The Washington Commanders last season were one of the surprise packets of the NFL. After being a four-win team in 2023, Dan Quinn and Jayden Daniels transformed the franchise. A 12-5 regular season followed, plus two playoff wins and a trip to the NFC Championship game, has this rebuild trending in the right direction. Plus, with the additions this offseason in Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil, Washington is in win-now mode, with Daniels’ rookie contract playing a factor. But that brings expectations, and for former NFL receiver and now analyst Keyshawn Johnson, who was on FS1’s Speak, it is the NFC Championship game or bust for Daniels and Co. in 2025.

“I expect them to be good, they may not get back to the NFC Championship game,” Johnson said. “But anything less than that as a team because they are ahead of the curve becomes a complete failure to me.” Those are high expectations.

However, based on what Washington accomplished last season, with the improvement expected from Daniels and the additions of Samuel and Tunsil, the Commanders should be aiming for that. After a superb first season, the Commanders added good pieces around Daniels. With the trades for Tunsil and Samuel, the franchise clearly sees this as the opportunity to strike and win that Super Bowl trophy.

Of course, we all know that success in the NFL is not linear, but Washington has done an excellent job of assisting Daniels in succeeding as they know he is capable of doing. Is the NFC Championship or bust for the Commanders in 2025? We must conclude this based on Daniels’ moves and predicted play.