.

In the 2016 season, for instance, Tom Brady was suspended his first four games before he orchestrated a miraculous 28-3 comeback to cap the year in the Super Bowl. Then there's the 1985 Chicago Bears and their Super Bowl Shuffle. The 2004 season saw a trio of astounding feats, with Peyton Manning breaking Dan Marino's long-standing passing touchdown record, a rookie quarterback leading Pittsburgh to a 15-1 record, and Philadelphia's Terrell Owens lighting up the league at wide receiver before a broken leg ended his regular season. The strike seasons of 1982 and 1987 were memorable in their own, unique ways, too. And who could forget the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only team to win a Super Bowl with a perfect record.

It's hard to single out the best NFL season—and harder still to try and qualify or quantify what "best" really is.

But what about the best seasons of a single team? Can we determine the best seasons in a team's history?

To a degree, that's quantifiable, and where this list comes in. Stacker compiled the top 10 best seasons in Washington Commanders history using Pro-Football-Reference.com data that goes back to the first NFL season in 1920. Seasons were ranked based on how far the team progressed in the playoffs in a particular year. Any ties were broken first by each season's regular season record, then by net points per game. Supplemental data points include the team's head coach and, for years after 1931, top passers, rushers, and receivers of specific seasons.

Read on through to find out which seasons count as the Washington Commanders' best. Of course, there's wiggle room to define what makes a season one of the "best"—take a peek below to see if you agree with how the rankings played out.

#10. 1943 (as the Washington Redskins)
- Regular season record: 6-3-1
- Playoffs: Lost in NFL championship
- Points per game: 22.9
- Opponent points per game: 13.7
- Net points per game: 9.2
- Head coach: Dutch Bergman
- Top passer: Sammy Baugh
- Top rusher: Andy Farkas
- Top receiver: Wilbur Moore

#9. 1972 (as the Washington Redskins)
- Regular season record: 11-3
- Playoffs: Lost in Super Bowl
- Points per game: 24.0
- Opponent points per game: 15.6
- Net points per game: 8.4
- Head coach: George Allen
- Top passer: Billy Kilmer
- Top rusher: Larry Brown
- Top receiver: Charley Taylor

#8. 1945 (as the Washington Redskins)
- Regular season record: 8-2
- Playoffs: Lost in NFL championship
- Points per game: 20.9
- Opponent points per game: 12.1
- Net points per game: 8.8
- Head coach: Dudley DeGroot
- Top passer: Sammy Baugh
- Top rusher: Frank Akins
- Top receiver: Steve Bagarus

#7. 1940 (as the Washington Redskins)
- Regular season record: 9-2
- Playoffs: Lost in NFL championship
- Points per game: 22.3
- Opponent points per game: 12.9
- Net points per game: 9.4
- Head coach: Ray Flaherty
- Top passer: Sammy Baugh
- Top rusher: Dick Todd
- Top receiver: Dick Todd

#6. 1983 (as the Washington Redskins)
- Regular season record: 14-2
- Playoffs: Lost in Super Bowl
- Points per game: 33.8
- Opponent points per game: 20.8
- Net points per game: 13.1
- Head coach: Joe Gibbs
- Top passer: Joe Theismann
- Top rusher: John Riggins
- Top receiver: Charlie Brown

#5. 1937 (as the Washington Redskins)
- Regular season record: 8-3
- Playoffs: Won NFL championship
- Points per game: 17.7
- Opponent points per game: 10.9
- Net points per game: 6.8
- Head coach: Ray Flaherty
- Top passer: Sammy Baugh
- Top rusher: Cliff Battles
- Top receiver: Charley Malone

#4. 1987 (as the Washington Redskins)
- Regular season record: 11-4
- Playoffs: Won Super Bowl
- Points per game: 25.3
- Opponent points per game: 19.0
- Net points per game: 6.3
- Head coach: Joe Gibbs
- Top passer: Jay Schroeder
- Top rusher: George Rogers
- Top receiver: Gary Clark

#3. 1991 (as the Washington Redskins)
- Regular season record: 14-2
- Playoffs: Won Super Bowl
- Points per game: 30.3
- Opponent points per game: 14.0
- Net points per game: 16.3
- Head coach: Joe Gibbs
- Top passer: Mark Rypien
- Top rusher: Earnest Byner
- Top receiver: Gary Clark

#2. 1982 (as the Washington Redskins)
- Regular season record: 8-1
- Playoffs: Won Super Bowl
- Points per game: 21.1
- Opponent points per game: 14.2
- Net points per game: 6.9
- Head coach: Joe Gibbs
- Top passer: Joe Theismann
- Top rusher: John Riggins
- Top receiver: Charlie Brown

#1. 1942 (as the Washington Redskins)
- Regular season record: 10-1
- Playoffs: Won NFL championship
- Points per game: 20.6
- Opponent points per game: 9.3
- Net points per game: 11.4
- Head coach: Ray Flaherty
- Top passer: Sammy Baugh
- Top rusher: Andy Farkas
- Top receiver: Dick Todd